Scorpion
CBS network procedural about a team of geniuses (cyber, mechanical, mathematical, behavioral) who solve crisis-of-the-week problems for Homeland Security. Loosely inspired by Walter O'Brien.
- Creators
- Nick Santora
- Years
- 2014–2018
- Seasons
- 4 seasons
- Episodes
- 93 episodes
- Status
- Ended
- Language
- English
Available on
Watch this if
Family viewing where you want competent-people-solving-problems energy and don't care that the technical content is largely fiction. Inoffensive and watchable in long stretches; the cast chemistry is the reason 93 episodes happened.
Skip this if
Anyone who wants accurate depictions of cybersecurity, hacking, or computing in any way. The show invents its computing as needed and the running joke among technical viewers is which scene was most absurd this week.
Key takeaways
- The premise that a hacker, mechanical engineer, statistician, and behaviorist can solve any global crisis in 42 minutes is the show's cheerful operating assumption; embrace or skip.
- The most accurate technical content on the show is the social-engineering interactions, which are at least plausible; the rest is plot-required magic.
- If your goal is to introduce a non-technical family member to the genre's vibe without giving them misconceptions, this is not the show; if you just want comfort viewing, fine.
Notes
Pair with Numb3rs (CBS, mathematician version) for the same procedural energy with marginally better technical sourcing. Treat as a comfort show, not as an educational source. The real Walter O'Brien's claims about the show's basis are widely disputed — that part of the marketing is itself a useful case study in security-celebrity inflation.