Best crime TV stupidity of all time

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The Twilight Zone picture

Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up - S2-E28

Stupidity: The whole plot is based upon 6 people not being able to spot the seventh (odd man out). We can eliminate the couples, the driver remembers the pretty blond getting on the bus and the crazy old guy would stick in anybodies memory, so it leaves only the sour old guy in the coat and hat as the martian.Also all the troopers has to do was ask for IDs which they do but quit after they ask the crazy old guy for his.

hifijohn

More The Twilight Zone stupidity
The Adventures of Tintin picture

The Secret of the Unicorn: Part 2 - S1-E4

Stupidity: When the Bird brothers are searching the treasure room for Tintin, one of them claims they have found him, and points. The other brother then shoots at him which was turns out to have just been a mirror reflection. The brothers then proceed to find Tintin and start by going straight forward, completely in a different direction than the mirror. If they wanted to find Tintin, wouldn't the more logical thing to do be simply look in the direction the mirror was pointing at? The whole point of a mirror is to reflect what is in front of it, so Tintin would probably have been standing in that direction anyway. (00:37:25)

Casual Person

More The Adventures of Tintin stupidity

FBI (2018)

FBI picture

God Complex - S5-E23

Stupidity: Maggie and OA are searching the building. As they walk up the stairs, Maggie is using the Harries technique, but she has both her handheld flashlight and the gun's flashlight on at the same time. This defeats the purpose of the technique. Additionally, it's daytime, so the building is lit up from natural light sources, but they still have their flashlights on. (00:13:36)

More FBI stupidity
Columbo picture

A Deadly State of Mind - S4-E6

Stupidity: In the final scene: Columbo lays a trap for the murderer (George Hamilton). The 'eyewitness' when Hamilton fled the murder scene was a blind man. Hamilton is aware of this. Columbo's gambit depends on Hamilton's assumption that Columbo has coached the witness to act as though he was sighted so as to convince Hamilton that there is evidence against him. In fact, Columbo has the witness' brother, who is sighted, pretend to be the eyewitness and identify Hamilton as the man he saw driving away. When Hamilton falls for Columbo's trap and, believing he is in the presence of the blind man, tries and fails to 'prove' the man can't see. By doing so he reveals his knowledge that the witness was blind, incriminating himself. The problem is, that only a minute or so previously, Columbo had placed Hamilton under arrest, and failed to read him his Miranda Rights. Considering that Hamilton's slip up is the ONLY evidence Columbo has against Hamilton, this was a spectacularly stupid move on Columbo's part. Regardless of how many officers were present to witness this, the fact is that Hamilton was under arrest and had not been advised of his right against self-incrimination; meaning nothing that he said when under arrest can be used against him.

More Columbo stupidity
Mr. Robot picture

405 Method Not Allowed - S4-E5

Stupidity: Elliot and his crew are trying to take down the Dark Army and Whiterose, they are being monitored by them via surveillance vans which Elliot just burned, etc. However, with Elliot and friends trying to be secretive he somehow manages to text Phillip Price on his cell phone about Tyrell. Phones are the easiest to intercept. Whiterose doesn't trust Phillip and plans on killing Elliot once their projects transferred to Africa. (00:07:20)

More Mr. Robot stupidity

24 (2001)

24 picture

Day 4: 12:00 A.M.-1:00 A.M. - S4-E18

Stupidity: After leaving the power plant to pursue the terrorists and retrieve the nuclear football, Jack orders the helicopter to take out the first Jeep. After he realises parts of the football are missing, why does he not order the helicopter to pursue and take out the other Jeep, preventing any further trouble from Marwan? (End of season 4's story, most likely).

More 24 stupidity
Breaking Bad picture

Show generally

Stupidity: Why do they always have to go through that washing machine setup in the laundromat when they have a great functioning elevator to the lab?

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

Suggested correction: Why would Gus go through the process of hiding the lab entrance stairs behind a washing machine but leave access to a freight elevator wide open? The elevator would be just as hidden and probably locked up. Not to mention it would be slower to take than simply walking downstairs.

Bishop73

More Breaking Bad stupidity
Sons of Anarchy picture

Show generally

Stupidity: Throughout this entire show, there is almost ZERO explanation of how, in such a small town, murder, assault, battery are committed by the club with no mention of HOW they're able to do so. This is with DNA, a barrage of ATF agents (in the beginning), and let's assume a forensics lab in the entire state. Has anyone seen forensic files? I mean come on, in the 80s in cities 100+ larger they were able to solve crimes.

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

Suggested correction: The Sons are in cahoots with the local police force, which also helps them stonewall federal investigations into them, such as when Lincoln Potter tried to bring RICO charges against the club.

