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

The Best Episodes of Person of Interest Season 1

Every episode of Person of Interest Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Person of Interest Season 1!

Binge this in 16h 28m•Peaking at 9.6/10

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
    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

  2. 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

  3. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 10 - Number Crunch
    9.0/10(5752 votes)

    S1:E10

    As Detective Carter deals with the fallout from her recent encounter with Reese and Finch, The Machine ups the ante for the duo by giving them four Social Security numbers instead of one.

    Director:Jeffrey G. Hunt
    Writer:Patrick Harbinson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 22 - No Good Deed
    9.0/10(4764 votes)

    S1:E22

    The newest POI’s curiosity could spell his doom when he finds himself embroiled in a dark government conspiracy – one that Finch is all too familiar with. Meanwhile, Reese uncovers something revealing about Finch’s past.

    Director:Stephen Williams
    Writer:David Slack

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 19 - Flesh and Blood
    8.9/10(4935 votes)

    S1:E19

    When The Machine spits out five numbers, naming the Don of each of New York’s crime families, Reese and Finch suspect Elias is planning to eliminate his competition.

    Director:Stephen Semel
    Writer:Amanda Segel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 7 - Witness
    8.8/10(5624 votes)

    S1:E7

    The Machine identifies a school teacher who witnessed a mob hit as their next POI and Reese and Finch rush to save his life.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writer:Amanda Segel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Person of Interest

    READ
  7. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 13 - Root Cause
    8.7/10(5004 votes)

    S1:E13

    The Machine gives Reese and Finch the number of a down-and-out man who has been pushed too far, and they're forced to turn to former Person of Interest, Zoe Morgan, for help.

    Director:Richard J. Lewis
    Writer:Erik Mountain

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 20 - Matsya Nyaya
    8.7/10(4602 votes)

    S1:E20

    Reese goes undercover as an armored car company employee, and faces memories from his past with the CIA.

    Director:Kevin Bray
    Writer:Ray Utarnachitt

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 9 - Get Carter
    8.6/10(5068 votes)

    S1:E9

    Reese and Finch’s game of cat and mouse with Detective Carter becomes infinitely more complicated when The Machine declares that she is their newest POI.

    Director:Alex Zakrzewski
    Writers:Greg Plageman, Denise Thé

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 11 - Super
    8.6/10(4869 votes)

    S1:E11

    Reese is confined to a wheelchair recovering from his gunshot wound, but Finch sets him up in an apartment where he’s to keep an eye on the Super, who is their latest POI. Also, Finch approaches Carter and gives her a POI to show her what they do.

    Director:Stephen Williams
    Writer:David Slack

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 6 - The Fix
    8.5/10(5324 votes)

    S1:E6

    Reese becomes romantically involved with the newest Person of Interest: an attractive woman who isn't all that she seems.

    Director:Dennis Smith
    Writers:Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 15 - Blue Code
    8.5/10(4479 votes)

    S1:E15

    Reese discovers there’s more to the story after he infiltrates a smuggling ring to get close to his latest POI.

    Director:David Von Ancken
    Writer:Denise Thé

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 17 - Baby Blue
    8.5/10(4592 votes)

    S1:E17

    When The Machine spits out the number of a 6-month-old baby, Reese and Finch turn into overly protective parents – with an arsenal at their disposal. Meanwhile, when Elias resurfaces, Detective Carter begins to question her new allegiance with Reese and Finch.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Patrick Harbinson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 4 - Cura Te Ipsum
    8.3/10(5268 votes)

    S1:E4

    Reese and Finch get some help from Detective Fusco as they surveil their latest POI, Dr. Megan Tillman, while she’s on call and after hours to unravel the threat surrounding the promising young physician.

    Director:Charles Beeson
    Writer:Denise Thé

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 18 - Identity Crisis
    8.3/10(4309 votes)

    S1:E18

    The Machine's latest number presents a unique challenge for Reese and Finch since the person has virtually no digital footprint - and appears to be leading a double life.

    Director:Charles Beeson
    Writer:Amy Berg

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    8.2/10(7887 votes)

    S1:E1

    When the social security number of a young prosecutor comes up, Reese and Finch work together to figure out if their person of interest is the victim or perpetrator.

    Director:David Semel
    Writer:Jonathan Nolan

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 5 - Judgement
    8.2/10(5067 votes)

    S1:E5

    Reese and Finch have the added challenge of investigating a Person of Interest who wants nothing to do with their brand of vigilante justice.

    Director:Colin Bucksey
    Writer:David Slack

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 12 - Legacy
    8.2/10(4442 votes)

    S1:E12

    When Carter finally comes face-to-face with Reese, he urges her to join forces to help with their latest POI, a scrappy young woman from the wrong side of the tracks who turned her life around and became a lawyer.

    Director:Brad Anderson
    Writer:Amanda Segel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 16 - Risk
    8.2/10(4324 votes)

    S1:E16

    The Machine leads Reese and Finch to Wall Street when a sharp young trader at a major investment bank becomes embroiled in a multi-million dollar financial scam.

    Director:Jeff T. Thomas
    Writer:Sean Hennen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 8 - Foe
    8.1/10(4905 votes)

    S1:E8

    When Reese and Finch discover that their latest POI has connections to Cold War Soviet espionage circles, they quickly learn how covert ops were handled in a world before The Machine.

    Director:Milan Cheylov
    Writer:Sean Hennen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 3 - Mission Creep
    8.0/10(5436 votes)

    S1:E3

    Reese goes undercover to find the threat surrounding the next person on Finch's list: a young army veteran named Joey Durban.

    Director:Steven DePaul
    Writer:Patrick Harbinson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 14 - Wolf and Cub
    8.0/10(4403 votes)

    S1:E14

    The Machine identifies Darren, a teenager whose brother was just murdered, as the next POI. Meanwhile, Finch is growing concerned that the son of his former business partner is dangerously close to finding out about the Machine.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writers:Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Person of Interest Season 1 Episode 2 - Ghosts
    7.9/10(6020 votes)

    S1:E2

    Reese and Finch question the machine's reliability when they are asked to investigate a teenager who was killed years earlier; Finch remembers the origin of the machine.

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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Firewall" is the best rated episode of "Person of Interest" season 1. It scored 9.6/10 based on 8967 votes. Directed by Richard J. Lewis and written by Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman, it aired on 5/17/2012. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Many Happy Returns".