There was a cute in-joke at the end of last week’s episode of the American television drama Numb3rs (3.7, “Blackout”). The father, played by Judd Hirsch, turns on late-night TV saying that’s when “the classics” are on. Then we hear the theme song from Hirsch’s classic sitcom Taxi (1978-83).
A running in-joke on the show is that mathematician Amita’s last name is Ramanujan, as in the genius Indian number-theorist Shrinivas Ramanujan.
The series could use more humor. Plus, the characters need more humor. They have very stressful jobs as FBI agents; it’s hard to imagine them not joking around a lot. The last two episodes have had some mildly humorous banter between the characters Colby and Megan, but the only memorable funny scenes in the series were back in the first season. In one, the widowed father’s first date goes horribly wrong (1.4, “Structural Corruption”). In another, Don’s FBI subordinate and former girlfriend Terry (female; a psychological profiler no longer on the show) learns that the female Secret Service agent they are working with is also an old flame of his, and Terry starts subtly then not so subtly pumping colleague David for information about that former couple’s past (1.7, “Counterfeit Reality”).
The actors are up to the challenge of doing some comedy amid the drama. Not only was Judd Hirsch (the father Alan Eppes) in Taxi, but Rob Morrow (Don Eppes) was in Northern Exposure, and Peter MacNicol (physicist Larry) was in Ally McBeal. If the writers are up to it, the show could be much more entertaining than just the interesting math and family dynamics.