Movies And TV Shows That Used Real Phone Numbers

If you've ever noticed that almost every phone number in a movie or TV show begins with the prefix 555, you're not the only one. The reason this is done is simple: filmmakers don't want to accidentally use a real phone number that people might call. That's what happened with Tommy Tutone's 1982 hit single "867-5309/Jenny," which led to a lot of customers with that number getting a slew of unwanted calls.

Starting a phone number with 555 mostly keeps that from happening, as few valid numbers in the U.S. begin with 555. Despite this rule that nearly everyone follows, real phone numbers sometimes appear in movies and TV shows. This can be done purposefully, as part of a marketing campaign, where the number leads callers to information about the project, or it can be accidental.

Whatever the reason, every once in a while, a movie or TV show comes along and bucks the 555 trend to reveal a legit phone number. Fans tend to call those numbers, hoping to hear something related to whatever they watched, and often, it works. These are some of the movies and TV shows that have done this over the years, each for their own reasons.

Filmmakers in the U.S. typically use 555 numbers in movies and TV shows, but that doesn't work in other countries. South Korea has its own method of keeping viewers from calling numbers shown on screen, but that didn't happen in "Squid Game." In the first episode, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) receives a card from The Salesman (Gong Yoo) containing a phone number.

Unfortunately, the number is 100% legit, and has absolutely nothing to do with the show. On "Squid Game," if someone calls that number, they opt into the titular activity, and thousands of viewers decided to get in on the fun. Unfortunately, what happens when people call the phone number in "Squid Game" is that they disturb a woman named Hanna Kim.

Kim and others received thousands of calls and texts, most of them including questions like, "Is this Squid Game?" or something to that effect. This was clearly an untenable situation, and Netflix understood the problem. While the cat was technically already out of the bag, Netflix still went in and edited the scene to remove the real number.

In the 2004 "Scrubs" episode "My Malpractical Decision," Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) gets a new phone number he's incredibly proud of because it spells out 916-CALL-TURK. Several times during the episode, Turk says, "If you call Turk, you get Turk." Viewers called to see if they truly would get Turk by calling the number, and they weren't disappointed.

Faison wasn't sitting around waiting for calls, but he did record a message. Callers would hear Faison in character thanking them for the call: "I couldn't get to the phone right now, but you've called Turk. And that's a great thing, I'll tell you that much." Additionally, the message revealed the series' new timeslot and asked viewers to keep watching the show.

"Scrubs" has been off the air for years, so the number no longer works. But when it was active, some callers did wind up speaking to a live member of the cast or crew. One called and got Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who answered, "You've called Turk, Dr. Kelso speaking." The number was a fun way to engage with fans of the show while providing information that likely kept them watching.

in the premiere episode of the fifth season of "Gilmore Girls," "Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller," Luke (Scott Patterson) has a new phone number, which turned out to be real. The number is no longer connected to the show, but initially, calling Luke's phone would return a voice message recorded by Patterson.

The message wasn't recorded in character, and was just Patterson encouraging callers to donate to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino abhors the use of 555 numbers in her work, so she arranged to purchase the phone number mentioned in the episode as a workaround. Sherman-Palladino let Patterson decide what he would record, and he chose a charity that he supported. 

Unfortunately, "Gilmore Girls" has been off the air since 2007, but the number remains active and people continue to call. The person on the other end has fielded random phone calls for years, some of which were annoying and others in which he pretended to be Patterson for fun.

Early in 2003's "Bruce Almighty," Bruce (Jim Carrey) gets several messages on his beeper asking him to call a number he doesn't recognize. He does everything he can to avoid the annoying intrusion before finally calling the number. Little does he know that he's ringing none other than God (Morgan Freeman) himself. 

The number that was used did not include an area code. It was also not a 555 number, so people did what they do when they see a number in a movie, and called it en masse. During production, the number was confirmed to not exist in Buffalo, New York, where the film is set. Unfortunately, you could slap any area code onto it and end up with a valid phone number, which resulted in people fielding calls all over the country.

A man in Florida received 20 calls an hour, with people asking to speak to God. Similar stories popped up as the film's popularity grew, so Universal Pictures issued an apology. While the film was already out there, Universal was able to alter the number in subsequent home video and television releases. If you watch "Bruce Almighty" nowadays, the phone number on Bruce's beeper is 555-0123.

