Best TV factual errors of all time

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Band of Brothers picture

Carentan - S1-E3

Factual error: In this episode we see Blithe get shot in the neck and are told that he died in 1948. In reality he was shot in the shoulder and survived. He later served in Korea and was promoted to master sergeant as well as receiving the paratrooper of the year award. Blithe died in 1967 while on active duty in Germany.

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Arrow picture

The Scientist - S2-E8

Factual error: There is no way Laurel Lance would have been allowed on the prosecution team for Moira Queen's murder trial. Due to the facts that she both dated and as a lawyer represented the defendant's son, the defendant's daughter used to intern for her, and her boyfriend was one of the people killed in the Glades, it would have taken all of two seconds for the court to have her removed if she didn't willingly recuse herself, since her presence would be a major conflict of interest.

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Angel picture

A New World - S3-E20

Factual error: Connor has been raised since he was a few months old by Holtz, a man with a British accent, in a dimension where there are no other humans. There is no possible way he could have an American accent, yet from the moment of his return he speaks with one.

Shay

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Suggested correction: The demons in Pylea spoke English with American accents (possibly due to Wolfram and Hart's interference), and in tie-in comics, demons in the dimension Connor and Holtz went to were shown speaking regular English, though these comics were released years later.

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Glee picture

Season 2 generally

Factual error: In season two the show makes Dalton look like it's in a suburb of Lima. Dalton Academy is suppose to be located in Westerville, OH, which is two hours southeast of Lima. Kurt & Blaine would not be able to go to the "Lima Bean" coffee shop every day if this was the case.

edannat

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Lost picture

Some Like It Hoth - S5-E14

Factual error: In the classroom where Jack argues with Roger next to the chalkboard we can see a poster of the periodic table of the elements. We can see some elements that wouldn't be there in 1977 since they weren't discovered until 1999.

EvilFreD

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The High Chaparral picture

Sea of Enemies - S2-E14

Factual error: Graham repeatedly sings a song he says his grandmother taught him: "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown, What You Gonna Do When the Rent Come Round?" This was a Vaudeville stage composition written by Andrew B. Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer - in 1905. High Chaparral is set in the 1870s.

Jean G

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The Wire picture

All Prologue - S2-E6

Factual error: The police "clone" the cargo dock's computer, as though it were a cell phone, so that they can watch all the cargo traffic and see when containers disappear. In reality, to "clone" a computer would simply make an exact copy of that computer's hard drive at a specific point in time. In order to see what is happening on a specific computer in real time, it is necessary to install some sort of spyware on The Target machine.

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Dawson's Creek picture

Crime and Punishment - S3-E15

Factual error: When Jack and Andie are talking at the dinner table about her cheating on the PSAT, Jack says, "Do you really want to get kicked out of school for cheating on something that has the world 'Practice' in front of it?" PSAT actually stands for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, not Practice SAT. This is the same mistake that Pacey made in an earlier episode.

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The Wonder Years picture

Odd Man Out - S3-E6

Factual error: Near the end of the episode when Kevin and Paul are riding their bikes toward each other before they stop for a brief hello of sorts, Kevin rides past a couple cars parked on the street that were built in the early 1980's. A red Pontiac LeMans and a black Pontiac Grand Prix-both were parked in front of the 1969 Ford Thunderbird.

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The 100 picture

Unity Day - S1-E9

Factual error: Bellamy tries to fire his assault rifle twice, but because of a dud round, it fails both times. There is an audible click each time he tries. The first attempt there would be a click, because the firing pin was charged when the last round was ejected. However, without that charge either automatically when a round is ejected or manually pulling the charging handle, the second attempt would have been silent since the firing pin was not engaged. (00:35:45)

djm

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24 (2001)

24 picture

Day 4: 2:00 P.M.-3:00 P.M. - S4-E8

Factual error: When Edgar proves that Mary-Ann Taylor framed Sarah to be the rat in CTU, he claims that she remotely took control of her computer by sending the signal over "a plain old AC power line." This is not possible, unless the computers were equipped with special hardware to separate the AC from the signal. If they were, this traffic would have been observed by James Heller's assistant.

ronin692k

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The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius picture

The League of Villains - S3-E16

Factual error: As the villains are approaching to Earth, South America is shown just under Asia, connected to the Arabian Peninsula and the southern tip of India. The two continents are nowhere near enough to each other to be seen at the same time from space, much less connected. They are on opposite sides of the Pacific ocean, over 10,000 miles (16,000 km) apart. (00:06:45)

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Chuck picture

Chuck Versus the Fake Name - S3-E8

Factual error: When they first bring Grueber into Castle, Sara states that "he is one of five people who can hit a target from half a mile away." Half a mile is 880 yards. Basically every person who has graduated from (or likely everyone who has been selected for) sniper school in any military in the world should be able to do this. (00:05:20)

Prince Ly Squisher

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Legends of Tomorrow picture

I Am Legends - S5-E13

Factual error: The Legends are stranded in England and wait for a bus to London. However, the bus that pulls up is left-hand drive, when it should be a right-hand drive one.

Bishop73

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