Person of Interest was a hit right away for CBS. Then, in its second season, the show did something rare these days: It grew — around 16 million people were watching weekly. After it moved starting in Season 3 from Thursdays at 9 to Tuesdays at 10, a much tougher time slot because of cable and DVR competition, Person of Interest still brought in around 14 million viewers each week. Throughout its fourth season, viewership dropped off, but that's par for the course: It still drew a crowd.

Which is why it's a true curiosity that Person of Interest has ended up here: with CBS burning off its fifth and last season. It premiered on May 3, and — at a pace of two episodes a week — the series finale will air on June 21.

The trouble, as far as Nolan and Plageman see it, became acutely evident last May during the upfronts, when the networks present their new shows and schedules for the upcoming season to advertisers. No one at CBS had told them ahead of time that not only would Person of Interest be left off of the network's fall schedule, but its episode order would be cut from the usual 22 to 13. In fact, the two executive producers laughed at a question that presumed they had been given a heads-up about either development, both of which are signs of imminent cancellation.

"It was pretty surprising," said Plageman. "We had felt at the time that we would be getting a full order going into the season." They learned that Person of Interest had been ghosted off the schedule only after CBS unveiled its fall programming to press before its upfront presentation. And then, Plageman said, "You go through the usual gamut of emotions."

After these unforeseen blows, Nolan said the show's creative team decided to move forward with their own plan. "No one was clear with us that this was a final season; we kind of decided that this was a final season. You read the tea leaves here, and it was clear that with a reduced order it's not likely that we were coming back," he said. "So we decided: Fuck it. We're going to tell the end of this story, in such a way that doesn't slam the door shut on the universe of the show — that wouldn't be a fitting end to the show anyway. But telling a final season in such a way that it would leave everyone satisfied with the story that we told. And that was our decision. This is a gift."

In a statement to BuzzFeed News regarding Person of Interest, CBS spokesperson Chris Ender wrote: "It’s never easy to say good-bye to a good show, but we’re proud of what all of us — network, studio, actors and producers — have accomplished over a great run of five seasons and 103 episodes."