Best comedy TV factual errors of all time

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Chelmsford 123 picture

Peeled Grapes and Pedicures - S1-E6

Factual error: Gracientus threatens to assault Aulus Paulinus by shoving a porcupine up his toga. A Roman in AD 123 (or any European, including the Britons for that matter), would not have had the slightest idea of what a porcupine was. He might threaten him with a hedgehog, but a porcupine? Never.

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Haunted Hathaways picture

Haunted Babysitter - S1-E6

Factual error: The conversation between Taylor and Michelle tells us that school is over for the day and that Taylor talked to her crush at lunch. When the boy shows up at the bakery later, he and Taylor plan to meet at 3 that afternoon; if its before 3, they should still be in school.

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The Honeymooners picture

The Sleepwalker - S1-E6

Factual error: When Ralph goes out the window onto the fire escape to save Ed the first time in the episode, Alice is looking out the window (to her right) telling Trixie all the step by step movements of both men, ending with, "and he's taking him right into your window." The Norton's live directly upstairs from the Kramdens, but Alice never changes the direction she's looking at the whole time. She should be looking straight up as Ralph leads Ed into their window. There is no other window to the right. (00:02:30 - 00:03:04)

DrLoomis1978

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The Invisible Man picture

Bad Chi - S2-E9

Factual error: Darien sets up a tripod and videotapes himself leaving a message for the Agency. When the tape is played back later, the camera can be seen to have both zoomed in and panned to follow his movements, even though no one was there to make those adjustments. (00:30:30)

Jean G

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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia picture

Bums: Making a Mess All Over the City - S3-E14

Factual error: Charlie drops the moltov cocktail into the police car in the end, light enough so that it doesn't break, but the car explodes about ten seconds later, as Charlie explains he had soaked the entire inside with gasoline. However, there realistically wouldn't be such a long pause as shown in the show for the gasoline fumes to ignite. Also, the explosion is much more powerful than it realistically would have been, revealing pyrotechnics were used. Obviously done for comedic value, but still a mistake.

TedStixon

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Father Ted picture

Flight into Terror - S2-E10

Factual error: When Dougal and Ted enter the cockpit, the pilot points out the gauges for 'engines 1, 2 and 3'. They are in a Boeing 737 (the internal layout is that of a 737, not a BAE 146), which only has two engines.

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Full House picture

Just One of the Guys - S1-E18

Factual error: After Steve practised changing a baby on the stuffed toy monkey he and Danny leave Michelle's bedroom and walk into the hallway. But the bedroom you see them leaving from when in the hallway would historically be Jesse's bedroom at the time. When they are in Michelle's bedroom in the shot previous to the hallway, the hallway from the bedroom also looks as if they are in Jesse's room based on the view.

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Silver Spoons picture

Driver Ed - S2-E6

Factual error: There is an intercom system in the library that is used by Derek (and at the end, Edward). They try pushing down the buttons to talk (which is normal for intercoms), but then each time, we are hearing Ricky and his grandfather's conversation from inside the car that's outside without using the intercom connected to the house. In the 80s, a house intercom system would not pick up a conversation in a parked car outside.

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White Gold picture

Season 2 generally

Factual error: In the last 2 episodes of series 2, when anyone uses a phone box it has the the BT Piper logo on the outside, which wasn't introduced until 1991 - six years after the series is set.

Andy Benham

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Emily in Paris picture

Masculin FĂ©minin - S1-E2

Factual error: Emily is in Paris when her boyfriend calls from Chicago and wakes her. She asks the time which he says is 7pm, and she says 3am in Paris, which cannot be. Central European Time is 6 hours ahead of NY and 7 from Chicago. 7 pm in Chicago would be 2 AM in Paris.

bnemirow

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Goodbye Again picture

Episode #1.3 - S1-E3

Factual error: In the Scarlet Pimpernel sketch, the opening caption reads "France, 1778." This is the Scarlet Pimpernel who rescues people during the "Reign of Terror", as is confirmed several times during the sketch. But the French Revolution was still eleven years away and its Reign of Terror wouldn't start until 1793.

Spiny Norman

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8 Simple Rules... For Dating My Teenage Daughter picture

No Right Way - S2-E6

Factual error: When Kyle and Kerry go to the arcade, they look around to see which game they want to play. Kyle suggests the dancing game, which, although the name is not displayed, is Dance Dance Revolution. The current screen is the song select, which only appears after a token has been inserted and the game has started. It takes at least two presses of the start button to get to that screen, yet Kyle still feels the need to insert a token for some reason. Also, although this is trivial, the difficult setting on which they play is Beginner, which is laughably easy and doesn't require any of the theatrical dance moves that Kyle and Kerry perform.

Knever

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The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 picture The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 mistake picture

Dadzilla - S1-E9

Factual error: When Kootie Pie is putting lipstick on at the beginning of the episode, her mole is on the right side of her face, but her reflection shows it to be her left. In the same shot, she speaks without moving her mouth. (00:00:43)

apikachu68

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Are You Being Served? picture

Show generally

Factual error: 2016 special - You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks: Mr Harmon comments on a perfume called Belle, which he thinks is called "Belly", "I wonder what the next one will be called. Bingo Wings?" The episode is set in 1988 and the term "bingo wings" didn't exist before the 1990s. (00:10:40)

Paul Giaccone

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Jeeves & Wooster picture

Honoria Glossop Turns Up (or, Bridegroom Wanted!) - S4-E3

Factual error: Sir Roderick has moved his psychiatric clinic to New York because the BMA wouldn't approve of his methods. Although we don't get exact dates for the episodes, since prohibition was in effect in the last episode and Puttin' On The Ritz came out in 1929, we can presume it's the late 20s/early 30s. The AMA wouldn't recognize psychiatry as legitimate medicine until the 1940s. Sir Roderick wouldn't have had any better luck in America.

Captain Defenestrator

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Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later picture

Reunion - S1-E1

Factual error: The show is set in 1991 yet the Lincoln town car being driven near the start is from 2003 or later.

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