Person of Interest backdrop
Action & Adventure•Crime•Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The Best Episodes of Person of Interest

Every episode of Person of Interest ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Person of Interest!

Binge this in 3d 2h•Peaking at 9.8/10

John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons5

All12345

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Person of Interest Season 4 Episode 11 - If-Then-Else
    9.8/10(15536 votes)

    S4:E11

    Samaritan launches a cyber-attack on the stock exchange, forcing the team to risk their lives in a desperate mission to stop a global economic catastrophe.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writer:Denise Thé

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 9 - The Crossing
    9.7/10(9002 votes)

    S3:E9

    The battle to bring a crime organization to justice reaches a new level; Reese's number comes up in the machine.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writer:Denise Thé

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Person of Interest Season 4 Episode 22 - YHWH
    9.7/10(9823 votes)

    S4:E22

    Finch and Root race to save The Machine, which has been located by the rival AI, Samaritan. Also, Reese is caught in the middle of the final showdown between rival crime bosses Elias and Dominic.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writers:Greg Plageman, Dan Dietz

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 10 - The Day the World Went Away
    9.7/10(8244 votes)

    S5:E10

    Finch’s number comes up when a fatal error blows his cover identity and sets off a deadly series of escalating encounters with Samaritan’s operatives.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writers:Melissa Scrivner-Love, Andy Callahan

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 13 - return 0
    9.7/10(15038 votes)

    S5:E13

    Finch, Reese, Fusco and Shaw embark on one last mission to prevent Samaritan from destroying The Machine and cementing its hold over mankind. This is also considered the best episode ever and the best conclusion of all time.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writers:Jonathan Nolan, Denise Thé

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 23 - Firewall
    9.6/10(8967 votes)

    S1:E23

    As the clock ticks down, Reese winds up trapped with his POI in the most heavily surveilled part of the city, forced to rely on the help of Finch, Carter and Fusco to fend off the FBI, corrupt cops and a slew of old foes.

    Director:Richard J. Lewis
    Writers:Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Person of Interest

    READ
  7. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 10 - The Devil's Share
    9.6/10(8697 votes)

    S3:E10

    As the POI team seeks justice for a murder, Finch realizes one of his team members may go one step too far in order to end the war with HR. Also, The Machine gives out the number for NYPD Officer Patrick Simmons, one of the crime organization’s key players.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writers:Jonathan Nolan, Amanda Segel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 23 - Deus Ex Machina
    9.6/10(7869 votes)

    S3:E23

    The team takes desperate action in its race to prevent the malevolent AI program Samaritan from coming online and making them its first targets. Meanwhile, the months-long battle with the anti-surveillance terrorist group Vigilance comes to a shocking conclusion.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writers:David Slack, Greg Plageman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 12 - .exe
    9.5/10(5198 votes)

    S5:E12

    As Reese and Shaw race to catch up with Finch, he infiltrates a maximum-security government facility in a desperate mission which could mean the end for not only Samaritan, but for himself and The Machine as well.

    Director:Greg Plageman
    Writers:Erik Mountain, Greg Plageman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 12 - Prisoner's Dilemma
    9.4/10(5361 votes)

    S2:E12

    Carter tries to help Reese by engaging in mental warfare with the FBI; Reese has encounters with old and new enemies; Detective Fusco must protect supermodel Karolina Kurkova, the latest person of interest.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writer:David Slack

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 21 - Zero Day
    9.4/10(5137 votes)

    S2:E21

    When a virus causes the machine to malfunction, numbers are issued irregularly; the team searches for an extremely elusive tech millionaire.

    Director:Jeffrey G. Hunt
    Writers:David Slack, Amanda Segel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 22 - God Mode
    9.4/10(6096 votes)

    S2:E22

    Finch and Reese team up with unexpected allies as they race to fix the machine; as Detective Carter tries to apprehend Cal Beecher's murderer, she finds herself up against HR -- a criminal organization.

