Watch CBS News

Real-Life Superhero Geniuses Inspire New CBS Show 'Scorpion'

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—"Scorpion" premieres on CBS this Monday night. It's a high octane drama inspired by a true story.

Linh Bui talked to the stars and has more on the real life genius behind the show.

Walter O'Brien has the fourth highest IQ in the world. And this new series shows us what he's accomplished with his intelligence.

The new CBS drama "Scorpion" is about real life genius Walter O'Brien, played by actor Elyes Gabel.

Homeland Security found O'Brien after he hacked into NASA's database when he was just a teen.

"When they came in, they were looking for a hacker named scorpion because that was his hacker name, and they found a 13-year-old kid," Gabel said.

Gabel and Katherine McPhee spoke to WJZ.

McPhee plays a waitress, who becomes part of his group of misfits.

The show is basically about a group of real life superheroes.

"Walter O'Brien who started a company essentially of a group of eccentric geniuses who are government funded problem solvers so that's sort of the premise of the show," McPhee said.

That company, Scorpion Computer Services, is also real.

The real O'Brien says it's the largest think tank of high IQ individuals that exists.

"We've saved lives and caught terrorists and stopped wars. And that's about the highest and best use of my skills -- to protect the country," O'Brien said.

And not only is "Scorpion" about his life, he's also an executive producer.

"I grew up as many folks my age did watching 'McGuyver' and the 'A Team' and 'Nightrider' and those kinds of shows. And it's generally a bunch of oddballs trying to save the world. And that's what I ended up doing," O'Brien said.

O'Brien says he wants to make being smart cool.

He hopes kids watch the show and become inspired to be constructive with their abilities.

Watch the premiere of Scorpion at 9 p.m. on WJZ-TV.

Other Local News:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.