NUMB3RS previewed on campus

The Caltech community got a chance to view a sneak preview of NUMB3Rs, the new CBS television series with a funny name, on January 10 in Beckman Auditorium.

Jokingly calling the series “Num-three-ers,” President David Baltimore opened the preview with comments on some of the program’s background. Although Caltech is not mentioned in the show, there are clues that point to a real relationship between the Institute and the televised crime drama. The evening’s emcee, Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight, then introduced the pilot episode.

In it, actor Rob Morrow portrays FBI special agent Don Eppes, whose younger brother, Charlie (David Krumholtz), is a mathematical genius professor at a college much like Caltech. In a plotline based on a real-life case, Charlie uses a mathematical formula to help Don locate a rapist-turned-killer by pinpointing where the criminal would most likely be found.

Portions of the show were taped on campus (scenes that elicited cheers from the large and enthusiastic audience), and Professor of Mathematics Gary Lorden served as math consultant to the show. Lorden was also a member of the panel that discussed the series after the screening, along with Morrow and Krumholtz; actor Judd Hirsch, who plays the brothers’ father; and the show’s creators and producers, Pasadenans Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci.

The series will have its West Coast premiere on Sunday, January 23, at 10 p.m., and will air at the same time on subsequent Fridays.

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