Best comedy TV factual errors of all time

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Red Dwarf picture

Back To Reality - S5-E6

Factual error: While it is true that lithium carbonate can be used to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders, it cannot be administered in gaseous form. It is a very stable salt and only starts to form vapour at 1,310 degress Celcius. Spraying it about as a 'mood stabliser' at that temperature, as Kryten does, is going to kill everyone on the spot.

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Monk picture

Mr. Monk Goes to Jail - S2-E16

Factual error: When Monk visits the prison for the first time, he is searched, passed, and has a mini-panic attack because people have touched him. Sharona steps forward to comfort him, and she puts her arms around him. This is a very serious breach of procedure and it is not possible for the guards to miss it, because Sharona has not been searched. It's a common technique for trying to pass contraband called 'a touch through' - a person with an item to be smuggled into the prison (drugs, usually), passes them on to a person who has been searched and is therefore 'clean'. Monk would be taken back to the guard's station to be searched again. He would not be allowed leniency because the guards happen to know or to like him - visitor ingress and egress is always done under CCTV and the guard would know he was being watched - quite possibly by someone who doesn't know who Monk and Sharona are.

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

Suggested correction: Sharona was searched first by the female guard.

In fact Sharona breaks away from the female guard to go to Monk. She has NOT been searched.

The correction is correct. The female guard already finished patting Sharona down before the male guard even had a chance to start his pat down of Monk.

Bishop73

Yeah, the correction is correct. I went back six times through that clip: Sharona and Monk both get searched, and then Sharona touches Monk.

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The Big Bang Theory picture

The Countdown Reflection - S5-E24

Factual error: There is not a snowball's chance of Howard becoming an astronaut. He suffers from cardiac arrhythmia, something about which he is completely open. "Transient" or not this is easily detectable by a simple electrocardiogram, which is a fundamental part of the many medical examinations a potential astronaut will have to pass. He wouldn't even be allowed to start basic training. Note also that during his basic training he shows signs of severe stress and trauma which would inevitably trigger a cardiac episode. Even if it didn't the fact that he was falling apart at the seams would have him removed from the programme for his own good.

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Porridge picture

Men Without Women - S1-E6

Factual error: Throughout the whole show Godber, 'Bunny' Warren, McLaren, the Prison Governor and many of the guards refer to Fletcher as a Cockney. He even identifies himself as a Cockney on a number of occasions. However, in several episodes he refers to his upbringing in Muswell Hill and in this episode he refers to his having been born there - and we see his old stamping ground in that episode when he gets a weekend's compassionate leave. Nobody from Muswell Hill would ever refer to himself as a Cockney - Muswell Hill isn't even in East London!

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Grey's Anatomy picture

Throwing It All Away - S10-E15

Factual error: In the opening scenes, Arizona mistakenly says a child suffering from imminent liver failure is at risk for psoriasis, when the script called for the word cirrhosis. Psoriasis is a skin disease. Cirrhosis is the medical term for end stage liver disease.

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Parks and Recreation picture

The Treaty - S4-E7

Factual error: At the UN conference, 'England' is shown as a member of the Security Council. England sits on both the UN and the Security Council as part of the 'United Kingdom' - not as a stand-alone country. UN nerds Leslie and Ben would have known this.

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Good Omens picture

In The Beginning - S1-E1

Factual error: In order to take delivery of the demon baby, Crowley meets Hastur and Ligur - two fellow demons - in a church graveyard, but later we find that demons cannot step on to consecrated ground without suffering extreme discomfort. Church graveyards are always on consecrated ground.

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

Suggested correction: But it is a satanic church so Crowley can step in it.

There is nothing in The Book or the film to suggest that the graveyard is part of a "satanic church."

The church is run by Satanic nuns who are orchestrating the entire plan to switch babies.

No, it is not. Crowley has to drive for a considerable distance from the church to the convent in order to deliver baby Adam to the satanic nuns. They have nothing to do with it.

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Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. picture

PFC Gomer Pyle - S2-E1

Factual error: Sgt. Carter is wearing a plain belt buckle with his dress blues uniform. Since Sgt. Carter is Gunnery Sgt, he is a staff NCO so his buckle should have the USMC emblem on the buckle. (00:24:00)

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Friends picture

The One With The Hypnosis Tape - S3-E18

Factual error: When Pete takes Monica to Rome for the date this would have been impossible as Rome is 6 hours ahead of New York and at least 4/5 hours travel time, assuming they went by Concorde (double that otherwise). They would have had to have left New York early in the morning to make dinner for 8/9 pm in Rome.

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That '70s Show picture

Thanksgiving - S1-E9

Factual error: The scene where Kitty is making peanut butter celery for Thanksgiving appetizers; she is using Skippy brand peanut butter and the packaging is not from the 70's, it's the current packaging. (00:05:10 - 00:06:05)

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The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. picture

Riverboat - S1-E6

Factual error: A character in the episode has invented denim, but denim was invented in 1873 and was being used widely up to the time period of the series, which is set in 1893.

Scott215

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

Suggested correction: The entire series was set in an alternate history of sorts, so most, if not all, historical "inaccuracies" cannot be regarded as mistakes.

zendaddy621

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Better Call Saul picture

Fall - S3-E9

Factual error: In the mall where Jimmy meets Irene there is the Pandora logo in the background when Jimmy is going up the escalator. Pandora didn't open its first store in New Mexico until 2013. (00:27:00 - 00:28:00)

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The Inbetweeners picture The Inbetweeners mistake picture

Thorpe Park - S1-E3

Factual error: The same number plate can be seen on two different vehicles in this episode. The registration M483LTH can be seen on the hearse and then on Simon's car when parking. No two vehicles in the UK will ever share a number plate. (00:11:10 - 00:12:30)

Ssiscool

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