Numb3rs: Not as Good as the Reviews

All three of the teams I was cheering for on Sunday lost: the Falcons, the Steelers, and Numb3rs. I was really looking forward to the premier of Numb3rs, a crime show in which the hero is a mathematician who used probability and location theory to solve a set of serial rapes. Unlike the reviews (see here and here and here), I was disappointed.

The pace was uneven, with some sections moving far too rapidly and others dragging. Also, the mathematics used was extremely vague (in fact I wonder if such mathematical algorithms already exist, and if they do I expect they are related to location theory and mathematical urban economics). I was really hoping for a clearer explanation of what the hero was doing, rather than the magical hand-waving that took place.

But worst of all, the theme was this: a math geek tries to solve a crime but foolishly leaves out the human element; once he takes that into account, he helps solve the crime in the end.

I give it a 6 out of 10. I hope it gets better.