Long before Person of Interest topped the ratings, there was a show with a similar premise. It was nothing as sophisticated as Harold's machine, and was constantly facing cancellation, but it too predicted and tried to prevent future crimes. Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler) is an ordinary guy who is down on his luck, when he mysteriously starts receiving a copy of tomorrows newspaper at his door. His best friend, Chuck (Fisher Stevens), wants to use the information to get rich, but Gary has other plans. He wants to use the information to stop crimes from being committed and enters a world he is not at all prepared for. The show is similar to Person of Interest, but didn't do nearly as well, because the whole thing is hokey. The show is rarely serious and full of very amateurish jokes. Kyle Chandler play a pretty interesting guy, but he's the only believable character. His best friend is an ass, who would be in jail, and his partner is a blind woman. Not to mention there is some weird angle with the stray cat Gary adopts, that doesn't make much sense. The whole stopping crimes before they happen came about in Minority Report and garnered major success for shows like Person of Interest, but it may have gotten it's start with Early Edition, a show with a terrific premise, that was unfortunately barely watchable.