"Numb3rs" Returns After Writer's Strike; You Do the Math

I'm glad to report that one of my own favorite television series, "Numb3rs", will be returning with new episodes to finish out the regular season. According to the TV Guide Editor's Blog, "Numb3rs" will return to the airwaves with six new episodes beginning on April 1st. In case you didn't know, or are interested, the official CBS website for the show goes into more mathematical detail for the real math geeks who are tuning in.

Although the series had a bit of a rocky start in 2004, it has been gaining viewers and momentum through its (now) 4th season. The complete 3rd season from 2006-2007 is available on DVD. Although there has not been a tremendous amount of character growth or development, watching past episodes can be fun and informative.

Series television has gained some ground, or niche, with a demographic of male higher intellect - sometimes referred to as "nerds". Another example of this phenomenon is the new series, "The Big Bang", which features a collection of higher thinkers that could be found on any college campus. This series will also be returning this spring.

As for predictions, it's time for one of the three single Eppes men in "Numb3rs" to settle down. The plots revolving around the FBI work are too familiar to generate much more heat of their own, and the possible pairing off of characters has already been explored. The show must move its characters on in some significant way by the end of this season, or interest in the show will likely die off.

I predict that it's Alan Eppes, the dad (played by Judd Hirsch), that remarries and adpots a child. The child will, of course, turn out to be a genius like Charlie, but perhaps in a subject other than math. If it is not Alan getting married, then it will be Charlie (played by David Krumholtz) - who at least has had a steady girlfriend to propose to.

The season opener for next fall will be set on the Wedding Day. During the ceremony, outdoors in a garden, the happy couple is about to complete the ceremony when an explosion rocks the grounds. Either the bride or groom is killed. We then discover that it is not one of the main characters getting married or being killed. But it is a good friend of the family. The cast must spend the rest of the episode discovering why this happend at that place, at that time.

That will also give the main characters plenty of food for thought as to their own loved ones and possible futures. By the end of the first episode, one of the three Eppes men will propse. The situation is always more emotional if you have something personal at stake. And unlike math, people are largely unpredictable.