First appearing in the fifth episode of the fourth season, a valid California phone number (310-597-3781) has been shown on screen at various points during the show. The number, since dubbed the 24 “fan phone”, leads to an actual telephone on the set, and received upwards of 50,000 callers in the first week after it was shown.[27][28]

In the original scene containing the phone number, a character receives a call from her mother. In order to have the cellphone’s caller ID show “Mom”, producers chose to use a real phone (belonging to a member of the props department), rather than build a fake display. Although the number only appeared on screen for a moment, calls started flooding in within minutes of the first airing. The phone’s owner canceled the account, but director Jon Cassar decided to reactivate the line.[27] Since then, the number has appeared multiple times, as the phone number of various characters, through the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons.

Generally, especially of late, viewers calling the number are directed to a generic Nextel voicemail box; however, the phone is often picked up by whoever is free onset, and viewers have spoken to a wide variety of cast and crew members, including director Jon Cassar, production designer Joseph Hodges, Kim Raver (Audrey) and Carlos Bernard (Tony).[28]