Best drama TV stupidity of all time

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Roots picture

Season 1 generally

Stupidity: When Kunte/Toby saws himself free from his leg irons, he removes only the one, and then runs off into the night, dragging the other one behind him, which makes no sense, and is quite audibly heard in the near distance.

eaglegrad16

More Roots stupidity
Chicago Fire picture

Run Like Hell - S11-E14

Stupidity: Mouch is investigating an arson allegation. He states to a lady he's going to do his thing and speak to some of the residents. As he goes down the hall to speak with the residents he passes a huge stain on the carpet that looks like blood or something and walks right past it without stopping. (00:23:57)

Snag.1

More Chicago Fire 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
Kyaputen Tsubasa picture

The Brothers Tachibana - S1-E22

Stupidity: Masao and Kazuo in their first play of the game advancing from midfield face first the defenders, then a winger (Taki) then the two forwards (Tsubasa and Misaki). (00:13:00)

Sammo

More Kyaputen Tsubasa stupidity
M*A*S*H picture

Radar's Report - S2-E3

Stupidity: Radar takes his glasses off, takes a sip of coffee, then props his clipboard onto the typewriter and accidentally starts typing on the desk calculator. Even if he didn't know his desk well enough to wonder what he laid his clipboard upon AND was so blind he couldn't even orient himself by the desk lamp (which he isn't), he would have felt the difference the instant he touched the keys. Note that he puts his hands on the keys, squints at the clipboard (sic!), then starts typing, he doesn't hammer away right off, which would have added at least a little plausibility to the joke.

Doc

More M*A*S*H stupidity
The Outer Limits picture

Living Hell - S1-E8

Stupidity: When the villain reveals to the doctor that he plans to transplant her brain into his own head, the doctor tells him it isn't possible because the brain can't survive outside the head. Forgetting to mention the fact that he will die the instant he takes his own brain out, making it rather difficult to complete the procedure, that is, if he didn't pass out from the pain of opening up his own skull first.

More The Outer Limits stupidity
The Young and the Restless picture

Show generally

Stupidity: S50: Starting in episode 120 Genoa City had a celebratory gala at the GCAC. After the gala everyone that was staying long-term at the Grand Phoenix Hotel is now staying at the GCAC. The GCAC long-term rates must be much better to make everyone move out of the Grand Phoenix.

Snag.1

More The Young and the Restless 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

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
Charmed picture

Saving Private Leo - S4-E17

Stupidity: The brothers are angry at Leo because they say he's responsible for them dying because he chose to save other soldiers instead of them, Leo also blames himself for the same reason and says he should have stayed and gotten them out. But in the flashback it shows Leo helping them and then running off to help other soldiers, after he runs off the brothers are killed just a few seconds later. Even if Leo had chosen to stay with the brother he couldn't have gotten them out in time, the only difference would have been Leo would have died with them, but Leo dies in the same war so he didn't live much longer. Leo's guilt and the brothers' blame don't make any sense at all.

brianjr0412

More Charmed 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
Person of Interest picture

Q & A - S4-E15

Stupidity: Harold isn't sure whether to trust the flash drive Claire gives him, worrying connecting it to his laptop will send Samaritan all his personal connections. Somehow it doesn't occur to him to just use a completely disconnected / airgapped laptop, in a Faraday cage or similar like the one he kept Root in. If the flash drive had malicious code on it, nothing could be transmitted anyway.

Jon Sandys

More Person of Interest stupidity
Murder on the Orient Express picture

Episode #1.2 - S1-E2

Stupidity: The part when the Colonel and the governess pose as journalists does not make sense. It's far-fetched enough that after a lengthy interview about the culprit's fortune the topic of his family never came up, considering it was one of the main goals and an ideal question to lead with, but considering that "mr. Todo" does not want a picture taken and has a tight security, there's no way that a photographer carrying a large 1930 camera would have been allowed into the interview room to begin with.

Sammo

More Murder on the Orient Express 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
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Plenty of people don't look before sitting down. I once had someone put a pin on my seat in school and I didn't see it.

LorgSkyegon

I can understand one not catching a small pin on their seat (or clear coloured glue). In fact, that is a pretty common prank. The thing is, Helga put a whole bunch of white glue on Arnold's chair, something so blatantly visible, unlike the other stuff I mentioned. It's just strange to me that Arnold wouldn't see something like that before sitting down in his chair. This also goes for my other entry that you added the same correction for.

zenee

More Hey Arnold! stupidity
More Black Summer 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
Smallville picture

Spirit - S4-E18

Stupidity: After the accident, Dawn is in spirit form on the road trying to wave down an oncoming car (driven by Martha Kent). Dawn doesn't know she's a spirit that can pass through objects at that point. Since Martha can't see her, she keeps driving straight towards Dawn. Dawn sees the vehicle isn't slowing down and instead of simply stepping out of the way to avoid getting hit, she turns her back, revealing to the audience that objects can pass through her now.

Bishop73

More Smallville stupidity
Sons of Anarchy picture

Seeds - S1-E2

Stupidity: Half sack is shown digging up a body at the cemetery in broad day light. Very easy for someone to see and report him.

More Sons of Anarchy stupidity

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