Is It Just Me: License Plate Lookalikes
Yvonne Strahovski and Zach Levy
Are the license plates that I see on Chuck the same ones I've seen way back on The Rockford Files and Columbo? Is this the equivalent of those 555 phone numbers? — Gary Land, via e-mail
Bingo! Odds are, you probably have spotted the same license plate on multiple shows, confirms Chuck prop master Scott Bauer.
"The California DMV allows productions to use certain sequences that have not been issued to the public," he says. "The PCE is used as a passenger license plate and can end between 000-499. There is also a passenger PCI series and other sequences used for commercial vehicles."
As for those silly 555 phone dig-its? "The 555 sequence is regulated by the FCC and was set aside a while ago for the entertainment industry," says Bauer. "Studios like productions to use it so there is no chance of being sued for harassment." Yeah, tell that to Jenny at 867-5309.
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