Best TV mistakes of all time

Please vote as you browse around to help the best rise to the top.

The Mentalist picture

Show generally

Revealing mistake: Any time any character is driving a Suburban, or any other vehicle with a column mounted shift lever, the shifter is in park while they appear to be driving.

More The Mentalist mistakes
More Narcos mistakes
The Last Ship picture

Valkyrie - S2-E11

Factual error: In scenes from the oil rig there are shots that show the shore line. This oil rig is supposed to be offshore of Louisiana. However, mountains can be seen in the shots of the shoreline. There are no mountains in Louisiana.

More The Last Ship mistakes
Saved by the Bell picture

House Party - S2-E5

Continuity mistake: Kelly said her youngest brother can burp his whole name Kenneth Leonard Kapowski in one burp. However in the previous year, Kelly had an infant brother named Billy. According to this info, unlikely Kenneth would be younger than Billy.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Kelly can have more than one brother because in the episode where Kelly gets her job at the Max she said "I cook every night for my 11 siblings". So he could be younger or just have a nickname.

The mistake is valid because she says her "youngest" brother, not "younger." In the episode "The Babysitters" (which was meant to air in season 1 and produced before "House Party"), her brother Billy is an infant and says his first words. Kelly has 6 siblings and she never said she cooked for 11 siblings when getting a job at The Max. She says she sets the dinner table for 9 people three times a night.

Bishop73

Ironically, the show only reveals 5 siblings each in their own individual episode. (#6 is unknown). Bennett (mentioned), Nicki (seen), Kyle (voice heard only), Kenneth (mentioned), Billy (seen) are the 5 of 6 siblings revealed.

More Saved by the Bell mistakes
I Love Lucy picture I Love Lucy mistake picture

The Séance - S1-E7

Continuity mistake: After Lucy tells Mr. Merriweather that he's invited to the seance, when it cuts to Lucy unfolding the card table legs, note the couch behind her with one normal seat cushion on the left, but in the next wideshot there's an additional shorter cushion under the normal cushion. The small towel also repositions itself neatly on the couch. (00:11:55)

Super Grover

More I Love Lucy mistakes
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: This series is not meant to be taken in exact chronological order. Most episodes have no dates or time of the year set. Unless we have reference to a date or time period of the year; we have no way of knowing if the continuity is truly off as this series is meant for the episodes to be taken within a generalized time. Not in any specific chronology except for a few where the time period is specific. Neither this episode or the one before it has reference to a date in time.

Suggested correction: While the other correction is wrong, the real reason this isn't a mistake is because the episodes were aired out of order they were produced, which means it's not a mistake within the context of the show. "Bend It Like Baxter" (production code 315) was filmed before the previous episode, "Double Vision" (production code 318).

Bishop73

More That's So Raven mistakes
Pretty Little Liars picture

A Person of Interest - S1-E19

Continuity mistake: On the video of Ian supposedly killing Alison, we see her arm fall to the ground with her "Alison" bracelet visible. But in a later scene where Emily watches Ian put his bag in the athletics room, we cut back to the video and Alison's arm suddenly has a sleeve covering up her bracelet. When we see the video again later in the series, her bracelet is visible again.

THGhost

More Pretty Little Liars mistakes
Justice League picture

Fury (1) - S1-E14

Plot hole: Hippolyta tells Hawkgirl of Aresia's background of being born in the outside world, the war in her country and right up to her drifting to the shores of Themyscira. It would be impossible for her to know anything of Aresia's background as in part two, it's explained that the captain of the ship who saved Aresia died shortly after reaching Themyscira and therefore would not have been able to tell Hippolyta anything.

More Justice League mistakes
The Simpsons picture The Simpsons mistake picture Video

Show generally

Continuity mistake: This is a mistake for the introduction from seasons 2-20 (1991-2009). When Homer screams, he turns round. You see this in a wide shot. There are no boxes to the right of the door in the garage. However, two just appear out of thin air when he runs through the garage. (00:01:50)

More The Simpsons mistakes
Leave It To Beaver picture

Season 5 generally

Other mistake: The opening credits for season 5 show June coming out of the front door with a pitcher of what looks like iced tea, and calling for Ward, Wally and Beaver who are all working outside. But the door opens by itself as she comes out, and then closes by itself behind her. If the entire family is outside, who opened and closed the door?

Jeff Swanson

More Leave It To Beaver mistakes
The Haunting of Bly Manor picture

Show generally

Plot hole: If the Lady of the Lake walks every night to her room and kills those in her path, why didn't Flora and Miles' parents die in their room by the hands of the Lady in the Lake when they first moved in?

More The Haunting of Bly Manor mistakes
Star Trek picture

Is There in Truth No Beauty? - S3-E5

Other mistake: In the final scene, Kirk is still in the transporter room, but does not have on a visor when the ambassador transports out. Even if he did, humans can still go mad if wearing one and that's why Spock operates the transporter. Spock has his visor on, but then you see Kirk walk out of the transporter room without a visor and he is not going mad.

More Star Trek mistakes
More Hogan's Heroes mistakes
More Two and a Half Men mistakes
Victorious picture

Tori the Zombie - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: While Tori is getting her mask removed, another shot shows her sneaking back on stage, but the next shot shows her still getting her mask removed.

More Victorious mistakes
More The High Chaparral mistakes
More Happy Days mistakes
Once Upon a Time picture Once Upon a Time mistake picture

Snow Falls - S1-E3

Visible crew/equipment: When the horse carriage is ambushed, just as Princess Abigail can be heard screaming "Please, help me", the camera pans downward and a horse wrangler wearing a blue baseball cap can be seen in the lower left hand corner, hiding behind one of the horses. (00:03:20)

Kylantha

More Once Upon a Time mistakes
Fringe picture

Unearthed - S2-E11

Continuity mistake: Charlie, Olivia's former partner and friend in the FBI shows up in this episode during the interview with Mrs. Rusk, but Charlie was killed off by one of the shapeshifters in a previous episode, and the shapeshifter that killed Charlie was himself killed off by Olivia, who in other episodes reflected back on killing him. This episode was supposedly meant to be in season 1 as ep 21 or 22. Unknown why they didn't air it then, and decided to put it in the middle of season 2 (for no apparent reason).

Mark Sweetman

More Fringe mistakes
CSI: NY picture CSI: NY mistake picture

Communication Breakdown - S5-E19

Character mistake: When Mac, Stella, and Danny are trying to determine where the fired bullet entered the train car, none of them are wearing rubber gloves. But even though they're not handling any evidence, they're still processing a crime scene. (00:05:00)

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Theoretically correct, but it can be argued that the only evidence present is the bullet (which has DNA and prints burnt off when fired) and the body (which can only be handled by the MEs) gloves are not required.

Andy Benham

What utter rubbish. No CSI would enter a crime scene without first putting on latex gloves - it is a carved-in-stone rule.

Exactly. Since Mac, Stella and Danny were processing a crime scene, they would need to wear gloves because without them, they would have contaminated a crime scene by not only getting their fingerprints over everything but, if one of them got a cut or scrape, their DNA would also be thrown into the mix and any defense attorney can call them out on their carelessness and have any evidence thrown out.

More CSI: NY mistakes

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.