Numbers (TV series)
Numbers | |
---|---|
File:NUMB3RS season1 dvd cover.jpg NUMB3RS Season 1 DVD cover | |
Created by | Nicolas Falacci Cheryl Heuton |
Starring | Rob Morrow Peter MacNicol Alimi Ballard David Krumholtz Sabrina Lloyd (Season 1) Judd Hirsch Diane Farr (Season 2) Dylan Bruno (Season 2) |
Opening theme | Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads (Season 1) |
Country of origin | USA |
No. of episodes | 32 (to date) |
Production | |
Running time | 43 minutes (approx) |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | January 23, 2005 – present |
NUMB3RS (Numbers) is an American television show that follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz), who develops formulae to predict the actions of various criminals. It was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and airs on the CBS network in the US.
Introduction
- "We all use math every day. To predict weather, to tell time, to handle money -- math is more than formulas and equations; it's logic, it's rationality. It's using your mind to solve the greatest mysteries we know."
The show is a balance of the relationship between Don Eppes and his brother, Charlie Eppes and of the efforts they make to fight crime, normally in Los Angeles. A typical episode will consist of an initial crime at the start of the episode, which is subsequently investigated by a team of FBI agents, led by Don Eppes, and mathematically described by Charlie, occasionally with the help of Larry Fleinhardt and/or Amita Ramanujan. The insights provided by Charlie's mathematics are always in some way crucial to the solving of the crime. On some fronts, the show is similar to CSI.
Several mathematicians work as consultants for each episode [1]. Actual mathematics is presented in the show; the equations on the chalkboards are real, and they are indeed applicable to the respective situations in each show. This phenomenon has been recognized by working mathematicians; see, for example, NUMB3RS gets the math right, published by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA)[2] and the January 21 issue of Math Games[3] in which Ed Pegg Jr. discusses related issues. e.g. Bayesian search theory, graph theory, combinatorics.
In keeping with replacement of the letter E with the number 3 in the title, each of the actors' names in the opening credits has at least one digit in place of a letter. (Such replacement is also found in the Internet language, Leetspeek.)
Cast and Characters
Main Characters
- Don Eppes, the lead FBI agent and brother to Charlie Eppes. Played by Rob Morrow
- Professor Charlie Eppes, a mathematics genius helping the FBI solve crimes. Played by David Krumholtz
Secondary Characters
- Alan Eppes, father of Charlie and Don. Played by Judd Hirsch
- FBI Agent David Sinclair, played by Alimi Ballard
- Dr. Amita Ramanujan, played by Navi Rawat
- Professor Larry Fleinhardt, played by Peter MacNicol
- FBI Agent Megan Reeves, played by Diane Farr (Season 2+)
- FBI Trainee Colby Granger, played by Dylan Bruno (Season 2+)
- FBI Agent Terry Lake, played by Sabrina Lloyd (Season 1)
Episodes
Season 1
Season 1 (23 January 2005 - 13 May 2005) sees the start of the working relationship between Los Angeles' FBI department and Charlie Eppes. The main FBI agents are Charlie's brother, Don Eppes, and his partner Terry Lake, as well as David Sinclair. Don and Charlie's father, Alan Eppes, provides emotional support for the pair, while Professor Larry Fleinhardt and doctorate student Amita Ramanujan provide mathematical support and insights to Charlie.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Season 2
Season 2 (23 September 2005 - ongoing, expected end: 19 May 2006) sees the continuation of the relationship between the FBI and Charlie. Don's partner, Terry Lake, is reassigned to Washington, and Megan Reeves replaces her role as a psychological profiler for the team. Colby Granger is also introduced, and is partnered with David Sinclair.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Production notes
- The original concept for the show had the events take place at MIT.[4]
- The Craftsman home used in the series is owned by David Raposa and Edward Trosper[5].
- Texas Instruments is leading a math education initiative based on the show and a line from the opening crawl — "We all use math everyday."
- Famous scientists mentioned in the show include Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Archimedes, Paul Erdős, Michael Faraday, Richard Feynman, Werner Heisenberg, and Edward Witten.
- The famous chess game Morphy v. Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard is featured at least twice in the show, once in the ending scene of "Man Hunt" and again in the "chess interlude" of the episode "Assassin".
International first broadcast dates

- New Zealand: July 20, 2005 on TV3.
- Brazil: August 7, 2005 on Telecine Premium.
- Australia: August 15, 2005 on Network Ten.
- Germany: September 05, 2005 on Pro 7.
- The Netherlands: September 17, 2005 on SBS6.
- United Kingdom: October 5, 2005 on ITV3.
- Israel: October 27, 2005 on yesWeekend ("מספרים" - Misparim).
- Malaysia: December 5, 2005 (estimated start date) on RTM1.
- Quebec: January 6, 2006 on Z Tele.
- Spain: March 7, 2006 on Antena 3.
- France: April 14, 2006 on M6.
- Sweden: April 29, 2006 on TV4.
DVD releases
Season 1
The first season will be released on a 4-DVD set in US on 30 May 2006. [6] [7]
Bonus features include:
- Audio commentaries on selected episodes, with co-creators/co-executive producers Cheryl Heuton, Nicholas Falacci and David Zucker; actors David Krumholtz, Lou Diamond Phillips, Judd Hirsch and Rob Morrow; supervising producer/writer Andrew Dettmann and directors Alexander Zakrzewski and Paris Barclay.
- Crunching NUMB3RS: Season 1
- Point of Origin: Inside the Unaired Pilot
- Audition Reels, with optional commentary by casting director Mark Saks
- Do the math: The CalTech analysis
- CharlieVision: FX Sequences 1.0
- Blooper Reel
References
- ^ "Hollywood Math and Science Film Consulting". Retrieved 2006-04-26.
- ^ Keith Devlin. "NUMB3RS gets the math right". Retrieved 2006-05-07.
- ^ "Math Puzzle.com". Retrieved 2006-04-27.
- ^ ""Numb3rs (2005)". Retrieved 2006-05-07.
- ^ Arts and Crafts by the 'Numb3rs' by Christy Hobart, Special to The Times Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2005
- ^ "NUMB3RS DVD at Amazon.com". Retrieved 2006-04-26.
- ^ "NUMB3RS DVD information at TVshowsonDVD.com". Retrieved 2006-04-26.
External links
Notable news articles
- "They're Calculatingly Cool", Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, February 9 2005.
Notable fan websites
- NUMB3RS Yahoo Group
- NUMB3RS Fansite
- NUMB3RS Math Blog, in which the mathematics featured in the show is explored in more detail.
- Running the NUMB3RS