Best crime TV stupidity of all time

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Magnum P.I. picture

The Woman Who Never Died - S1-E3

Stupidity: The detective Magnum is with does not call reinforcements because they "might spook" the criminal, but he arrives on the scene making a lot of noise and with the emergency lights on. Even if the reinforcements arrived in police cars, they could have easily kept out of sight of the house and lurk around the block.

Sammo

More Magnum P.I. stupidity
City on a Hill picture

From Injustice Came the Way to Describe Justice - S1-E5

Stupidity: The police raid an apartment in search of guns. They should have used a ballistic shield for the point man to make entry and hit the apartment with a concussion device (flash-bang). The police officer who took a stomach full of lead would have more than likely survived had they been properly equipped. Ballistic shields have been around since 1977. This story takes place in 1992. (00:49:17)

More City on a Hill stupidity
Blue Bloods picture

The Art of War - S5-E22

Stupidity: Linda suffers a gunshot while in the hospital. The doctor calls for a trauma team that responds immediately to take her to surgery. The next time Linda is shown the trauma team is still taking her to surgery through the hospital hallways, and the whole Reagan family made it to the hospital and in the hallway as Linda is being taken to surgery. The hospital hallways must be long or the trauma team took the long way to surgery to allow the family to be there. (00:03:28 - 00:05:57)

Snag.1

More Blue Bloods stupidity
Mission: Impossible picture

The Killer - S1-E1

Stupidity: To make the hit, The Killer places a bomb on the ceiling of his room - which is the floor of the victim's. He has absolutely no way to know where in the room the man will stand and when we see the explosion, it does not even touch the couch. The brilliant plan of the flawless killer is anything but brilliant or flawless.

Sammo

More Mission: Impossible 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
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation picture

Who Shot Sherlock? - S5-E11

Stupidity: When Brass and Sarah enter the locked storage cellar where the boys are hidden, Greg, a graduated rookie, straggles along behind them when he should have known better to stay put. As anyone could have come along and locked that cellar door behind them, trapping them inside.

eaglegrad16

More CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 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)

More Ray Donovan stupidity
Hawaii Five-0 picture

He Lokomaika'i Ka Manu O Kaiona - S8-E20

Stupidity: After being stripped of their weapons while looking for terrorists in the jungle, Steve and Catherine meet up with Jerry, who has not had his gear taken, but didn't bring a gun because he's only a consultant. Some time later, after they open some coconuts using a small machete Jerry had on him, they hear gunshots, and go over to investigate, finding two dead hunters. They take a pistol of one of the hunters right before encountering the terrorists. So far, so good. But then to fight the terrorists, Steve has Catherine provide cover fire with the handgun while he attacks them unarmed, and hands Jerry a rock when he asks what he's supposed to do. Why doesn't one of them take the machete? You can still see it on Jerry's back.

More Hawaii Five-0 stupidity
Better Call Saul picture

Show generally

Stupidity: Despite being a high-profile fugitive who was a local celebrity in his previous life, Saul does very little to alter his physical appearance, settling on just a mustache and glasses. Growing a beard, wearing a hairpiece, and altering his speaking voice around others would have gone a long way in preventing him from being made.

Phaneron

More Better Call Saul stupidity
Lethal Weapon picture

Dial M for Murtaugh - S3-E11

Stupidity: Eve, the assassin trying to kill the Senator, tells Cole to move or she'll shoot through him, rather than just shooting him. She already killed an agent by shooting him in the back and had plenty of time to just shoot Cole, so there's no reason for her to avoid killing him.

Bishop73

More Lethal Weapon stupidity
More Haven stupidity
Lupin picture

Chapter 3 - S1-E3

Stupidity: The inspector knows that his house has been bugged; he does not know how many bugs and cameras are there, he just knows there are some. He does find a bunch of them with great ease when he gets back home - making you wonder how could he have ignored them to begin with, since all it takes is for him to raise his eyes, they are fairly big black cameras who do not camouflage at all for the most part. He then proceeds to make a phone call to the big baddie from his landline. Nobody in their right mind would do such a thing. Heck, you wouldn't want to use your home phone for such a call even if you didn't know that someone just put bugs all over your house.

Sammo

More Lupin stupidity
The Rockford Files picture

Backlash of the Hunter - S1-E1

Stupidity: Rockford knows almost nothing about the guy who is tailing him except that he noticed him while he was grabbing a bite with his client. Regardless of that, he sends the same client to seduce him, just assuming that he won't be able to recognize her. And it works. Is Lindsay Wagner this hard to forget, that this guy just an hour or two later isn't able to tell it's the same woman his target was meeting?

Sammo

More The Rockford Files stupidity
Chicago P.D. picture

Night in Chicago - S6-E13

Stupidity: During a raid of a Latin stash house, Hailey and Kim find two girls with a pistol. In Spanish, they say no bullets. Kim interprets what the girls say and Hailey replies, l didn't know you spoke Spanish. Makes no sense that a partner on an elite police unit in Chicago would not know a member of the team speaks Spanish. (00:14:58)

Snag.1

More Chicago P.D. stupidity

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