One of the more interesting concepts that I often hear from people (with their inevitable level of ineptitude) is that the things 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 recent 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.

The rapport between the actors was excellent, but I wasn't surprised by that in the least considering the terrific cast they gathered. The only newbie to the team was Alimi Ballard. I'm not sure what he'd done before, but he fit right in with the rest of the experienced cast. Paramount has released the 2nd season, which had a full 24 episodes. The 2nd seasons is still every bit as good as the 1st but as I mentioned, I do miss Sabrina Lloyd. I've liked Diane Farr from some of her other series' appearances, but I think it will take a little time for her to grow on me here.

Thankfully, being the series is still pretty new the DVD set from Paramount includes several extra features. Most of the older series they release don’t have any at all. But here we have commentaries on 7 of the episodes, and not just from the creative team. Morrow, Krumholtz and Farr show up on various tracks, as well as some of the season's guest stars.

There are also several extras, including two behind the scenes featurettes, one featuring series creator Nicolas Fallaci and the other with actor David Krumholtz. There's also a very funny blooper reel and a synopsis of the show's 2nd season (which I recommend watching AFTER you've seen the episodes.)

"Numb3rs" is definitely a show to see, and I was glad to know that it's back for a 3rd season.

Episodes:
Judgment Call
Bettor or Worse
Obsession (Commentary by Robert Port, John Behring, Barry Schindel, and Rob Morrow)
Calculated Risk
Assassin
Soft Target
Convergence
In Plain Sight (Commentary by J. Miller Tobin, Diane Farr and David Krumholtz)
Toxin
Bones of Contention
Scorched (Commentary by Sean Crouch, Norberto Barba, David Krumholtz and Bill Nye)
The O.G. (Commentary by Andrew Dettmann, Nicolas Falacci, Andrew Black, Alimi Ballard and Will Patton)
Double Down
Harvest
The Running Man
Protest (Commentary by Cheryl Heuton, Nicolas Falacci and David Krumholtz)
Mind Games
All's Fair
Dark Matter (Commentary by Don McGill, Peter Ellis, Cheryl Heuton and Andrew Black)
Guns and Roses (Commentary by Robert Port, Mark Llewllyn, Andrew Black and Rob Morrow)
Rampage
Backscatter
Undercurrents
Hot Shot

Starring: Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch, Alimi Ballard, Diane Farr
Extras: Commentary on Select Episodes, Blooper Reel, Behind the Scenes with Nicolas Falacci, Behind the Scenes with Davud Krumholtz, Crunching Numb3rs - Season 2
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/10/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Numb3rs: Season 2 a B.