555: Why Hollywood Uses Fake Phone Numbers
Every movie and TV show uses 555 numbers to avoid accidentally broadcasting real people's phone numbers. The story behind this convention is more interesting than you might think.
The Problem With Realistic Phone Numbers
Television and film producers face a practical problem: when a character on screen dials a phone number, thousands or millions of viewers might write it down and call it. If the number belongs to a real person or business, that person's life could be made miserable by a flood of calls from curious or prankish viewers. The entertainment industry needed a safe placeholder.
Enter the 555 Exchange
The solution was to use phone numbers with the exchange code 555. In the North American Numbering Plan, exchange codes beginning with 555 (written as 5-5-5 in the old convention) were reserved — they weren't assigned to real residential or business subscribers. A call to 555-1234 in any area code would go nowhere useful, making them safe to use on screen.
How 555 Numbers Work in the NXX System
In the NANP structure, the NXX (exchange) code follows rules: the first digit cannot be 0 or 1, which eliminates 000–199. The 555 range was historically reserved for directory assistance (555-1212 reached local information in most areas) and for fictional use in media.
Specifically, 555-0100 through 555-0199 are officially reserved for fictional use in film and television. The rest of the 555 range has been partially released for actual use in some markets.
Famous 555 Numbers
Some of the most well-known fictional phone numbers include:
- 555-2368 — Ghostbusters ("Who ya gonna call?")
- 555-6162 — Memento
- 867-5309 — The famous Tommy Tutone song (an actual exchange number that caused real problems)
The Tommy Tutone example illustrates exactly why 555 numbers exist — 867-5309 was a real number in many area codes, and people listed as "Jenny" in those codes received endless calls for years after the song's 1982 release.
Modern Complications
As VoIP has proliferated and the pool of available numbers has been managed differently, some 555 numbers in various area codes have been released for actual commercial use. Productions now sometimes specifically request numbers in the officially reserved 555-0100 to 555-0199 range to guarantee they won't accidentally broadcast a real number.
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