Numb3rs: Thirty-Six Hours

"Thirty-Six Hours" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numb3rs. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and mathematicians attempt to determine the cause of a fatal train accident while several agents attempt to rescue survivors. When it was originally scheduled to air as the fourth episode of the season, "Thirty-Six Hours" occurred in the middle of a story arc launched by the season four season finale. When the real-life Chatsworth train derailment occurred two weeks after filming the episode, the accident forced a revision of the script to include episodic events that occurred after the end of the story arc. To simulate both the crash and the rescue effort, series production designer Bill Eigenbrodt and Numb3rs art department had to build two sets, the inside of a crushed railcar and a tent in which first responders coordinated the rescue effort. Eigenbrodt and his production crew also had to simulate the actual wreckage using real railcars placed along a stretch of open track. Eigenbrodt and the production crew also had to design the robots that appear in the episode. "Thirty-Six Hours" first aired in the United States on November 21, 2008. Critics gave the episode a positive review.