Best drama TV factual errors of all time

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CSI: NY picture

Not What It Looks Like - S3-E2

Factual error: Season 3, episode 49 (Not What It Looks Like). Breaking glass with sound is possible, but would not work as depicted in the episode. First, in order to break the glass, you have to force the glass to vibrate at its natural frequency - that is, the frequency at which it would vibrate if it were tapped. Each piece of glass has its own natural frequency, depending on a range of factors including size, chemical makeup, shape, hardness, and manufacturing methods. No single frequency would shatter all the glass in the store at the same time. Finally, in order to break the glass the piece has to be closed-ended. You can't shatter a plate of glass with sound (nowhere for the sound waves to resonate). Please see http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/feb98/887203231.Ph.r.html.

Kevin Hall

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London's Burning picture

Episode #4.7 - S4-E7

Factual error: In this episode Blackwall Station is shown as a London Underground tube station. Blackwall Station is a Docklands Light Rail (DLR) station. Also look at the destination sign on the front of the train, which reads 'THAMES LINE', No such line/station exists on the London Underground.

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Desperate Housewives picture

It Wasn't Meant to Happen - S2-E20

Factual error: Gabrielle visits Dale, her adopted child's natural father, at his high school and interrupts a pep rally for the football team's upcoming game. Dale, the team's Quarterback, even says that in the last game, he threw for 260 yards. The problem is that it is spring. Dale has just returned from a week in Florida for Spring Break. Football season is over. Basketball season should be over or ending soon. There couldn't have been a pep rally if the season is over.

Rlvlk

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Breaking Vegas picture

Show generally

Factual error: In the episode, "Professor Blackjack", Manny puts a stack of one hundred dollar bills on the card table for the professor to bet. The bills are the new ones issued a few years ago with the enlarged portrait of Benjamin Franklin. The scene is supposed to take place in 1961.

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Tru Calling picture

Haunted - S1-E5

Factual error: Tru arrives "more than three hours late" for the MCAT and then begins the test. Firstly, it would be pointless for her to even bother going at that time, since she'd have already missed the entire Verbal Reasoning section and possibly the Physical Sciences as well (depending on how much more than three hours she was late). Secondly, that's really a moot point since late arrivals to MCAT testing centers are not permitted to take the test.

DavidK93

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The 4400 picture

Show generally

Factual error: In episode 17 there are some scenes showing sick 4400s all around the world. One of them is being carried into an ambulance car in Frankfurt, Germany. The ambulance car's number plate begins with the letters FM meaning Frankfurt am Main. The correct abbreviation for Frankfurt am Main on German number plates is F - not FM.

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Over There picture

Show generally

Factual error: In episode 7, we see a toilet in the improvised jail. In fact, most "toilets" in Iraq are specially built holes in the floor.

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Criminal Minds picture

Derailed - S1-E9

Factual error: The train car in which Elle and the other passengers are held hostage is supposed to be an Amtrak type long distance railroad car traveling from El Paso to Dallas, yet on the inside of the car we can see a large poster showing the Washington, DC Metro system map.

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Hawaii Five-O picture

A Thousand Pardons -- You're Dead! - S2-E1

Factual error: Danno, who's posing as a Marine, has hair that's far too long to be permitted in the Corps. In fact, all of the Marines in this episode have non-regulation (too long) haircuts. 'T'was the same then as it is now: US Marines are given "buzz jobs," and hair longer than an inch is not allowed.

Jean G

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Gilmore Girls picture

Double Date - S1-E12

Factual error: Lane wants Rory to talk to Dean about setting up Lane with his friend Todd. While asking Rory to do this, Lane asks for the date to be planned for the following Sunday, after church; however, Lane is Seventh-day Adventist and they believe the Sabbath is Saturday and therefore attend church on Saturday, not Sunday. (00:04:45)

ryane517

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

Suggested correction: Many Seventh-Day Adventist churches do actually hold church on Sunday.

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New Amsterdam picture

Show generally

Factual error: This series uses a beautifully-rendered CGI sequence of New Amsterdam C. 1650 morphing into New York City of the present day. The Native American tribe we see at the start of the sequence, however, never inhabited the New England area. They look more like the Lakota plains tribes seen in Dances With Wolves. The North-Eastern tribes didn't build teepees as seen here, either. The dwellings should be longhouse wigwams made of wood.

Jean G

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The Office picture

Traveling Salesmen - S3-E12

Factual error: While the sales team break up the huddle in the parking lot to do sales calls, the camera zooms out and you see a palm tree in the background, but this show takes place in cold weather Pennsylvania. (00:16:25)

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ER (1994)

ER picture

The Show Must Go On - S11-E22

Factual error: When the woman is giving birth, they show the baby just after they finally got her out. The baby is clean, no blood and other signs of a recent birth are visible. This is especially unlikely since the doctors had to "cut her open" to liberate the baby from the birth channel.

Ronnie Bischof

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The Sopranos picture

Isabella - S1-E12

Factual error: During Tony's assassination attempt he struggles with one of the "hit men" for control of a pistol. One can see that the pistol does not contain a magazine.This would limit the shooter to 1 shot, providing the pistol is not equipped with a "magazine disconnect" if it is than it can not be fired at all. It seems unlikely that a "hit man" would be so ill prepared.

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The Dresden Files picture

Birds of a Feather - S1-E1

Factual error: Talking to Dresden, Bob refers to his first grimoire (a book of spells & magic). But the closed captioner, apparently unfamiliar with the term, has rendered the line, "My first Renoir," which, though amusing, makes no sense at all in the context of the conversation. (Refers to the aired version: the error was corrected on the DVD release.) (00:24:00)

Jean G

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The L Word picture

LGB Tease - S5-E1

Factual error: The show takes place in L.A, and in this episode (SPOILER ALERT) Tim and Jenny rush off to hastily and ill-advisedly get married. Los Angeles is three-four hours away from Vegas, where most quickie weddings are done, but a road sign shows them heading to Lake Tahoe/Reno, which is another four hours further away than that. It's just not plausible that they would skip Vegas, where everyone in Los Angeles goes for this purpose, to drive hours further along when they're in such a hurry. It does, however, make sense if you're either ignorant of California/Nevada geography, or if your show is filmed in woodsy British Columbia, where no location can be easily found that looks like the approach to Vegas. Also, the road sign reads, "Tahoe" - an obvious fake. Actual road signs read "Lake Tahoe" and they always show how many miles away it is.

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The Borgias picture

The Poisoned Chalice - S1-E1

Factual error: In the Pope's coronation procession they play the anthem Zadok the Priest. It was composed by Handel for the coronation of George II in 1727, 235 years after this coronation took place.

Necrothesp

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Taboo picture

Episode #1.7 - S1-E7

Factual error: Lorna uses the word 'okay'. The first recorded usage of this word in America was not until 1839 and in Britain not until the 20th century. The series is set in 1814 and generally uses language contemporary to its setting.

Necrothesp

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