"Terminator: Dark Fate" altered the franchise's timeline to kill off John Connor (Edward Furlong), leaving his mother, Sarah (Linda Hamilton), to pick up the pieces. Toward the end of the 2019 film, Sarah finds the Terminator that killed her son, but he's no longer a mindless killing machine. Instead, he's a fully autonomous T-800 who goes by the name Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Carl has aged much since he took out John, and he lives with a woman and her son in Laredo, Texas, where he owns a drapery business. 

In one scene, the main characters exit Carl's van, which has his phone number, (800) 555-0199, emblazoned on the side. The number is a "Terminator: Dark Fate" Easter egg, and for a while, you were able to hear the following message from the Terminator himself if you called it: "Hi, this is Carl's Draperies. We have the best drapes and curtains anywhere in Texas; I can guarantee you that. Sorry, we are not here right now to answer your call, but we will call you back. Until then, hasta la vista." Unfortunately, the number is no longer assigned, but you can still hear the message on X.

The use of a 555 number worked for many decades, but it became so ubiquitous that filmmakers turned away from the practice. To this end, Universal Studios purchased the phone number (212) 664-7665 to be used in its films. While the number isn't active, you can call it if you want, though all you'll hear is a message telling you the number isn't in service.

Universal has done this in many movies, including 2010's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," where fans could call Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The studio began using the phone number in the early 2000s, so it popped up for the first time in "Munich" in 2005, followed by "The Adjustment Bureau" in 2008, and "Definitely Maybe" in 2011.

Universal uses the number primarily to get around the 555 trope, though the studio may have purchased it after the "Bruce Almighty" fiasco, which resulted in a great deal of negative press. Regardless, it's an option more studios are taking as filmmakers opt to use anything other than a 555 phone number in their projects.

"Magnolia" features two numbers that are real, and when the film was out, you could call and listen to some interesting messages. The numbers are no longer associated with the Paul Thomas Anderson film, which hit theaters in 1999. But back when they were active, you could call (818) 775-3993, which is dialed by Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in the movie.

Doing so would result in a message from a woman saying, "Please leave a message at the tone." If you call it now, you just get a recording asking you to enter a number. The other phone number revealed in the film is a toll-free number with the corresponding digits spelling out TAMEHER. The number is visible in Frank T.J. Mackey's (Tom Cruise) infomercial.

Calling that number used to result in a message recorded by Cruise giving his "Seduce and Destroy" program details from the movie. He also promised to "help you get that naughty sauce that you want. Fast." The number is no longer connected to "Magnolia," and calling it now rings a sex chat line — which is why the toll free area code isn't mentioned above.

In the Season 3 episode "Women's Appreciation" on "The Office," Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) is flashed in the office parking lot, which leads Pam (Jenna Fischer) to sketch the pervert. Her sketch looks uncannily like Dwight (Rainn Wilson) without his glasses and includes the header, "THIS MAN IS A PERVERT!" The posters go up, and as you can imagine, Dwight isn't pleased. In the real world, the phone number listed below the sketch, (800) 984-3672, is 100% legit. It appears in several episodes in the series, as it's Dwight's phone number that's included on his business cards.

If you called the number while the show was still running, you'd get a message from WB Jones Heating and Air Conditioning. The message included advice about how to set your thermostat for the winter and summer. This was followed by about 30 seconds of music before the call disconnected. These days, the number reaches a sex hotline, which doesn't appear to have anything whatsoever to do with "The Office" in any way.

Throughout all 15 seasons of "Supernatural," Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) went up against all kinds of evil beasts, demons, and even God. Through it all, he maintained many cell phones, but his primary one always reached a message that said, "This is Dean's other, other cell ... so you must know what to do." Pretty much every fan would love calling Dean, who has some fantastic one-liners in "Supernatural."

In the episode "Phantom Traveler" and several others, Dean's phone number is clearly displayed as (866) 907-3235. You can call the number today, but all you'll get is a sex hotline that opens with this message: "Welcome to America's hottest talk line." It's the exact same message you'd get if you called Dwight's number from "The Office."

If you called when the show was on the air, you'd get something even better: audio clips of Dean from the show. Once connected, Dean says, "This is Dean Winchester. If this is an emergency, please leave a message. If you are calling about 11-2-83, page me with your coordinates." The date mentioned is the date Dean's mother, Mary (Samantha Smith), was killed, so it was a fun way of connecting the viewer to "Supernatural."

"Better Call Saul" is all about attorney James M. McGill (Bob Odenkirk), who changes his name in the series to utilize a rhyming scheme in his advertising. Throughout the show, Saul has several commercials and park bench advertisements made, and his phone number is clearly visible in many. There was even a billboard put up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the phone number (505) 842-5662 (pictured) as part of a marketing campaign.

