Best action TV factual errors of all time

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

Tru Calling picture

Haunted - S1-E5

Factual error: Tru arrives "more than three hours late" for the MCAT and then begins the test. Firstly, it would be pointless for her to even bother going at that time, since she'd have already missed the entire Verbal Reasoning section and possibly the Physical Sciences as well (depending on how much more than three hours she was late). Secondly, that's really a moot point since late arrivals to MCAT testing centers are not permitted to take the test.

DavidK93

More Tru Calling factual errors
Over There picture

Show generally

Factual error: In episode 7, we see a toilet in the improvised jail. In fact, most "toilets" in Iraq are specially built holes in the floor.

More Over There factual errors
MacGyver picture

Pirates - S2-E15

Factual error: A 250-year-old sea chest recovered from the ocean floor is opened, and all its paper items are perfectly dry: the log book can be opened and read, and the letters can easily be unrolled. Highly unlikely. The chest's wood and pitch would deteriorate (salt water is extremely corrosive), and the paper should be damp and crumbly, at the very least. Even more likely, it would have become a lump of unreadable sludge.

Jean G

More MacGyver factual errors
Battlestar Galactica picture

Epiphanies - S2-E13

Factual error: Early in the episode a damaged Viper makes its way back to Galactica with its port-side gun trailing smoke as if in an atmosphere. But in a vacuum, the smoke wouldn't trail. It would build upon itself much the way shaving foam does when slowly leaking from a damaged can, unless the ship changed course and/or speed and then the smoke would appear to do the opposite - ship turns right, smoke moves off to the left because it remains on its original course regardless of what the ship does. The gun is not propelling the smoke rearward. The ammo inside is simply burning. (00:05:15)

johnrosa

More Battlestar Galactica factual errors
The Dresden Files picture

Birds of a Feather - S1-E1

Factual error: Talking to Dresden, Bob refers to his first grimoire (a book of spells & magic). But the closed captioner, apparently unfamiliar with the term, has rendered the line, "My first Renoir," which, though amusing, makes no sense at all in the context of the conversation. (Refers to the aired version: the error was corrected on the DVD release.) (00:24:00)

Jean G

More The Dresden Files factual errors
Stargate SG-1 picture

Children of the Gods (1) - S1-E1

Factual error: The escort for Colonel O'Neill is wearing both Major and Staff Sergeant rank insignia. Probably what the writers thought was a "Sergeant Major", which does not exist in the Air Force. Major is a commissioned officer, sergeants are non-commissioned officers.

wickeddoll

More Stargate SG-1 factual errors
Knight Rider picture

The Topaz Connection - S1-E16

Factual error: A secret file is password-protected on a computer, requiring a six-digit numerical access code. KITT states that the possibilities "are virtually unlimited." In truth, if each digit can be 0 through 9 (numerical meaning no letters or symbols), the possibility is 1 in 10^6, or 1 in a million. A supercomputer like KITT should have no problem running each number systematically until a correct code is found.

More Knight Rider factual errors
More The Umbrella Academy factual errors
Agents of SHIELD picture

Purpose in the Machine - S3-E2

Factual error: When examining the sand, Bobbi states "According to carbon dating..." Fitz finishes by saying "It's a billion years older than the earth." However, carbon dating is only good at determining the age of something to about 60,000 years old. The only thing carbon dating could tell about the sand is that it is 60,000 years old or older. It certainly couldn't determine that the sand was 5 billion years old.

Guy

More Agents of SHIELD factual errors
The A-Team picture

A Nice Place to Visit - S1-E14

Factual error: When the team is in uniform for their friend's funeral, Smith and Peck (both commissioned officers) have their Special Forces insignias on their berets when they should have their rank insignia.

Mister Ed

More The A-Team factual errors
More Star Trek: Deep Space Nine factual errors
Ben 10 picture

The Big Tick - S2-E2

Factual error: When Gwen and Grandpa Max use the shell plates from the tick to ward off it's corrosive secretions, their fingers should have been eaten away since they were grabbing the rims of the plates when the acid came raining down.

More Ben 10 factual errors
Thunderbirds picture

The Mighty Atom - S1-E14

Factual error: An edition of the 'Melbourne Herald' newspaper can be seen in this episode, and appears to be dated Friday, December 24, 1964. Yet 'Thunderbirds' is supposed to be set in the 21st Century (2026 or 2065, depending on who you believe). This date is also seen on newspapers which appear in the episodes 'Edge of Impact', 'The Impostors' and 'Cry Wolf'. Also, to compound the error, December 24th, 1964 was actually a Thursday, not a Friday.

More Thunderbirds factual errors
Battletech picture

Trade Secrets - S1-E5

Factual error: The Strikers steal several suits of Elemental armor in a few minutes and use it to escape after they are discovered. It takes 15 minutes to put on battle armor unaided and that's for an Elemental trained in its use. The armor is custom fit for a 6 and a half to 7 foot Elemental but 5 foot Val wears one. Elemental armor is also protected by voice recognition and code phrase software. Needless to say there's no way they could just walk out with 3 suits.

Grumpy Scot

More Battletech factual errors
The Avengers picture

The Girl From Auntie - S4-E17

Factual error: The bad guys are supposedly auctioning off the stolen Mona Lisa. But they and their prospective buyers aren't very art savvy. The painting is more than twice the size of Da Vinci's actual masterpiece. (00:44:50)

Jean G

More The Avengers factual errors
Star Trek: Enterprise picture

Carbon Creek - S2-E2

Factual error: Part of this episode takes place in the 50s, during a previously-unknown incident of Vulcans crash landing on earth. Modern twenty and fifty dollar bills are visible in the tip jar.

More Star Trek: Enterprise factual errors
Wonder Woman picture

The Return of Wonder Woman - S2-E1

Factual error: When Steve gets attacked by the bad guys and Wonder Woman shows up, the lady in the car pulls out a camera and films the event. She sits still, the car isn't moving, and she does all the filming from the same position. However when she watches the playback, the film shows footage from multiple angles and varying distances, which is impossible because she and the camera were in the same spot the whole time.

More Wonder Woman factual errors
Helen of Troy picture

Show generally

Factual error: When they first assault the city, the Greeks construct catapults. Only problem: catapults were invented at 400 - 300 BC, i.e. about 800 years later; and the first models looked similar to giant crossbows. The one-armed onager and similar types (as seen here) were a later Roman invention.

More Helen of Troy factual errors
Mr. Sunshine picture

Episode #1.1 - S1-E1

Factual error: The American flag shown waving outside the White House is the current present-day flag with 50 stars. From 1896 to 1908, (the time period that this show is set in) the US flag only had 45 stars as Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nebraska, Alaska and Hawaii were not recognised as states in that time period. The flag did not have 50 stars until 1960. (00:04:30)

Casual Person

More Mr. Sunshine factual errors
Agent Carter picture

Now Is Not the End - S1-E1

Factual error: There is a periodic table shown in the background of the lab, showing an accurate periodic table as of now. During 1945, at least 21 elements had not been discovered. (00:17:40)

More Agent Carter factual errors

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.