Best mystery TV continuity mistakes of all time

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Veronica Mars picture

Like a Virgin - S1-E8

Continuity mistake: When the video of Kimmy plays on the school announcements, and she talks about Duncan being hung up on Veronica, there is a cut to Duncan reacting with raised eyebrows in the foreground, while Veronica can be seen in the background with a passive expression. Then it cuts to a close-up of Veronica having a visible reaction with her whole face falling. But since Veronica and Duncan were reacting to the same thing, Veronica's reaction should have been visible in the first shot as well.

DavidK93

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Law & Order picture

Acid - S16-E10

Continuity mistake: When Lt. Van Buren and the victims mother are talking in the kitchen, the cabinet behind Van Buren changes from opened to closed several times.

pross79

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Without A Trace picture

Lost Time - S4-E4

Continuity mistake: When the professor stands up in the holding cell after Jack tells him that someone saw Skye at 10:30, he slams his chair back causing it to tip over. In the next shot the chair is upright, then when he goes to sit back down, it is again on its side.

Boobra

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The Dresden Files picture

Soul Beneficiary - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: Dresden is missing, and Murphy comes to his office for clues. The right side window shade on the front door is pulled all the way down, and still is when Murphy leaves. But when she returns with a rescued Dresden at the end, the right door shade is halfway up, even though no one has been there to raise it. (00:40:30)

Jean G

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Point Pleasant picture

Pilot - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: When they first bring the girl to the house with the storm and lay her on the bead the there candles next to her. First the tallest one blows out then the middle one blow out then the shot changes and the middle candle blows out again.

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Relic Hunter picture

The Book of Love - S1-E9

Continuity mistake: Just after Sydney gets the book snatched from her by the guy in car, her hands stay near her body and don't move, but in the next shot her hands are thrown out to the side to add a surprised effect.

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CSI: NY picture

Happily Never After - S4-E12

Continuity mistake: In Episode "Happily Never After": In the opening when the CSI team is looking at the puncture wound of Fiona Chisolm, there is no blood coming from the wound. It is actually mentioned that there is no blood. Then it is determined that she was dead for about 6 hours, but now there is an L-shaped blood drip pattern to the chest wound.

Boobra

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Law & Order: Criminal Intent picture

Self-made - S7-E7

Continuity mistake: Near the end, the detectives give Hawkins the murdered woman's manuscript to read and compare. The stack of papers they give him is easily 300-400 pages thick and held together with a large binder clip. Moments later, in a fit of anger, Hawkins throws the manuscript in the air and papers fly everywhere. The problem is that he throws no more than 50 pages in the air.

Guy

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Jericho picture

Heart of Winter - S1-E14

Continuity mistake: Just before the robbery, Jake throws some water bottles and a flashlight over a small mound into the bushes, to hide them from the thieves. But when Mimi later picks them up, they are much closer to the truck, and on the other side of the mound. In fact, the bottles and flashlight would have been in plain sight for the robbers where she picks them up.

Twotall

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Röd Snö picture

Show generally

Continuity mistake: When Anne and Evert are driving toward the Norwegian/Swedish border, Anne pulls back the rug in the back of the sled, and discovers the dead Bjørn. He is then flat on his back, staring upwards. Moments later, when the Swedish border guards pull back the rug to look at the corpse, he is face down. No one touched him, and the sled did not bump enough to roll the body completely over.

Twotall

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The Outer Limits picture

The Human Factor - S1-E8

Continuity mistake: When the lab equipment shorts out after the earthquake, the unconscious Major Brothers is lying with his head propped up against the wall. But when Hamilton reaches him in the next shot, he's suddenly lying flat and is nowhere near the wall. (00:21:45)

Jean G

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Get Smart picture

Mr. Big - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: When Max is phoning the Chief to let him know the mission's been accomplished, he takes the oars out of the oarlocks before opening his shoephone. The oars change from being out of the oarlocks in the closeups to still being in the water in the long shots for the rest of the episode. (00:23:50 - 00:24:30)

Captain Defenestrator

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Cold Case picture

Honor - S3-E8

Continuity mistake: At the end of the episode when showing the flashback of Carl's death, when he is laying on the ground already dead his arm changes position from being bent with his hand at his shoulder, to being straight by his side.

Boobra

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Remington Steele picture

Thou Shalt Not Steele - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: Steele props up the deceased Kalil and puts a cigarette in the dead man's hand. When the camera angle reverses, the cigarette moves to a different position: first it's between fingers two and three, then it's between three and four. (00:25:45)

Jean G

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New Tricks picture

God's Waiting Room - S4-E2

Continuity mistake: When Brian and Gerry are chasing Kelly, Kelly's jacket is only zipped up at the bottom at the start of the chase, but when the camera angle changes it is zipped all the way up for the rest of the chase.

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