Best crime TV mistakes of all time

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Walker, Texas Ranger picture

In Harm's Way: Part 2 - S8-E1

Character mistake: Trivette hands the man in yellow a bullet recovered from the plane Walker and Alex were traveling on, which was shot down by an assassin flying a P-51 Mustang. This man, and later Trivette, mistakenly refer to the round as a "50mm," when in reality, Mustangs were equipped with M2 Browning .50 Caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns. (00:30:25)

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Adventures of Superman picture

The Dog Who Knew Superman - S2-E9

Other mistake: A gangster pushes a dog into a well and the dog can be heard splashing around. The man's wife is furious and several people are unable to retrieve the dog. Superman tunnels into the ground and into the bottom of the well and emerges holding the dog. Both he and the dog are completely dry.

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Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) picture

A Sentimental Journey - S1-E19

Revealing mistake: Dialogue in the episode specifically mentions the A2 and A282 roads near Dartford, Kent - the actual roads used were the A1 Barnet by-pass, Galley Lane and Well End Road. The error is revealed by the sight of a road sign that appears just as the Austin Princess Limousine turns on the the main road - the sign shows that the car is not turning on the the A2/A282 near Dartford, but the A1 at Barnet some 40 miles away.

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iZombie picture

Dead Beat - S2-E18

Factual error: They used an EpiPen to bring Liv back but they're holding it backwards. The way it's being held, Ravi would have injected himself instead of Liv and she wouldn't be revived.

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The Fugitive picture

The Judgment (2) - S4-E29

Continuity mistake: In flashback, we see the one-armed man kill Helen Kimble by striking her with a heavy lamp. All through the earlier seasons, though, we were repeatedly told that Helen had been strangled. (00:28:50)

Jean G

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Leverage picture

The Hot Potato Job - S4-E5

Plot hole: Parker gains access to the external room using a valid security card, they figure out the CEO's passcode which opens the burn room door...and yet the room inside is still protected by a swarm of lasers. Was the CEO supposed to dance through the laser sensors like Parker does every time he goes in?

Jon Sandys

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Lethal Weapon picture

Diggin' Up Dirt - S2-E12

Continuity mistake: When Riggs is hanging from the tree, his hands are tied behind his back. When he falls and lands on his back, his hands are still behind his back. In the next shot of him, his hands are now tied in front of his body, even though he didn't have time to do anything to get his hands there.

Bishop73

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Houdini and Doyle picture

Show generally

Factual error: The show starts in 1901 with a woman constable working for the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotland Yard). However women didn't join the Metropolitan Police until 1919 (which is also when the first woman's police uniform was created). Prior to that, women volunteered in the Women's Police Service, but that wasn't formed until 1914.

Bishop73

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FBI (2018)

FBI picture

Outsider - S2-E6

Plot hole: The FBI is looking for a "very tall" guy who has been identified as such by various witnesses and by their own expert due to the entry angle of a fatal bullet wound - 6'5" at least. They send Elena into a bar near the end of the show to meet the Albanian perp who when he arrives is barely average height.

bnemirow

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The Punisher picture

The Whirlwind - S2-E13

Other mistake: In the hotel room shootout, bullets are being fired through the wall easily and tearing up the place as you'd expect. Frank then dives through the damaged wall and they shoot at each other with Frank behind a cupboard and Pilgrim behind an internal wall. But bullets empties into both of these bits of flimsy cover leave the men behind them miraculously unscathed.

Jon Sandys

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Las Vegas picture

Year of the Tiger - S1-E9

Revealing mistake: When Danny is driving Mr. Zhao in his convertible at night, you can really see that the background is a bad fake and since even though Danny is driving with the top down, his hair and clothing does not get ruffled at all by the wind.

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NYPD Blue picture

Show & Tell - S6-E10

Continuity mistake: During a conversation with Diane, Jill says that her son is with his dad. In the conversation she calls the dad "Ken." In future episodes Jill's husband is called "Don." (00:03:55)

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The Rookie picture

Revelations - S3-E6

Continuity mistake: When Tim puts Lucy in the squad car after "arresting" her, the rear door on the driver side is open, but when the camera pans back to her it's suddenly closed without making a sound.

Tanngrisnir

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Cold Case picture Cold Case mistake picture Video

Thrill Kill - S5-E1

Factual error: When Dylan gets out of jail, a palm tree can be seen in the background behind him. This reveals that the scene was filmed in Los Angeles, not Philadelphia.

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Blind Justice picture

Rub a Tub Tub - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Karen is about to process the sample from the bathroom the vial is in her right hand and the swab in her left. In the next shot the vial is in her left hand and the swab in her right.

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Veronica Mars picture

Like a Virgin - S1-E8

Continuity mistake: When the video of Kimmy plays on the school announcements, and she talks about Duncan being hung up on Veronica, there is a cut to Duncan reacting with raised eyebrows in the foreground, while Veronica can be seen in the background with a passive expression. Then it cuts to a close-up of Veronica having a visible reaction with her whole face falling. But since Veronica and Duncan were reacting to the same thing, Veronica's reaction should have been visible in the first shot as well.

DavidK93

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Beauty & the Beast picture

An Impossible Silence - S1-E11

Continuity mistake: When Catherine enters the precinct station, the desk sergeant places a small white file box on the counter. There's nothing else sitting next to this, but when the shot reverses, a tall black police radio with an antenna sticking up has appeared there. (00:16:10)

Jean G

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The Bill picture

Show generally

Continuity mistake: Season 19, Episode 159. When Des Taviner flips and drives the area car wildly around an industrial estate and into a gas storage facility, you can see that during the sequence the Vauxhall Vectra he is driving starts off as a Y registration, then changes for several shots to a P registration, and then finally back to a Y registration when it blows up inside the building.

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