If you call the number, which is still active as of late 2024, you'll hear a message from Saul advertising his law services and asking you to leave your information at the beep. Initially, calling would result in a message from McGill, but it changed as the series continued, with the current message reflecting the character ending the series as Saul.

Calling it toward the finale resulted in a message more in line with the character as seen in "Breaking Bad." There were several numbers fans could call on the show, including (505) 503-4455 for Saul, (505) 242-7000 for Davis & Main (now defunct), (505) 242-6087 to get Nacho, and a spa number, (505) 842-5325, where Saul kept a backroom office.

"Stranger Things" may be set in the 1980s, but the show's marketing campaign is 21st century all the way. In Season 3, Hopper (David Harbour) provides the number (618) 625-8313 as belonging to Murray (Brett Gelman), and calling it actually results in a message from Murray. It's a fairly long message, where he addresses his mother and Joyce (Winona Ryder), though it ends with him calling you a "parasite."

The Season 3 phone message is an Easter egg, hinting at the following season's big reveal. Season 4 of "Stranger Things" followed suit with a visible Surfer Boy Pizza number. If viewers call (805) 45-PIZZA, you'll get none other than Argyle (Eduardo Franco). He delivers a rambling message about pizza and their ingredients, admitting that their pineapple comes in a can. The phone call ends with Argyle asking "hello" before hanging up.

Unlike the Easter egg in Season 3, the one in Season 4 doesn't hint at anything — other than the lack of fresh pineapple at Surfer Boy Pizza. Another marketing stunt included the number for Hawkins Power and Light, which revealed hints about the show if you called it. The number is no longer associated with "Stranger Things," and now connects to a medical supply company.

In "Young Sheldon," the title character (Iain Armitage) reveals his address and phone number on more than one occasion. The address visible on Sheldon's Radio Shack Battery Club membership card is 5501 Grant Ave, Medford, Texas, 88597, but that isn't real because Medford is a fictitious town created for the series.

On the other hand, the phone number, (409) 356-6049, is entirely real. When the show was on, fans could call and get this message from the main cast on the Cooper family answering machine: "(Mary) Hey, y'all, we're the Coopers. (George) We're not here right now. (Georgie) But you can leave a message. (Missy) And we'll call you back. (Sheldon) I will not be calling you back unless you're Professor Proton, in which case, I can't believe I missed your call."

Unfortunately, the number stopped working for a period when the show ended, but now that the spinoff series, "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," is on the air (as of late 2024), the "Young Sheldon" phone number works once more, though it will likely become defunct again after the spinoff ends.

Fans have been saying it since 1984: "Who you gonna' call? Ghostbusters!" The tagline from the commercial in "Ghostbusters," and its "Who you gonna' call" line has been spoofed to death in the years since. In the original film, the commercial uses the phone number (216) 555-2368, and like most 555 numbers, it didn't work, so calling it then or today now results in nothing but disappointment.

Fortunately, the film's success pushed director Ivan Reitman to try a marketing campaign. He ran the commercial from the movie with the number changed to (800) 654-1984. If called, fans could listen to an audio message from Dan Ackroyd and Bill Murray. That number is now defunct, but after the movie expanded into a franchise, a new number was incorporated into the 2016 "Ghostbusters" film.

In that movie's marketing campaign, the number for the "Ghostbusters" hotline connected callers to Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), who explains that the "considerable rise in paranormal activity" has the Ghostbusters incredibly busy. Another number, (212) 897-1964, was provided for the 30th anniversary Blu-Ray release. It's now defunct, but calling it when it was active connected you to Janine (Annie Potts) asking (via YouTube), "Ghostbusters, whaddya' want?" 

"Don't Look Up" is all about a massive comet careening towards the Earth, while politicians and the über wealthy push citizens to avoid looking up in order to pretend there's no danger. It's a satirical look at the government's response to a crisis like a pandemic and how the media downplays facts in deference to entertainment.

The 2021 film includes a public service announcement in which Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) explains that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established a number to help deliver peace of mind to anyone who calls (so long as they're existing Bash customers). 

If you call (254) 63-COMET now, you'll still get the Bash hotline, which opens with the following message: "Thank you for calling the Bash hotline. Due to violent global destruction caused by the comet, we are experiencing a higher than normal call volume. Please stay on the line and a live representative will be with you shortly ... live representative as in still living ... so, you know, it may be a minute," followed by 15 minutes of music and ads.