Last season, Person of Interest moved to Tuesday nights and lost Taraji P. Henson. The show also lost a lot in the ratings. Will the numbers continue to fall or will they rise with a new lead-in? Is it essentially guaranteed to be renewed for a fifth season by CBS (because of syndication) or, could it be cancelled? Stay tuned.
On Person of Interest, a presumed dead former-CIA agent (Jim Caviezel) and a mysterious billionaire (Michael Emerson) work together to prevent violent crimes in New York City. The rest of the cast includes Kevin Chapman, Sarah Shahi, and Amy Acker.
The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s likelihood of staying on the air. The higher the ratings (particularly the 18-49 demo), the better the chances for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available — usually the next day, around 11:30am EST/8:30am PST. Refresh to see the latest.
5/11 update: Person of Interest has been renewed for a fifth season on CBS. Will it be the end?
Final season averages: 1.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 9.42 million total viewers.
Note: If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view it here.
Due to a Nielsen glitch, some of the early ratings of the 2014-15 season were revised a few weeks later.
For comparisons: The third season of Person of Interest averaged a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 11.83 million total viewers.
Note: Note: These are the Live + Same Day Ratings which include “live” viewing plus delayed DVR viewing, up until 3am local time that same night. Ratings marked with an “*” are the fast affiliate ratings and will be updated with the Live+SD numbers when they are made available. Typically, networks get paid for C+3 ratings which includes DVR viewing within three days of the original airing when commercials are watched. Those numbers are rarely released to the press.
What do you think? Do you still like the Person of Interest TV series? Do you think it should be cancelled or be renewed for a fifth season?
There are a thousand problems with POI these days. But the biggest issue, the reason the show is failing, is that Nolan and Plageman have moved away from the story that attracted the viewers in the first place — the relationship between Finch and Reese, the growing friendship and trust between two damaged men seeking to redeem their past actions. Supernatural has run 200 episodes by never forgetting that the story begins and ends with the brothers. POI has moved so far from that original idea — and from the concept of helping “Ordinary people — people like you” .… Read more »
Agree.
Person of Interest is one big hot mess that is hemorrhaging viewers and has lost sight of its original premise and depersonalized the characters that initially made the drama so intriguing.
Nolan’s ego got in the way, too. Seems he doesn’t have much to say about the show these days………..now that it is fairing so poorly.
I more or less quit watching the moment they brought Shaw on the show. She utterly ruined it for me. I liked Carter well enough but could’ve taken her death in stride if not for the fact that the extremely unlikeable Shaw became her de facto replacement. Root made a good bad guy, but she long outlived her usefulness and now is being heralded above the likes of Reese, Finch, and Fusco. Between her and Shaw–BLECH. Neither has added anything good to the show. I still love Jim, Michael, and Kevin and would consider watching POI again IF they get… Read more »
Compare the ratings for Person of Interest to those of How to Get Away With Murder. Person of Interest USED to get higher ratings. Is it better for a show to get high ratings or low ratings? Should writers and producers make every effort to offer material that television viewers embrace and support? Isn’t overall acceptance by viewers the ultimate objective of television network programming? Person of Interest writers are like fish, swimming against a strong current, determined to prove their ideas and insights are the best, in spite of detrimental and negative fallout. Unfortunately, even the most wily fishes… Read more »
I feel bad for Person of Interest. I especially feel bad for Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Taraji P. Henson, and Kevin Chapman. They brought their A game to their respective roles only to be made peripheral (and in one case dismissed) for lesser characters and uncomplimentary story-lines. I blame Nolan and CBS for doing a phenomenal job in making their own audience literally tune away in droves. How unfortunate. I would never have written such ill-fitting characters (Shaw, Root) with the four people that made the show a success. You can’t force immature teen-like characters (and plots) with adult characters… Read more »
I was an avid fan of Person of Interest, right up until the time the writers told me who and what I should like, and why. I deeply regret the lack of success those who contribute so much to the drama must face due to declining ratings. Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson and Kevin Chapman added so much to the drama, as did Taraji P. Henson, a pivotal member of the Core Four. The chemistry of this group was remarkable and can never be duplicated. The actors and their talent, together, and their response to challenging and interesting scripts made Person… Read more »
Eva….Excellent analysis. 100% agree!
Person of Interest has passed the point of relevant analysis and excuses and entered the realm of sincere pity, after a year of heartfelt disdain. It needs to be over and out!
The opening music for Person of Interest needs to be changed to …..”TAPS.”
Nobody here works for Chicago Fire!!!
And even you must realise that POI’s numbers are pretty low compared to the last 3 seasons. THAT IS A FACT AND A “SAD” REALITY.
Just look at the latest episode. They promote Shaw/Shahi ‘ s episode everywhere, yet the final result is embarrassing.
Many fans simply can’t stand her character.
Maybe they now realise that they do not win anything with this terrible character, except disastrous ratings!!!
You sound really butthurt over a TV show. I liked Carter. I miss her character. She was the moral center of the show. With that removed, and with the rise of Samaritan, the show has a much more gloomy feel to it. I don’t think people are responding well, but to me that sets up some awesome potential story lines. I am willing to give the writers a bit of room to surprise me. Also, they have replaced her with two sociopaths in Root and Shaw. They are not-so-subtly pushing the L angle with them. That doesn’t bother me, but… Read more »
You can deal with the discord. It will never cease and the numbers will continue to go down. Reality bites and Person of Interest will be lucky to have 5 million viewers at the rate it is losing fans.
The ratings for the November 11, 2014 episode of Person of Interest are dreadful, and an clear indication the drama is no longer considered watchable by a significant and valuable percentage of television viewers. This decline in popularity should be unacceptable to advertisers and producers who allocate huge sums of monies for commerical purposes.
