Numb3rs: The Final Season

Fitting End for an Underrated Series
I haven't kept a close eye on "Numb3rs" thanks to its dead end 10 pm Friday night airing, but when I had tuned in (primarily via On Demand), I rarely was ever disappointed. I will submit that the mathematics used in this sixth season wasn't the greatest and in fact during one episode, 'And the Winner Is', didn't make a whole lot of sense in that the theory was sound but how they came about it and in turn found the culprits was on the iffy side. But, I've always felt that while indeed the show's gimmick was using mathematics to solve crimes it is the characters and their arcs that make it worthwhile viewing. In the sixth season I could immediately tell that even the writers had an inkling this would be the final season as they began tying up the characters' stories and by the series finale, as a casual fan, I was mostly satisfied. Yes, it is a very low key ending to the show as even the plot was in line with most of the stories that have come before but I wouldn't want it any other...

Satisfying ending to a great series
I started watching Numb3rs a couple of seasons ago after my mom convinced me to give it a shot. Since then I've gotten hooked, keeping up with each new episode. I was concerned when the show was moved to a late-evening Friday slot, which I was afraid would be the end of it. I'm not sure if it was the time that directly led to Numb3rs cancellation, but either way, season six ended up being the end of the road for the show.

It seems like the writers knew the show was out of steam near the beginning of the season when they are started to wrap up different character's stories, and started neglecting the mathematics. I know the math angle has pretty much just a gimmick from the beginning to distinguish Numb3rs from the mass of police procedurals on television, but in the last season the writers seemed to get a little lazy with the math, and took it into places that didn't make much sense and making it even harder to believe. But hey, taken purely as part of the show, it worked...

Good series losing steam
While I loved this series toward the end it definitely began running out of steam. As usual, to zip things up, the writers began adding more racey themes, never too offensive, but I really enjoyed earlier episodes where I felt comfortable viewing with the whole family. There is nothing too racy but I sensed the writers lost their commitment to producing something smart and enjoyable for the whole family. I definitely recommend earlier seasons.

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