    Director:Richard J. Lewis
    Writers:Jonathan Nolan, Patrick Harbinson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 8 - Endgame
    9.4/10(5318 votes)

    S3:E8

    The machine gives Finch 38 numbers at once; information about Carter's past is revealed.

    Director:Sylvain White
    Writers:Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Person of Interest Season 4 Episode 9 - The Devil You Know
    9.4/10(4945 votes)

    S4:E9

    Reese must save Elias from the Brotherhood. He can't get any help from Root or Shaw since Shaw's cover is blown and Root is escorting her to underground.

    Director:Richard J. Lewis
    Writer:Erik Mountain

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Person of Interest Season 4 Episode 21 - Asylum
    9.4/10(5474 votes)

    S4:E21

    Reese and Fusco get caught in the war between the two newest POIs, rival crime bosses Elias and Dominic. Also, a tantalizing clue to Shaw’s whereabouts leads Finch and Root into a possible trap, and Control goes rogue to uncover the true intentions of the Samaritan program.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writers:Denise Thé, Andy Callahan

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 4 - 6,741
    9.3/10(6380 votes)

    S5:E4

    Shaw escapes her captors, but the team is unsure of her mental state when she begins to act paranoid and reckless.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writers:Denise Thé, Lucas O'Connor

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 13 - Dead Reckoning
    9.2/10(4697 votes)

    S2:E13

    Reese is abducted by a former acquaintance planning a massive and potentially deadly act of cyber-warfare.

    Director:John Dahl
    Writer:Erik Mountain

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 16 - Relevance
    9.2/10(5775 votes)

    S2:E16

    A lethal government operative who tracks and stops terrorist threats before they occur finds herself on the run – and the new focus of Reese and Finch's attention. However, their pursuit proves to be their most formidable when they discover that her remarkable skill set equals their own.

    Director:Jonathan Nolan
    Writers:Jonathan Nolan, Amanda Segel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 16 - RAM
    9.2/10(4670 votes)

    S3:E16

    The secrets of Finch’s operation before he enlisted Reese are revealed, including shocking ties to present-day events.

    Director:Stephen Surjik
    Writers:Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 21 - Beta
    9.2/10(4198 votes)

    S3:E21

    As Decima uses Samaritan’s feeds to hunt Reese and Shaw, Greer exploits Finch’s greatest weakness in an attempt to lure him out of hiding: his love for his former fiancée, Grace Hendricks.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writers:Dan Dietz, Sean Hennen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 9 - Sotto Voce
    9.2/10(4466 votes)

    S5:E9

    The mysterious criminal mastermind known as “The Voice” returns and traps Reese and Fusco in their own precinct with several armed gang members and the latest POI. Also, Root makes a shocking discovery.

    Director:Margot Lulick
    Writer:Sabir Pirzada

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 11 - Synecdoche
    9.2/10(4504 votes)

    S5:E11

    The team must unravel a conspiracy and stay ahead of the Secret Service when the President of the United States becomes their newest POI. Also, Finch separates himself from the team and considers taking drastic action to combat Samaritan.

    Director:Tim Matheson
    Writers:Jacey Heldrich, Josh Brown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 21 - Many Happy Returns
    9.1/10(5300 votes)

    S1:E21

    Finch gives Reese his birthday off so that his partner doesn't have to face a Number that is tied to Reese's past.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 5 - Razgovor
    9.1/10(4517 votes)

    S3:E5

    Shaw must stay close to a 10-year-old girl with highly developed surveillance skills when she is identified by the machine; Carter's mission could be exposed.

    Director:Kenneth Fink
    Writer:David Slack

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 11 - Lethe
    9.1/10(4335 votes)

    S3:E11

    Flashbacks to Finch’s adolescence provide insight into his creation of The Machine. Also, the team receives the number of an already dying man, and Reese leaves the POI team behind in the aftermath of the war with the crime organization, HR.

    Director:Richard J. Lewis
    Writer:Erik Mountain

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"If-Then-Else" is the best rated episode of "Person of Interest". It scored 9.8/10 based on 15536 votes. Directed by Chris Fisher and written by Denise Thé, it aired on 1/6/2015. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Crossing".