Phaneron

More Sons of Anarchy stupidity
Bones picture

Bodies in the Book - S2-E15

Stupidity: Booth shoots the stalker's door lock...and then kicks the door in anyway. Shooting the lock achieves nothing, it wouldn't have made the door any easier to kick in, it's just him generating paperwork and an issue with his shrink.

Jon Sandys

More Bones stupidity
Will Trent picture

Two Hundred Dollars and a Bus Pass - S1-E8

Stupidity: Two police officers and a physician find an injured woman in a lab. The officers attend to the woman while the physician calls for EMTs. Wouldn't it be better if the physician looked after the injured person while the officers called for help?

Leicaman

More Will Trent stupidity
Prisoner: Cell Block H picture

Season 1 generally

Stupidity: Dr. Greg seems to catch some of the more obvious quirks of inmates attempting to take a large vial or bottle from the cabinet. Yet he doesn't seem to notice when Lizzie grabs a bottle of pills and pockets them from the rolling cart in front of him. (00:20:15 - 00:20:45)

eaglegrad16

More Prisoner: Cell Block H stupidity
The Sopranos picture

Mayham - S6-E3

Stupidity: Paulie and an associate just killed 2 drug dealers or stash house guards, and they are rummaging throughout the apartment touching appliances and other surfaces without any gloves. Paulie was previously arrested and did time so his fingerprints are on file. Paulie also used a knife to stab one of the Colombians without any gloves on, and he just left it in his body. The police would have no problem linking him to this crime within a week after forensics did their sweep. (00:03:00 - 00:04:17)

More The Sopranos stupidity
Adam-12 picture

Log 81: The Long Walk - S1-E14

Stupidity: They are looking for a red convertible. No other description of the car. A red convertible pulls up behind them and passes them. The ragtop roof is up but it's still matches the description. Doesn't faze them in the least.

terry s

More Adam-12 stupidity
Lupin the 3rd picture

Is Lupin Burning... ?! - S1-E1

Stupidity: Despite the fact that there are 100 (literally) cameras around the racing circuit and (again literally) everyone from the staff to the fellow racers works for the Scorpion gang, Jigen and Lupin's switch can happen without anyone noticing, even if it involved racing side by side for a lengthy period of time.

Sammo

More Lupin the 3rd stupidity
High Potential picture

Obsessed - S1-E8

Stupidity: S1E8 Obsessed - Morgan and the detectives respond to the beach for a possible homicide. None of the detectives or Morgan are wearing protective gloves. Throughout the series, the detectives remind Morgan to wear gloves before touching evidence. However, she takes the pulse of the victim without gloves. (00:04:02)

Snag.1

More High Potential stupidity
Blue Bloods picture

Cellar Boy - S1-E21

Stupidity: Jamie is driving his Chevelle SS when he realises that he has no brakes. He's driving on a flat road. The car is an automatic transmission, and he doesn't shift the car out of Drive and into Neutral to stop the power and forward movement of the car. Instead, he shifts the car into Low before crashing the car into a Jersey barrier. (00:48:27 - 00:48:57)

Snag.1

More Blue Bloods stupidity
Wu Assassins picture

Paths Pt. 1 - S1-E9

Stupidity: Kai sends with a completely nonchalant attitude, his powerless dad to a very vague "Take your Triad back" mission. It ends the way anyone could expect.

Sammo

More Wu Assassins stupidity
Magnum P.I. picture

Die He Said - S1-E8

Stupidity: With an hour to spare and nothing to do en route to the airport, Magnum asks only once they arrived and had their rendezvous with Rick what the person they are looking for looks like and if Bobby has any picture of him.

Sammo

More Magnum P.I. stupidity
Agatha Christie's Poirot picture

Murder in the Mews - S1-E2

Stupidity: Hard to swallow that a group of vastly experienced policemen smart enough to figure other tricks out (such as the abnormal position of the gun) would be in any doubt about the victim being left or right handed when she is still wearing their watch on the right wrist - and attention is called by Poirot upon that particular detail right from the start.

Sammo

More Agatha Christie's Poirot stupidity
Ray Donovan picture

Tulip - S3-E8

Stupidity: Ray, Avi and Lena covered up a murder. Ray tells Avi that Lena rented a car in The Dead guy's name, and he needs Avi to drive down south, use his passport at the border, and then to fly to Mexico City. The Dead guy's passport has been altered with a picture of Avi, however still in the name of The Dead guy, Varick. All border crossings and airports have security cameras. If they ever want to look into Varick's disappearance they can search his name and see it is not him at the border or airport. (00:42:23 - 00:43:00)

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