‘The Rockford Files’ Takes Inspiration From Original Series With Dedicated Number

NBC

THE ROCKFORD FILES -- "Pilot" -- Pictured: David Boreanaz as James "Jim" Rockford -- (Photo by: Mark Hill/NBC)

Over the years, TV shows have become more and more interactive. Now, it’s all about social media, but during the ’90s and ’00s, it was possible to call phone numbers. “The Rockford Files” reboot leans into that nostalgia with its own dedicated number.

The move itself takes inspiration from the original “Rockford Files” series, starring James Garner. From the beginning, the team behind the new NBC series has made it clear that they want to honor the original series and not just craft a modern-day reboot, and that’s clear with this latest move.

Listen to David Boreanaz as Jim Rockford

Fans can called 1-760-JIM-ROCK to hear a message from David Boreanaz’s Jim Rockford. That’s 1-760-546-7625. It’s open to anyone around the world, but keep in mind that it is a United States phone number. If you don’t have U.S. calls included in your plan, you could end up with an expensive message.

When calling the number, you’ll be warned of the data charges, and then you’ll be told it’s a promotional message from NBC. After that, you can press 1 to get the message, which has Boreanaz say, “Hi, this is Jim Rockford. I’m back, and ready to roll. Leave a brief message after the tone, and tell your friends Jim Rockford is always ready to answer the call.”

As you listen to the message, you’ll be sent a text message, which shares a link so that you can sign up to receive promotional text messages from NBC.

Bringing ’90s and ’00s Nostalgia Back to TV

There has been a push in recent years to bring the memories of TV past back to viewers, and one of those is through phone numbers. Shows such as “The Simpsons,” “Supernatural,” and “Scrubs” have all offered dedicated numbers that audiences can call to get messages.

With “The Simpons,” it was a chance for fans to interact with an AI voice of Homer Simpson. “Scrubs” had Dr. Turk proudly share his phone number, and there was a special message from Donald Faison urging fans to vote for the show. This was at the height of TRL voting! “Supernatural” had a number that involved a message from Dean Winchester asking for people to leave information about John Winchester’s coordinates.

However, “The Rockford Files” takes inspiration from the original series to bring this element of nostalgia. Each episode of the original series would start with the titular character’s answer machine saying, “This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message, I’ll get back to you.” Then there would be a frantic or humorous message from a caller, creating some fun for the private eye series.

It’s not yet clear if this is a hint that Boreanaz’s show will follow the same opening. It’s possible that it will take a slightly different route considering it’s now possible to get in touch with people via social media or send text messages. However, by connecting to the ’90s nostalgia, it certainly feels like a trip back to what was originally used.

“The Rockford Files” will premiere on Saturday, Jan. 2, immediately after NBC’s telecast of the NFL game that night — the exact game is still TBD — and it will then move to the regular timeslot of Thursdays at 8/7c starting on Thursday, Jan. 7.