Utilizing a complicated predictive algorithm that we’re just going to summarize as, “When was the last time you heard someone get really excited about Person Of Interest?”, executive producer J.J. Abrams has suggested that the long-running CBS thriller will likely end after its upcoming fifth season. Abrams deployed his prognostication while promoting his new show, Hulu’s Stephen King adaptation 11/22/63, at the Television Critics Association Press Tour today.
“My guess is it is the final season,” the Star Wars director said, while also praising creator Jonathan Nolan and showrunner Greg Plageman for their work on the series, which stars Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel as a sort of high-tech A-Team, using a magical computer called The Machine to prevent and predict crimes and stay a step ahead of the federal government.
The writing probably appeared on the wall (presumably on the lower-third of the screen, along with the time, location, and date) for the series last May, when CBS announced that the show’s latest season would be 13 episodes, instead of the usual 22. Nolan indicated as much at last year’s Comic-Con, too, suggesting that the show’s creative team knew going in that this fifth season—which doesn’t have a premiere date set yet—might well be their last.