One of the more interesting concepts that I often hear from people (with their inevitable level of ineptitude) is that what kids watch on TV or in movies doesn't affect them. You hear arguments from the other direction as well, but it’s the so-called 'experts' that say it is harmless. The problem with the few smart people that realize that it does affect our kids (and some adults) is that they always use the same tired analysis to try and prove their point. For some reason they stick to their guns about how violence on TV begets violence and sex on TV begets sex. The retaliation against this is often swift and sure. But… if they were really as smart as they claim, they would point out the more positive manipulation that goes on. "What," you may be asking yourself, "positive manipulation???" Absolutely. Do you ever notice that when a series about science becomes popular… classes in those areas start to expand? To cite a recent example, ever since "CSI" started up, more and more kids are getting interested in the area of criminal investigation.

Then, if you talk to a lot of the older generation of scientists, engineers, bio-physicists and the like you'll find that most of them will tell you they went into their chosen field because they grew up watching "Star Trek." See what I mean? I'd like to see the experts tell me they are lying.

Keep in mind that what I'm saying is more of a generalization than absolute fact. It's true, but not in all cases. As for me, most of the TV and movies that I watched growing up were no more than just entertainment. They did shape some of my interests, such as doing special effects work, but as far as shaping my attitudes… my parents did the right thing and watched right along with me and answered all of my questions. (Good job guys!!)

The creators of the series "Numb3rs" had the right idea. They came up with a new and fresh take on the crime drama genre and used a theory that was sure to catch the eye of younger people, if the series became a hit. The concept here was that it was possible to use mathematical probabilities to solve crimes. Rob Morrow ("Northern Exposure") stars as FBI agent Don Eppes who enlists the help of his brother Charlie, played by David Krumholtz ("Serenity"), to help him capture a serial rapist and killer. Charlie is a mathematical genius and the thought here is that by working backwards from the crime scene, he might be able to aid in identifying the killer. With this case solved… a series was born.

Originally joining Morrow and Krumholtz in "Numb3ers" were Sabrina Lloyd ("Sliders") and Alimi Ballard as fellow FBI agents, Peter MacNicol ("Ally McBeal") as a physicist colleague of Charlie's and the always excellent Judd Hirsch ("Taxi") as their father. For some reason Lloyd did not return in the 2nd season and was replaced by Diane Farr ("Rescue Me"), who really didn’t work as well for me as Lloyd did.

I had heard so much about this series when it aired, I almost starting watching it, but opted to wait for the eventual DVD release. Well, when that day came I was able to finally catch all 13 episodes that made up the 1st season and to say I was impressed is an understatement. Math was always one of my best subjects in school and I was fascinated by the clever way the writers were able to make Charlie's theories seem plausible. An actually, in some ways they were obviously based on some fact, with only a little bit of artistic license thrown in to make it more believable. Even more interesting, they didn't have to dumb down the theories in order to make them understood by the average audience.

Thanks to Paramount Home Entertainment, I am now up to (and through) the 6th and (sadly) final season and am still enjoyed the series every bit as much as I did in the beginning. The rapport between the actors was still excellent, which didn’t surprise me in the least considering the terrific cast they gathered. The final season has as much going for it as the previous seasons, with the boys looking into everything from UFO conspiracies to a lottery ticket theft ring. This final season was excellent and I was very disappointed to see it end. To make matters worse, there are only 16 episodes, and the final one did not play out like a final episode. It just ended like any other. I’m thinking the announcement to cancel came too late to film a proper finale.

Despite the shortage of episodes, there are a number of extras, including three behind the scenes featurettes, focusing on the final season as a whole, the female cast members of the series and the digital cinematography (this last one being the most interesting). There are also commentaries on three episodes, “Con Job,” ‘Old Soldiers” and “Cause and Effect.” A photo gallery finishes out the set.

“Numb3rs” was an excellent and entertaining series. It will be missed.

Episodes:
Hangman
Friendly Fire
7 Men Out
Where Credit’s Due
Hydra
Dreamland
Shadow Markets
Ultimatum
Con Job
Old Soldiers
Scratch
Arms in Arms
Devil Girl
And the Winner Is
Growin’ Up
Cause and Effect

Starring: Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch, Alimi Ballard, Dylan Bruno, Navi Rawat
Extras: Cast and Crew Commentaries on Select Episodes; Coming Full Circle; The Women of Numb3rs; Pixel Perfect; Production Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 8/10/2010
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment

We'll give Numb3rs: The Final Season a B.