Best TV factual errors of all time

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Vigil picture

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Factual error: As the Royal Navy has its own police (including detectives), there would be no need for a civilian detective to be airlifted onto a submarine, especially to investigate a sudden death that was not originally believed to be a murder.

Necrothesp

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Suggested correction: The Royal Navy police are not equipped to handle murder; local police are usually used for more serious offences so no claim of a cover up. There are no MoD police attached to a submarine either, so in theory somebody would have to go to the boat. (However they still wouldn't risk surfacing).

Initially there is no suspicion of murder, only an unexplained sudden death. There would be absolutely no need to airlift a civilian detective aboard a top-secret submarine. It wouldn't be the first time a sudden death had occurred aboard a Royal Navy vessel.

Necrothesp

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The Cosby Show picture

For Men Only - S8-E9

Factual error: When Olivia (or whoever) is teaching Russell how to play the Nintendo game she tells him the controls and includes "C and D". The old Nintendo system had no C or D.

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Smallville picture

Pilot - S1-E1

Factual error: Lex crashes and his car lands on its roof, but in the span of a few seconds it has sunk straight to the bottom, and turned the right way up. Cars don't sink that quickly. (00:17:25)

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Step by Step picture

Crazy Love - S6-E1

Factual error: Carol and Frank leave for a romantic weekend and Dana begins to tutor Rich for a test in English Literature. When Frank and Carol return on Sunday Rich has not only studied for the test but also TAKEN the test and gotten the results back. How is that possible over a weekend?

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Numb3rs picture

Noisy Edge - S1-E12

Factual error: In the beginning of the episode, Charlie is stating that "there is always a solution" and "if there's any limitation it's got to be in the mathematician, not the math". Unfortunately, according to Kurt Godel's incompleteness theorems, this is not true. Simply put, there are mathematical problems that cannot be proven/solved.

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Battlestar Galactica picture

Saga of a Star World (1) - S1-E1

Factual error: When Apollo decides he and Zac will attack the Cylons that are following them, he tells Zac to "hit your reverse thrusters and maximum braking flaps", but they aren't in an atmosphere. Brake flaps would have no effect in the vacuum of space. (00:10:30)

johnrosa

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Suggested correction: Since the Colonial Vipers CAN fly in atmosphere and in space, that move would just be standard operating procedure and used either in space or in air. Similar to the way Navy pilots deploy a tailhook (for carrier use) when they land on runways.

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Sex and the City picture

Easy come, easy go - S3-E9

Factual error: Throughout this episode, when Carrie talks about the functions of the left vs. right sides of the brain, she has them backwards. The right side of the brain is the creative side, the left is the logical one. Apparently, the writers liked the idea that the "right" side of Carrie's brain would ultimately lead her to do the "right" thing about Mr. Big, but that's not the case. Rational decision are made with the brain's left side. (But then again, Carrie never was very rational when it came to Mr. Big.).

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Suggested correction: The right and left side being rational/ logical and emotional has been proven wrong. The brain works in a very complex manner and multiple parts on both sides are lit/ functioning when doing either a logical or an emotional task.

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Cold Case picture Cold Case mistake picture Video

Thrill Kill - S5-E1

Factual error: When Dylan gets out of jail, a palm tree can be seen in the background behind him. This reveals that the scene was filmed in Los Angeles, not Philadelphia.

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Stargate: Atlantis picture

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Factual error: Anytime a character fires a missile at an airborne target, it's invariably from an M136 antitank launcher. The M136 is designed to hit relatively slow moving ground vehicles and is useless against fast moving airborne targets. (This is because used M136 tubes can't be reloaded and are very cheap to use as props).

Grumpy Scot

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Courage the Cowardly Dog picture

Heads Of Beef / Klub Katz - S1-E11

Factual error: In "Klub Katz" the captian yells "Iceburg, Iceburg, on the starboard side." But when you see the iceburg and the ship, the iceburg was about to hit the bow of the ship.

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Attila picture

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Factual error: Aetius' troops don't look anything like 5th century Roman soldiers. They are carrying a large rectangular shield, a pilum (a spear which was used for throwing) and a sword (gladius) on their right. This was typical for the Roman army until about the 3rd century A.D. In Aetius' time, the soldiers would have had smaller oval shields, a hasta (a lance used for stabbing and for fending off cavalry attacks) and a sword (spatha) on their left. Also, there would be an enormous amount of "barbarian" mercenaries in the Roman army (Goths, Vandals, even Huns.), so it was hardly a Roman army anymore. And where's Aetius' cavalry?

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Winds of War picture

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Factual error: Part 4: The cord on the telephone Pug uses to call Pam should be a straight wire. Instead, it's coiled: a design not yet in use in the 1940s. (00:13:30)

Jean G

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Xena: Warrior Princess picture

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Factual error: Aphrodite's son and Psyche's husband is Eros, not Cupid. Venus's son is Cupid. (Eros is Greek and Cupid is Roman).

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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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Kickin' It picture

Wasabi Warriors - S1-E1

Factual error: Jack enters the tournament as a recognized white belt but he is scheduled to face Kim who is ranked as a black belt. Tournaments do not allow match ups between white and black belts; it's forbidden in all styles of martial arts.

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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

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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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