‘Person of Interest’s Sarah Shahi on a Potential Spinoff
Person of Interest concluded its five season run on CBS, but the producers have been upfront about the story (potentially) not being done.
“I’d watch the hell out of Shaw and Root and the Machine [working together],” executive producer Jonathan Nolan told TV Insider of any possible spinoffs after the finale aired. “I’d watch that show all day long. But we configured the events of the last few episodes to reflect closure for this universe, the audience, the story … We love the show, we’d love to continue telling stories in this space. But none of those story moves are an attempt to jump-start a reboot or all that. This is where we felt our story should be left. We love working with these actors, the storyline, and if there’s a chance to pick it up down the road, we’d certainly be game.”
RELATED: The Person of Interest Bosses on the Series Finale’s Farewells and New Beginnings
For Sarah Shahi (Shaw), the fact that her character made it out alive (and was the one left continuing the mission to save people) was a surprise. “There are always so many rumors going around on every set,” Shahi says. “A couple of episodes before the finale, I kept hearing things about the spinoff and Shaw, and Shaw was going to be the last one standing, and I thought it was just lies. I didn’t buy any of it—you never know until you see it on the page. And sure enough, there it was on the page,” she laughs.
“I didn’t know what it meant, I didn’t really read into it, too much,” Shahi continues. “I think at the end of the day, Shaw’s happiness is being a soldier. And the story which Greg [Plageman] and Jonah chose to tell, those final moments on the phone, it was that the numbers keep coming and she’s going to soldier on.”
When the (eventual) series finale was filmed, the cast and producers were unsure whether CBS was going to pick them up for another season. “They needed, somehow, to leave a sliver of the door kind of open, in case there was a pickup,” Shahi points out. The network ultimately opted to not renew the show, and the producers revealed in March (months after production wrapped) the drama was ending.
Shahi won’t completely close the door on revisiting Shaw sometime in the future, but “I think it would be hard to say the show could possibly reinvent itself somewhere else, because everyone else has taken other jobs, or we’re free to take other jobs,” she points out. “It would be hard to get people again for that reason.”
RELATED: The Person of Interest Bosses Reflect on the Drama’s Journey
To get Shahi on board, “I would want to take Shaw to much deeper, darker places,” she acknowledges. “I would want to shave her head and give her a bionic arm. I’m still holding a candle out for that story. Shaw, the way Shaw is now, I think I’ve done that. We’d have to do something else with her.”
Root (Amy Acker) and Shaw (Sarah Shahi) reunite in a simulation.
The final season did allow Shahi to go dark, especially in the powerful “6,741.” In the episode, a captured Shaw, who spent the first part of the season as a hostage of Samaritan operatives, was put through thousands of virtual reality simulations (the episode took place in the 6,741st) in an attempt to turn her into an asset. Instead, she continuously refused to do their bidding, opting to take her own life (in the simulation) instead of harming Root (Amy Acker).
“I was so happy; I was so excited,” Shahi gushes of filming the hour. “All the things we had shot in that episode, that’s the reason I said yes to this show. I was pitched a character who was very dark, very f—ed up and edgy. That’s what I wanted to do. After three seasons, I finally got the opportunity to do that. I was so excited to sink my teeth into that experience.”
Looking ahead to her next project, Shahi is open to what’s out there. “Knock on wood, I’ve been talking to a lot of incredible writers and showrunners, and I’ve been offered really, really wonderful things,” she says. “It really has to move me enough to want to be away from my children. After doing three years in New York [on Person of Interest], that’s hard for me. But at the same time I am getting a little antsy. I would like to find something.”
But finding something that was as challenging and unique as PoI won’t be easy. “There’s so many shows. So how do you pick a show that differentiates from everything else?” she says. “For me, it’s not going to be some normal show—I can say that much. So I don’t know what that next show looks like. But it’s going to be something where people are talking. And honestly, it’s gotta be big enough to move me away from my kids.”
Conversation32 Comments
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I too would only watch that spinoff if Amy Acker co-starred with her as Root NOT the voice of the machine. Sarah Shahi is awesome, however I believe we need that dynamic of Shaw WITH Root to make this spinoff worth watching. I wish them both best of luck with their next projects...I will be watching.
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I love Root and Shaw. They would have to be alive
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I'd watch the hell out of that show, too but again, only if Amy Acker is also in it. I've always felt that a Root/Shaw spinoff is the only one that would work longterm.
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If it includes Amy Acker as Root alive I'm in. Otherwise Sarah can have her Shaw spin-off but I'd really like Amy Acker to get a leading role somewhere too. Having Acker only as voice is the waste of her talent.
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Psst, Root is alive and her new alias is CIA Agent Adler.
FYI Acker guest stars on MacGyver this fall 😉 possibly it's just a small step before a really worthy project we'll know soon enough
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Acker on MacGyver? How come Tvinsider failed to mention this? Will watch, thanks.
PS I wonder if it's possible to change the top photo of Caviezel/Chapman/Shahi/eMerson to the one that also has Amy Acker? She was the big part of show even after Root's death and it's disrespectful to post a photo without her.
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Why are you doing this? I almost forgot about this show and then I saw this and my heart hurts after remembering pointless Root's death. Every time I see something POi-related or the character's names it triggers me and I remember the day when Nolan Illyria'd Root for no reason at all and Finch walked away alive from everything. If I see Finch's face again so help me Athena
Amy and Sarah need their own shows where they can be main characters. No spinoffs please. This would be beyond cruel.
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Please bring back Shaw, Root, and the dog 💙❤💚
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Why are the girl couples always killed off, or the series ends, when they finally express their love to each other? The chemistry between Sarah and Amy was off the charts I would love to see a Shaw/Root spinoff but CBS will never allow it, The networks are bigots, especially CBS.