A show has to “know when to hold ’em and know when to fold.”
Person of Interest might need to fold instead of prolonging its losing hand. Success for this venture is no longer in the cards.
it is going to get at least one more year for its syndication deal, but it will burn those episodes off either on fri or sun at 10. elementary will fill the other dead slot for the same reason, syndication deal for a horribly low rated show
Actually, it pulled in over 9 million viewers, slightly behind Chicago Fire, so it’s really not some dead-in-the-water show.
Are you aware of the significance of the 18-49 demographic, to advertisers, or are your comments regarding numbers of viewers just nonsensical talk?
1.3 is a meaningful statistic. Very meaningful, and very bad.
See above chart for Person of Interest decline in ratings.
total viewers are irrelevant, shows are canceled or renewed based on demo and POI’s are horrible
its funny how everything that people say makes this show great (root and the machine v. machine) is the same reasons why most people say it sucks.
the story line has a strong appeal for a small viewing audience and zero broad appeal
If you hate it so much, why the h3ll are you here commenting on it? Do you work for Chicago Fire?
People willingly discuss the evolution of Person of Interest. No words, however, change the numbers, which convey the simple truth about the drama. Ratings for the show are considerably lower, this season, as are viewership tallies. Whatever the reasons, this once successful work has become a tragic embarrassment for CBS and Warner Brothers, and a reminder to all television writers and producers that people neither have to like nor tune into a show if they choose not to do so. Changes to casts and storylines involve risk, can backfire, negatively and do not have to be accepted. The bottom line,… Read more »
1) I don’t think the show would do better on another timeslot. You can’t change the fact that the writing sucks. And that it does now. No more edge of the seat, you simply know what will happen next.
2) Plot holes all over the place made it nearly unbearable to watch.
3) And then these two girlies (Shaw & Root) who act like they are the 2nd coming have so ruined this show. They are the stupidest thing that happened to this show. I
hate them.
In the end they are the reason this show will get cancelled!!!
the most recent episode insinuated a little girl on girl action so the people who type with one hand are all excited.
What happened to Person of Interest, with regard to ratings and fan participation, is a direct result of all the changes to the drama. It would be difficult for the best of offerings to withstand radical and surgical repositioning, so it is no surprise a good show lost its way. Even DVR numbers and indications Person of Interest may be viewed at intervals other than prime time cannot make up for the descent in popularity. Not one member of the cast is a “major player”, and the whole remains sadly unenhanced by its unremarkable parts and plots. No zing, no… Read more »
With the change in time slot, we can’t watch POI “live” anymore. We DVR it now. Every week we are blown away and left wanting more. I loved Carter, but the addition of Shaw and Root as regulars has added a new dimension to the show. I find I’m on the edge of my seat because I never know what to expect from these two! They are both unpredictable and on the moral fringe and are capable of so much “bad” as well as “good”. Root is a great anti-hero and Shaw makes Reese look like a choir boy. Without… Read more »
let me guess, you work for CBS
Let me guess, you work for Chicago Fire.
never seen an episode of CF
It has been almost one year since the Joss Carter character was murdered, on Person of Interest, and Taraji P. Henson was summarily discharged, never again to enhance the progression of the drama. Fans and former fans, many of whom remain bitter and disturbed by Henson’s dismissal and treatment by writers and producers, ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT CARTER AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE CHARACTER. They refuse to forget and cannot be blamed for their dismay. Carter was a groundbreaking character and Henson’s portrayal endeared her to legions of admirers. Person of Interest will never recover from changes which have rendered… Read more »
What many fans don’t know is that Taraji wanted off the show and made it clear at the beginning that she only wanted to stay for a brief period of time. She really wanted to do movies and has said in interviews since that if her character had not been killed off then, she would have asked them to do in sooner then later. She definitely wanted off. I love Carter as well and the chemistry she had with John, but Taraji made up her mind I guess. I still watch the show and love John and Harold in particular.
Wrong, Karen ! Taraji was fired so Nolan could have his “catwoman,” and no matter how many times the truth is misstated, actuality cannot be refuted. TARAJI DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE THE SHOW !!! The writers and producers gravely underestimated Henson’s popularity and it is more than obvious Person of Interest has never recovered from the decision to disrupt the original and successful chemical components of the casting. It is truly amazing and, in fact, almost sickening to read the words of anyone still proselytizing and spreading falsehoods about reasons for the demise of the drama. If Taraji wanted… Read more »
Peter, maybe it is interviews like this that convinced people that she wasn’t fired, but ok….
Talk is cheap, especially if one remains under contract and hopes to continue working in the industry. Anything to save face, after being BOOTED!
Uh, Karen……how do feel about the unfortunate decline in ratings Person of Interest has suffered? Do you think ratings will ever improve? If not, why not?
Take you time answering.
I’m not Karen but I’ll give some answers anyway. First I’d like to point out that I agree that Carter’s character was not written out at the actresses request, but that it was planned from the start as a way to conclude one storyline with a bang – I think that has also been mentioned in interviews. I don’t agree with the venom directed at the show because of that. I mean should a show hold on to all cast members even though they have already served their purpose? But I can understand that people are disappointed that the CHARACTER… Read more »
Eva, thank you for writing a coherent reply about the current status of the show. So much garbage above about “OMG what a turrrible show!!111!! The ratings are garbage!1!!!!1 Derpy derrp derrrp!!1!!” Possibly, Carter took about 2 million fans with her, based on the 11-12 million the show was bringing in vs. the 9-9.5 million it’s getting now. Possibly, the move to Tuesday night has not helped. We have those two factors going on, so it’s hard to say which affected the show more. If it was still on Thursday and still pulling in 12 million, would it still be… Read more »