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 relatively 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. But admittedly she grew on me well enough that I was sad to not see her in the 5th season.

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 5th season and am still enjoying the series every bit as much as I did in the beginning. The rapport between the actors is still excellent, which didn’t surprise me in the least considering the terrific cast they gathered. The 5th season not only has as much going for it as the previous seasons, but I’d have to say it is one of the strongest seasons to date. The end of the 4th season found the Brothers Eppes working against each other in a storyline that I found to be quite compelling. And due to some of Charlie’s choices, the 5th season starts off with his being barred from assisting on any more FBI cases.

Of course, it doesn’t take long for the effects of his choices to turn around (or we wouldn’t have a show), but the way it is handled allows for a continued bit of animosity to simmer between the brothers. As the season moves forward, the stories get stronger and ever more developed than in seasons past. The addition of a questionable recurring character (in the form of Henry Winkler) offers further issues for Don’s team to deal with, as does the fate of two favorite characters towards the season’s end. I am not a spoiler kind of guy, but suffice to say both of these occurrences have a profound defect on Charlie.

Thankfully, being the series is a still a new one, the DVD set from Paramount includes several extra features. Most of the older series they release don’t have any at all. Here we have commentaries on 3 of the episodes, and not just from the creative team. Morrow and Krumholtz show up as well as Henry Winkler.

There are also several extras, including two behind the scenes featurettes, the first offering a 30 minute look at the season as a whole with interview snippets from most of the cast and crew. The second focuses on the series’ 100th episode. I recommend watching both of these features after you finish the season. There's also a very funny blooper reel and a handful of deleted scenes.

"Numb3rs" is definitely a show to see, and I was glad to know that it's coming back for a 6th season.

Episodes:
High Exposure
Decoy Effect
Blowback
Jack of All Trades
Scan Man
Magic Show
Charlie Don’t Surf
Thirty-Six Hours
Conspiracy Theory
Frienemies
Arrow of Time
Jacked
Trouble In Chinatown
Sneakerhead
Guilt Trip
Cover Me
First Law
12:01 AM
Animal Rites
The Fifth Man
Disturbed
Greatest Hits
Angels and Devils

Starring: Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch, Alimi Ballard, Dylan Bruno, Navi Rawat, Peter MacNicol, Sophina Brown
Extras: Cast and Crew Commentaries on Select Episodes, Crunching Numb3rs - Season 5 Featurette, Eppes Central Featurette, Blooper Reel, Celebrating 100, Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/20/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment

We'll give Numb3rs: Season 5 an A.