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I miss this show so much. I have always love this couple Root and Shaw. They are both great actresses.
I am hoping that someone else picks up the show. We will still need Harold, Bear
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GOD i would watch the hell out of a Shaw spin-off. It would make my life like 50% better. I've always said that if 2x16 had been a pilot, i would have watched the crap out of that show. I really only watched PoI for Shaw, and later to some extent for Root too. Someone needs to get on this.
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You're lucky your favorite character is alive and there is a possibility of a spinoff. You truly are. I wish Root was alive too. Because even if there will be a Shaw spinoff starring Sarah, Amy is going to only recur time after time as The Machine's voice or some ghostly presence and that's pretty much it.
I hate Nolan so much.
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I am lucky. Although, that isn't to say that I didn't absolutely adore Root/Amy too. I was heartbroken (and pissed off) when they killed her. And let's face it, a Shaw spinoff would only be 55% as good as a Root AND Shaw spinoff.
Although, I know it's a pretty poor imitation, but I would be very interested in how they handled a Shaw/Machine!Root dynamic. I'm not one of those people that think Root transcended to some higher plain of existence, she's dead as far as I'm concerned, but the idea of a dynamic between a nascent AI and a human in the present day is intriguing.
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"but the idea of a dynamic between a nascent AI and a human in the present day is intriguing."
Yes that's exactly why they should revive Root for a spinoff so she could communicate with The Machine but as an old good friend and not as the Interface. The Machine needs to choose herself another voice and keep her own personality. One day Root will die like any other human and when this day comes TM is free to jump on the possibility to take over Root's image and voice. In the future. She can build herself a robot to upload herself into a synthetic body even.
There was no need in killing off Root this early whatsoever, but Jonah's ego knows best.
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I know why Jonah did what he did to Root. He wanted to explore relationship between humans and the 99,6% exact ghost of the dead person, how it will affect the living. But killing Root off for this was a dumb idea. The Machine can appear as she pleases and Team Machine lost so many friends and people close to them so there are a lot of voices to choose from for this experiment. Nathan's voice, Carter's voice. The result would be equally painful.
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Man, seeing an episode of Root and the machine doing what they do would've been amazing. Like Relevance or Razgavor for Shaw, but all Root.
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... but honestly I just want to see Amy starring as a genius/undercover agent/badass character on her own show. I don't want any continuations of POI in any form because all I remember is how they f***ed up by killing Root off to further a male lead storyline and for shock value because of Nolan's huge ego and this is something I can't forgive them for.
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I wanted the spin-off that was setup in the final (few?) episodes to get picked up but of course it wasn't going to. With that new team + Shaw.
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Interesting! I was so happy and pleased when the Root character was killed off. And like the rest of you, that is just my personal opinion. Root was a disturbed person.
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Shoot spin off is a great idea that should be put into practice with beautiful Root and Shaw by Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi
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It would just be like Alias or Nikita or any number super boring shows with a snarky, bass emotionally troubled agent with big jugs. I never liked Shaw. The ratings kept going down from the time she entered for a reason. They just don't get the hint. This show used to have amazing ratings before Shaw showed up.
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I'd only watch this if it includes Amy Acker as Root alive.
The Machine is her own person and should have created her own voice/personality, not taken on someone elses.
Root is also her own person.
Also I can't see a point to this spin off without both Shaw and Root (alive).
Talk about potential for exploring dark backgrounds and emotions. Those two having to work and lead a team while dealing with all of their emotional baggage as individuals and a couple? That would be some pretty amazing storytelling. I just can't see this spin off working without the dynamic of Root (alive) and Shaw.
Also The Machine has been like a mother to them so to have The Machine is there as well (with her own created personality). That would be pretty brilliant.
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A lot of people are hoping, wishing for a Root/Shaw spin off. But ROOT has to come back alive, not as the machine's voice. Root is one of the best TV characters ever created, and Amy Acker did and excellent portraying Root. I was in shocked when she was killed off, there was no need for her to die. During the POI series the Root/Shaw dynamic on the show was a nice touch, I would definitely love a show where these two characters can show their "badassery" at every level. Netflix make this show happen!
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Not gonna happen if they don't find a different network to do the series than CBS. I still cannot understand how, after 4 seasons, the morons at CBS wanted to cancel a hit, money making show. Gotta be pretty damn stupid to do that. Sounds like network suits had it in for somebody.
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I'm still holding out for Danni Reese from Life to come back to TV in some form. Shahi and Damian Lewis were great together!
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If Root is alive and in the spin off then I'm in 100% and I'd throw money at it to make it happen
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Please CHANGE the top photo to the one that has also Acker on it. Acker still was on set during last three episodes. Have some goddamn respect.
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Watch your mouth.
And have some respect for others
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unfortunately, poi people didn't bother to release episode stills for 5x13 with Acker on them so it's the official photo from the finale. i'm sorry, I really am. A "cast" photo without an important member who was on set that day.
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Amy Acker is an extremely talented actor who, along side the writers, was able to developed a dynamic and interesting character in Root. No such thing can be said of Shahi. Shaw was the least interesting and most poorly acted character in the series. A spin off would be cancelled after 4 episodes.
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Please don't talk like this about Sarah. Shahi's a good actress and maybe the spin-off with her will work just fine. The other thing is no one is going to make this spin-off.
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I agree with the first part. The second..no. What makes you an expert, may I ask? She is a great actress, and she did a lot with a difficult, guarded, trauma-background character, Shaw. Love her work. She has done stage & (small) screen & I predict even bigger things for her!
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