Numb3rs is about a Los Angeles FBI agent, Don (played by Rob Morrow), and his brother, Charlie (David Krumholtz, who I recognized as Bernard from The Santa Clause), who is an absolutely brilliant mathematician. These two brothers work together to solve complicated crimes, Don using his agent's know-how, and Charlie using abstract mathematical formulas to calculate some very interesting things. Using his genius mind, he is able to use math to figure out everything from the likely escape routes for criminals to have taken, to secret codes and the body size of a murderer (based on towel absorbency).

Not only does this show feature good actors and a twist on the cop drama genre - the crimes featured are convoluted, beyond interesting, and definitely worth watching. Highlights from season 4 include a case involving a murderer who bases his kills off of the 12 apostles, a killer who plants clues in a virtual reality game that have dangerous real-world consequences, and a mass poisoning in a cult.

By using such a unique set of characters, the show stays fresh throughout the season, and keeps the viewer's interest far longer than a "normal" cop show would do. At times, Charlie's use of math does seem a bit far-fetched, but this is entertainment, and can be forgiven for being a bit unbelievable. I'm not even usually a fan of these crime shows, but Numb3rs definitely won me over. It's just too original and well-executed to escape from. I may not understand all the mathematical mumbo-jumbo, but I do understand that the figures and equations usually work, both in figuring out the crimes, and in making this show a winner.