Best crime TV mistakes of all time

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NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service picture NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service mistake picture

Shalom - S4-E1

Visible crew/equipment: When Gibbs and Ziva are in the "safehouse" Ziva set up for Ari, a crew member and his boom microphone are seen on the left of the screen, right before Gibbs climbs the ladder to remove the hidden camera spying on them. (00:30:10)

JackAndtheBox

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Blue Bloods picture Blue Bloods mistake picture

The Uniform - S2-E11

Character mistake: While handcuffing an auxiliary officer in his apartment, there is a poster on the wall reading, "attention military personal..." Personal is misused. It should read "attention military personnel." (00:16:02)

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The Blind Banker - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: When Sherlock is backstage at the circus and finds the yellow spray paint, he draws a line on the mirror. In the next shot, the line he drew is completely different (and in fact is more of a squiggle). (01:07:40)

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Foyle's War picture

Enemy Fire - S3-E2

Continuity mistake: In episode 2-4 "The Funk Hole " which takes place in the fall of 1940, Andrew states to Sam that his mother died when he was eight years old. In this episode (Feb to June 1941), Foyle is looking at his wife's grave; it shows his mother died in 1932, which would have meant Andrew was born in 1924, and only 16 in 1940, far too young to be a Spitfire pilot. Also, his commanding officer states "the younger pilots look up to you, Andrew", before one of the "younger" pilots (age 19) is badly burned in a crash in Andrew's plane.

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While You Were Sleeping - S1-E2

Other mistake: When Sherlock was slapped, he later says he was surprised because the girl who slapped him was a "lefty." Then he rubs his right cheek and says it's leathery from all the slaps he's gotten, while the left is soft. This is backwards - anyone hitting him with their right hand would hit his left cheek.

Cathrine R

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Agatha Christie's Poirot picture

The Mysterious Affair at Styles - S3-E1

Plot hole: Can't fault this massive plot hole to the adaptation, but to the source material; the culprit (forgetting the stupidity of writing an incriminating letter detailing the plan to murder someone, and put it in a desk he shares with her) since there are people outside the room that are about to enter, tears the letter in 3 neat vertical strips, rolls them, puts them in the vase on the mantlepiece, and then opens the side door to slip away...instead of simply pocketing the letter and going through that same door. Nobody was going to search him or anything and could have burned it, torn it into confetti, anything, later. It takes way way longer to do what he did, which needed him to stay there in the room increasing the chances of being found out. And of course he and his accomplice do not retrieve the letter after.

Sammo

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And Then There Were None picture

Episode #1.3 - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: Vera fires the gun several times, and later tells Justice Wargrave that the gun is empty, meaning that all the cartridges in it would be spent. When the judge loads his one bullet into the chamber, he does so in a gun where all five cartridge svisible are unspent.

Twotall

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24 (2001)

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7:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M. - S1-E8

Visible crew/equipment: When Nina's just been shot, and makes it to the barn to call CTU (around 7.10am), while she's speaking on the phone there's a cameraman visible on the right hand side (DVD). (00:12:40)

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The Mentalist picture

Show generally

Revealing mistake: Any time any character is driving a Suburban, or any other vehicle with a column mounted shift lever, the shifter is in park while they appear to be driving.

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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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CSI: NY picture CSI: NY mistake picture

Communication Breakdown - S5-E19

Character mistake: When Mac, Stella, and Danny are trying to determine where the fired bullet entered the train car, none of them are wearing rubber gloves. But even though they're not handling any evidence, they're still processing a crime scene. (00:05:00)

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

Suggested correction: Theoretically correct, but it can be argued that the only evidence present is the bullet (which has DNA and prints burnt off when fired) and the body (which can only be handled by the MEs) gloves are not required.

Andy Benham

What utter rubbish. No CSI would enter a crime scene without first putting on latex gloves - it is a carved-in-stone rule.

Exactly. Since Mac, Stella and Danny were processing a crime scene, they would need to wear gloves because without them, they would have contaminated a crime scene by not only getting their fingerprints over everything but, if one of them got a cut or scrape, their DNA would also be thrown into the mix and any defense attorney can call them out on their carelessness and have any evidence thrown out.

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Haven picture

301 - S3-E1

Continuity mistake: Duke is wearing an extra shirt, and his hair is longer then it was, despite continuing the scene from the end of season 2.

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Ghosts - S3-E1

Character mistake: When Gus goes to check the source of the creepy phone call, he finds Shawn who immediately ends the call before saying anything. Later in the episode, Haversham says he heard Shawn say "Gus?" before ending the call.

Bhelkweit

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CSI: Miami picture

Show generally

Factual error: Calleigh Duquesne frequently wears completely inappropriate clothing throughout the whole series. She often wears blouses that are so low cut that the neckline is below the lower curve of her breasts. No officer of the court in the US would be allowed to dress this way. There is no grey area here, and this is not a character mistake - first time a CSI turned up at work dressed like that, she'd be sent home to change. Second time, she'd be on suspension until she agreed to change her dress standards. Also (and this regularly happens in CSI: NY as well) she is regularly wearing high heels - also a certain no-no for as CSI. Incidentally, male CSIs have equally strict dress standards.

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The Sopranos picture

Proshai, Livushka - S3-E2

Continuity mistake: Tony's hair length alternates between a short buzz cut and longer in different shots in the scene where Sil, Paulie and Chris visit him after his mother dies.

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Ashes to Ashes picture

Episode #1.8 - S1-E8

Factual error: When the bullion van leaves the yard a 1995 N reg Rover 600 is parked on the left hand side of the road, before Ray drives off in his Granada. In 1982 the Rover 600 was not even on the drawing board.

paulnjsmith

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To Thine Own Self - S5-E11

Continuity mistake: When Jax and his crew meet up with a Hispanic gang to sell them guns and are outnumbered, they run in the station wagon. The run the station wagon through a gate and roll it, destroying the front end, but magically the station wagon's front end appears with little damage afterwards. (00:27:15)

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