There’s simply too much happening in Numb3rs: The Fourth Season. This writer loves complicated, multi-faceted dramatic television just as much as anybody else, but in addition to being familiar only with the third season of the series before starting this one, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the show’s creators go out of their way to have too many things happening with too many characters all the time.

It’s a shame, too, because the basic premise of Numb3rs (in different hands) might have made for a simple, easy night-time drama. Basically, the story is this: Don Eppes (Rob Morrow, of Northern Exposure fame) is an FBI agent who has no time in his life for anything other than his job. Nabbing bad guys is what this guy lives for. But he can’t do everything on his own and it just so happens that his brother Charlie (David Krumholtz) is a math genius (and maybe a little bit of a weirdo). As one might expect, the FBI brings wunderkind Charlie in to fill in whatever holes Don’s research can’t account for, and we get not only a crime-fighting duo, but a sibling rivalry that often threatens to overshadow the tasks at hand. See? This might work.

But this fourth season is mired by an extensive supporting cast that takes up way too much screen time than necessary. Don’s group of experts contains no fewer than four people, all of which get some character-defining scenarios over the course of this season. And then there’s Charlie’s team of weirdos, including his girlfriend  played Navi Rawat, and Don and Charlie’s dad (Judd Hirsch). Yeah, it all gets spread around a bit; not every character has a full story arc in each episode, but it’s nevertheless too busy.

It also doesn’t help that the episode-by-episode crime scenarios are a bit limp this time around. There’s a show involving a grisly murder of a woman who was trying to make a new life for herself in the Witness Protection Program; that episode (In Security) has some good moments. Atomic No. 33 features some crazy-ass religious cult zaniness, but for the most part, these episodes stay pretty close to the ground. The episode in which Don brings down a meth lab (Black Swan) gets old fast, and Graphic, in which the team has to track down a graphic novel with deadly implications is groan-inducing.

But, as with all crime dramas on TV (as far as this writer is concerned), there are moments of intrigue to be found. Rob Morrow is a completely capable actor, and a fantastic leading man (his work on Northern Exposure is truly second to none), and every once in a while, he gets his fair chance to shine. So it goes without saying that when he’s off screen for too long, the show falters, but (luckily) that isn’t often the case. And when the solving-murders-with-mathematical-prowess shtick comes through just right, Numb3rs gets that sheen of TV drama sleekness.

If the show would focus just a bit more on the methods behind the mathematical madness of its characters, it might really blast through. But as it stands, this writer found Numb3rs: The Fourth Season to be sometimes capable, but definitely not mesmerizing television. I’ve seen better; I’ve seen worse.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Grain is an issue on all these 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers. It’s not crippling – the show looks all right – but it’s intrusive nonetheless. It keeps finely grained detail at bay, especially in darker sequences. There are also a few examples of compression artifacts, which is unforgivable for such a new show. Black levels are deep and consistent, and color accuracy is relatively spot-on. These aren’t awful transfers, but they’re nowhere near as pristine as they should be, especially given the newness of the material.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks on this set are far more inviting. Dialogue is not exactly crystal clear all the time and sometimes certain characters are hard to hear. However the show’s excellent usage of atmospherics really exploits all six speakers. And while Numb3rs’ over-the-top musical score may not be for everyone’s tastes, when it comes into the mix, it envelops nicely. Not bad at all.

Also included are English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The five-part hour-long documentary Crunching Numb3rs: Trust Metric is a thorough and truly fascinating look at the construction and execution of the debut show of this fourth season. It’s nice to see a bonus this comprehensive on a TV-on-DVD set. The only bad thing is that this long doc is the only real bonus here; the only other additions are a set of previews for other Paramount TV-on-DVD titles.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Final Thoughts

This one’s for fans only. Both audio and video qualities are merely so-so, which is surprising considering the newness of the show. And while there’s a really nice documentary, I still found myself hoping for more. Rob Morrow deserves better.