Presumed dead former CIA agent Reese and billionaire software genius Finch join forces as a vigilante crime-fighting team. Using a program that employs pattern recognition to determine individuals who will soon be involved in violent crimes, they are able to combine Reese's covert operations training and Finch's money to stop crimes before they happen. Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson also stars as NYPD homicide detective Carter, who becomes involved in Reese's investigations.
Reese, Finch and Shaw hunt for a petty officer among a sea of sailors during Fleet Week in New York City. Root steals her psychiatrist's cell phone.
The next number the Machine dispenses is for Wayne Kruger, an Internet genius and head of a company called Life Trace.
The team set a honey trap to catch a chameleon playboy stalker, but is he a predator or someone else's prey? Root learns that Hersh is looking for her.
Reese and Finch uncover lies and conspiracies galore when the Machine dispenses the number of a prosecution attorney accused of killing her husband.
Shaw is assigned to protect a 10-year-old girl wanted by HR and the Russian mafia. Carter's plan to bring HR to justice is threatened with exposure.
Root receives a directive from the Machine that requires Shaw's input, Reese and Finch are assigned the number of an inoffensive probate investigator.
When the Machine turns up the number of an upmarket hypnotherapist, the team soon discover that he is more than just a master of the mind.
The Machine pours out 38 new numbers simultaneously, each belonging to a high-ranking member of HR. Carter foments a war between HR and the Russians.
With a bounty on Reese's head, he and Carter struggle to get Quinn to FBI headquarters as the war with HR reaches a dangerous climax.
The team seeks justice for Carter's murder, but Finch realises that he may go too far. Meanwhile, Officer Simmons' number comes up on the Machine.
Flashbacks to Finch's adolescence provide insight into his creation of The Machine. Also, the team receives the number of an already dying man.
Control, Hersh, and their operatives hold Finch, Shaw, and Claypool captive, demanding to know the location of the Samaritan drives and Finch's Machine.
Reese boards an international flight to put the team and his past behind him, unaware that an assortment of international assassins want the man in seat 4C dead.
When the team receives the number of a Chinese event planner, a surprising turn of events sees them embark on an elaborate heist to steal a Gutenberg bible.
Finch makes a dangerous new enemy when he goes undercover in an emergency call centre to protect a 911 operator.
Some of the secrets of Finch's early operation are revealed, including shocking ties to present-day events, as the series flashes back to 2010.
The Machine tasks Root with finding a janitor who has a mysterious past. However, when her presence endangers him, the Machine sends his number to Finch as well.
The team gets involved in a case of international politics when a former government contractor stalks a UN diplomat. An adversary tries to take advantage of Root.
Reese and Shaw pose as alumni at a high school reunion to protect the latest POI. Finch and Fusco investigate Vigilance's activities in Washington.
While Shaw heads off with Root on her next assignment, Reese reunites with Finch for their next number, belonging to Congressman Roger McCourt.
Decima hunts down Reese and Shaw using Samaritan's feeds. Greer sets a trap for Finch by targeting his former fiancee, Grace.
When an unknown entity prevents the Machine from seeing the full picture of an impending catastrophe, it sends the team numbers to help piece it together.
The team takes desperate action to prevent Samaritan from coming online and making them its targets. The battle with Vigilance comes to a shocking end.