12 Most Epic Character Introductions In TV History
12. John Reese - Person Of Interest
Person of Interest is one of the most underrated TV shows of recent years, thanks in no small part to the performances of the two leads; Michael Emerson (Ben from Lost) as the genius, secretive billionaire Harold Finch and Jim Caviezel as former CIA operative and cooler than cool action hero John Reese.
The simplicity in which he'll take out a car with a rocket launcher, coupled with his very dry sense of humour, make John an engaging character in every scene. The pilot does a spectacular job of building the mystery behind both main protagonists (how much do we really know about them by the end of season one?) and the first two scenes, which feature John Reese, are fascinating.
Opening with the flashback to the love of his life and the ominous voice over asking what happens when that person is taken away, we cut to the present where a homeless, vagabond John, complete with a big coat and beard, encounters a group of thugs in a subway train and then proceeds to effortlessly beat them to a pulp. Immediately, we were intrigued. Who was this man? What happened to the woman he loved? Where did he get those spectacular fighting skills and how did he end up where he is now? In the space of a couple of minutes, we got mystery and action, two great staples of the show and we were hungry to know more.