Best mystery TV mistakes of all time

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The ABC Murders picture

Episode #1.1 - S1-E1

Factual error: This is set in 1933. When the killer comes back to his lodgings in episode 1, Lily on the stairs is humming "Somewhere over the rainbow", which was written for The Wizard of Oz in 1939. She also happens to wear bright red shoes, which feels like yet another Wizard of Oz reference. Interesting enough, the subtitles say that she is humming a different song, "Night and day" which she openly sings throughout the series and was already a hit in 1932. (00:44:10)

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Matlock picture

The Madam - S5-E3

Factual error: Radio talk show host David Campbell works at "WRQE 480 AM." There is no such frequency. The AM radio dial begins at 530.

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The Dead Zone picture

Here There Be Monsters - S1-E10

Plot hole: The female police officer has a theory that Johnny was the Strangler in the case the papers claimed he helped solve but this hardly makes sense. If she was researching him as was seen in the episode, surely it would have said something about Johnny being in a coma during the bulk of the murders since the story was about Johnny.

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Highlander picture

Eyewitness - S1-E12

Continuity mistake: When the immortal who's trying to kill Tessa snipes at her in Duncan's car, his shot shatters the passenger-side window. When Duncan tails Tessa and her police escort to the safehouse, the passenger-side window is intact. (00:30:05 - 00:35:50)

Captain Defenestrator

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Revelations picture

Hour Six - S1-E6

Factual error: Jonah tells Richard that Saturn has a "rogue moon" in a retrograde orbit that travels "at four times the speed" of Saturn's other moons. The graphic on Jonah's computer shows that the moon in question is Phoebe, which does indeed orbit in the opposite direction from other Saturnian moons. And the graphic correctly shows Phoebe's orbit as being much further from the planet than the other moons. However, as a direct consequence of its greater orbital radius, Phoebe is actually among Saturn's *slowest* moons. It has a longer orbital period (or "month") and a slower orbital velocity than all the Saturnian moons with smaller orbital radii, of which there are twenty.

DavidK93

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The Six Million Dollar Man picture

Show generally

Factual error: There is no physical way that Steve Austin could perform most of his superhuman feats of strength in the ABC television series, due to the fact that they simply replaced his arm and legs, but didn't rebuild or reinforce the rest of his skeleton and muscles to handle the physical loads. Interestingly, author Martin Caidin (creator of Steve Austin in his novel, "Cyborg") actually did describe an incredibly complex whole-body rebuild that included vertebral reinforcement and ribcage and pelvis replacement, which was far more scientifically-accurate than the subsequent ABC television interpretation. ABC only accepted the series on the condition that it was less technical for their audience.

Charles Miller

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Millennium picture

Kingdom Come - S1-E6

Other mistake: At the start of chapter 12 in the episode "Kingdom Come," Frank returns home via taxi. In front of his house in Seattle, WA, there is a blonde woman walking a Rottweiler dog. This same blonde and Rottweiler can be seen walking by the crime scene in San Francisco in the "Gehenna" episode.

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The New Avengers picture The New Avengers mistake picture

K is for Kill: The Tiger Awakes (1) - S2-E8

Visible crew/equipment: Steed is seen driving along with Purdey and Gambit in rural France. The camera was probably mounted on the front passenger side door, pointing in. As they near their destination, the camera pans to reveal a farm house, and as it pans, a professional-looking microphone can be seen sitting on the dashboard.

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October Road picture

Tomorrow's So Far Away - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: At the end when Hannah is sitting talking to Caroline's headstone, when the shots change from filming her from the right to the left, the wind is different blowing her hair in one and not the other.

Boobra

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Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo picture

The Scarab Lives! - S1-E1

Plot hole: There is a "scarab alarm" when the blue scarab arrives, Shaggy even comments on hearing this. The problem is, The Blue Scarab is a comic book, so the villain and Shaggy wouldn't know what the Scarab alarm sounded like.

Dan Moat

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Tales from the Crypt picture

Show generally

Continuity mistake: When Red Buckley is about to enter Emil Duval's house at night before discovering the black pearl, the lights inside the house are on, but when he finally enters the house they are off. Later when he goes out, they are on again.

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Alfred Hitchcock Hour picture

Water's Edge - S3-E3

Factual error: Pete Taylor's corpse is a bare skeleton after just two years in the sea-shack's attic, though it shouldn't be. There should at least be traces of hair and clothing surrounding the bones. (00:40:00)

Jean G

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The Event picture

Face Off - S1-E15

Revealing mistake: Episode 15, "Faceoff": When the agent fires the hook to get to the roof of the church, it does not reach the balcony. However in a following shot you can see the agent climbing there. (00:10:05)

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Scream Queens picture

Blood Drive - S2-E6

Character mistake: Zayday makes incorrect statements about blood types. She mentions that, since Chanel #5 is type O-, her parents must also be O-; in actuality, they could each be type A or B (genotypes AO or BO, respectively) and could also have Rh+ blood as long as they also carry the recessive Rh- allele. Zayday also says that the child of two O+ parents must be O+, but actually the child could also be O- (again, if the parents carry the Rh- allele).

DavidK93

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