Continuity mistake: When Ron Moody runs into the sea in pursuit of a suspect trying to escape, he shouts at Jessica to "Get the package!" In the next shot we see Jessica reluctantly follow him in, with a clear waterline from a previous take showing on her dark overcoat/cloak.
Continuity mistake: The pad where the knife is stabbed protrudes under the writer's shirt.
Continuity mistake: When Jessica limps into Milton's car, she holds onto the door. A shot later, her hand is away, and it's Milton's hand instead holding onto the door.
Continuity mistake: When Jessica (a stunt double) is knocked down, her left arm is under her body with her bag in front. An instant cut later (now Angela Lansbury), her arm and bag are behind her back.
Continuity mistake: When Milton picks up Jessica at the airport, her bag is hanging over her right shoulder. A shot later, she is holding it with her left hand.
Funeral at Fifty-Mile - S1-E22
Continuity mistake: When Jessica walks from the house to the barn at the end, she is wearing knee high brown boots. By the time she reaches the barn they have been replaced with court shoes.
Funeral at Fifty-Mile - S1-E22
Continuity mistake: Carl arrives at the funeral in his RV and then heads to the house. When he arrives, it's a noticeably different model. The door's moved, the front right window is now segmented, and rails have appeared on the roof.
Murder in the Afternoon - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: When Jessica is in the Lt.'s car, he scolds her, signalling with his index finger, which swaps to an extended hand an instant cut later, which is suddenly lowered yet an instant cut later. The way he holds the car keys also changes.
Murder in the Afternoon - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: The doctor steps in and calms down the actor while placing his hand on his shoulder. A shot later, his arm is lowered.
Continuity mistake: When Emma was almost hit by a car she jumped up onto the edge of the wall and then back down onto the floor. When she landed she was facing the theatre door, but when Oliver came of the door and the shot changed, she was facing away from the wall. This happened in the transition from stunt person to Angela.
Keep the Home Fries Burning - S2-E14
Continuity mistake: When Andy and Kelso fight, Andy's right hand is either next to Kelso's armpit or his collarbone. (00:20:12)
Keep the Home Fries Burning - S2-E14
Continuity mistake: The sheriff shows the doctor the menu and cries, "His picture is all over the place!" Then he lays the menu down. A shot later, he is holding the menu with both hands.
Keep the Home Fries Burning - S2-E14
Continuity mistake: When the sheriff sits down at the restaurant table, Jessica's hands swap from lying on the table to raised.
One Good Bid Deserves a Murder - S2-E17
Continuity mistake: The first time Jessica is shown asking for her room number, she asks for room 812. Later in the episode she asks for room 810.
Continuity mistake: While Cissy and Jessica discuss inside the tennis club, a man with a blue shirt walks behind Jessica. From the opposite angle, he's metres behind, entering the place again, though he now exits through the left.
Continuity mistake: At Elliot's office, Carol discusses with Cissy, whose arms swap between crossed or not depending on the shot.
Night of the Headless Horseman - S3-E11
Continuity mistake: In the car, when Jessica is told that she has to act like Dorian's mother she covers her face with both hands. A shot later there's just one hand on her face.
Crossed Up - S3-E13
Continuity mistake: When the crime is solved Jessica shows her emergency calling button. The way she holds it changes between shots.
Crossed Up - S3-E13
Continuity mistake: When Grady grabs the diary it swaps between closed or open depending on the angle.
The Bottom Line Is Murder - S3-E15
Continuity mistake: When the cop picks up the dirty ashtray he blows the ash away. In the close-up the ashtray is spotless as if it had been wiped with a cloth or if it were brand-new. First of all, no ash blew away, and second of all, a mere puff couldn't have cleaned it the way it looks.
Answer: The storyline was that Jessica was teaching classes in New York. However, after so many seasons and as ratings declined, it was probably to freshen up the series with a different locale, introduce new characters, and have a greater variety of situations in which Jessica could solve murders. It was already unbelievable that so many people could be murdered in the small town of Cabot Cove. Being in a large city like New York makes it a tiny bit more plausible.
raywest ★