Numb3rs:CBS Hit Drama Sometimes Misses

Unlike many other shows that begin in the middle of the season, CBS crime drama Numb3rs became a ratings hit. As 2006 begins, it dominates its Friday night slot like few shows have done in recent memory. Numb3rs stars David Krumholtz as math professor/genius Charlie Eppes and Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) as his FBI agent brother Don.

Together they solve crimes using their respective talents. Despite the interesting premise and a strong cast which also includes Judd Hirsch (Taxi) and Peter Macnicol (Ally McBeal) something is missing from the equation here: good crimes.

As Charlie Eppes, Krumholtz plays an interesting character. Charlie, along with MacNichol's Larry Fleinhart, is a math professor at Cal Sci (think Cal Tech with a different name.) Charlie is at times brash and extremely confident in his abilities - with good reason, he's a genius. Yet, he's likable, showing a vulnerable side sometimes with Amita, the pretty math student/colleague he likes or when he tries to connect emotionally with big brother Don.

As Don, Morrow is also very good. The character is not a stereotype who resents his little brother for all the attention the younger Eppes got as a kid genius. If anything, he's protective of Charlie. However, Don doesn't get to be as impressively clever as his brother. His cop-genius is limited to a couple good interrogations and a lot of gun play and "So what you're saying is…" or "Do you mean that…" responses to little bro. But he's likable as are his colleagues Sinclair (Alimi Ballard) and Reeves (Rescue Me's Diane Farr).

Sometimes, it seems Sinclair and Reeves (and another new agent, Colby, who's pretty forgettable) do more crimesolving than Don does, which is weird. It almost makes one want to ask if Morrow is on maternity leave or restricted duty.

But that discrepancy is just part of the weakest part of the show which is the crime element. Every episode, well, almost every episode, top crime shows like CSI and mysteries like House find smart ways to keep us guessing as they do their science thing and also reveal some character. Not so with Numb3rs. The crimes here are more like you would see on "second tier" dramas like, say, The District or even Walker, Texas Ranger.

The bad guys are cartoony, there's always a gun fight, and the math that is supposed to be the novel element of the show is sometimes forced into situations where it isn't really needed to keep Charlie relevant. Some fans of the show complain the math is dumbed down. Others (not mentioning any names…me) can't understand it anyhow. But geeks and non-geeks alike can tell when it isn't important to the story.

Numb3rs is one of those dramas that people watch after a long day of work with a bowl of popcorn. The crimes, despite the mathematics, do not require a lot of thinking and the good guys always win. It stands out in the crime drama field for it's great cast and it's attempt at being novel, but not for actually achieving that aim.