Best family TV factual errors of all time

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My Three Sons picture

Show generally

Factual error: In "The State Vs. Chip Douglas", Ernie finds his missing 1914-D penny when it falls out of his pocket. A close-up shows an Indian head penny lying on the floor. The problem is that Indian head pennies were not minted after 1909.

Jeff Swanson

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Family Ties picture

4 Rms Ocn Vu - S3-E8

Factual error: Some of the visitors came to the Keaton "hotel" (their house) for the "ocean view." This takes place in central Ohio (near Columbus). There are no oceans around there.

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The Honeymooners picture

The Sleepwalker - S1-E6

Factual error: When Ralph goes out the window onto the fire escape to save Ed the first time in the episode, Alice is looking out the window (to her right) telling Trixie all the step by step movements of both men, ending with, "and he's taking him right into your window." The Norton's live directly upstairs from the Kramdens, but Alice never changes the direction she's looking at the whole time. She should be looking straight up as Ralph leads Ed into their window. There is no other window to the right. (00:02:30 - 00:03:04)

DrLoomis1978

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Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood picture

Fruit Picking Day/Daniel Is Big Enough to Help Dad - S1-E11

Factual error: Daniel's dad glues and screws the door bell button to Daniel's treehouse. He does not connect any wires to it or anything of the sorts, nor is there a power source to the tree house. Yet he pushes the button and the bell rings loudly. It is too small to house batteries or a speaker on its own. And the bell was electronic sounding.

Quantom X

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Superman: The Animated Series picture

Double Dose - S2-E10

Factual error: Season 2 episode 10 "Double Dose": When Superman snatches Parasite's escape boat and hauls it back to Stryker's, Parasite attempts to blast him with a shotgun found aboard. But somehow the animators appeared unable to decide whether the gun should be a double-barrel or a pump-action type; and building a double-barrel pump gun would be impractical due to additional weight and bulk.

Daniel4646

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Haunted Hathaways picture

Haunted Babysitter - S1-E6

Factual error: The conversation between Taylor and Michelle tells us that school is over for the day and that Taylor talked to her crush at lunch. When the boy shows up at the bakery later, he and Taylor plan to meet at 3 that afternoon; if its before 3, they should still be in school.

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The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! picture

Robo Koopa - S1-E52

Factual error: Koopa tries to kill the Mario brothers, Bunsun and Dr. Nerdnik by pushing an electric pole at them. Mario and Luigi use a nearby fire hydrant to protect them by having water rush out of it and keeping the pole from crushing them. There is no way a single blast of water can stop a large pole from falling, and the brothers would have been electrocuted as soon as the water hit the pole. (00:07:00)

Yoshi

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Balamory picture

Living Statue - S2-E5

Factual error: When PC Plum picks up a set of keys from the table, Eadie McCredie claims they are her keys for her minibus. She drives an LDV Convoy minibus and the key is from a Vauxhall, a completely different design.

GalahadFairlight

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Full House picture

Just One of the Guys - S1-E18

Factual error: After Steve practised changing a baby on the stuffed toy monkey he and Danny leave Michelle's bedroom and walk into the hallway. But the bedroom you see them leaving from when in the hallway would historically be Jesse's bedroom at the time. When they are in Michelle's bedroom in the shot previous to the hallway, the hallway from the bedroom also looks as if they are in Jesse's room based on the view.

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The Changes picture

The Noise - S1-E1

Factual error: When Mr Gore destroys the television set, it is obviously a prop, as when he breaks the screen there is no noise, in reality there would be a loud bang as there is a vacuum behind a TV screen of that era.

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Lost in Space picture

Show generally

Factual error: The Robinsons exceeded the speed of light due to impurities in chemical rocket fuel. No chemical rocket fuel comes remotely close to the energy content needed to even approach the speed of light. That would require exotic fuels like antimatter. By Einstein's theory of Special Relativity it is impossible to exceed the speed of light with any form of rocket propulsion. Faster than light travel and time travel might be possible with the warped spacetime of Einstein's general theory of relativity and phenomena such as wormholes. For plausibility the opening scene should have been an encounter with a wormhole.

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The Rifleman picture

Show generally

Factual error: Lucas is constantly twirling the rifle after rapid firing a few shots. Since the cocking ring is set on semi-automatic, the rifle should fire as it comes around.

Paul Rybak

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

Suggested correction: He twirls the rifle in the opening of the show, after he's just emptied it completely.

The original comment doesn't state the beginning of the show. This does happen throughout the series.

terry s

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The Scooby Doo Show picture

The Spirits of '76 - S1-E3

Factual error: There's an exhibit in the Smithsonian Institute that shows Benedict Arnold, William Demont, and Major John Andre labeled as Famous American Traitors. One problem, Andre wasn't a traitor to America as he was a British officer to whom Benedict Arnold arranged to surrender West Point to during the war.

Rob245

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Silver Spoons picture

Driver Ed - S2-E6

Factual error: There is an intercom system in the library that is used by Derek (and at the end, Edward). They try pushing down the buttons to talk (which is normal for intercoms), but then each time, we are hearing Ricky and his grandfather's conversation from inside the car that's outside without using the intercom connected to the house. In the 80s, a house intercom system would not pick up a conversation in a parked car outside.

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Chucklevision picture

Mind Your Manors - S20-E1

Factual error: Aunt Petunia says that the chalice was first seen in the Stone Age, and sends Paul and Barry back to where Stonehenge is just being completed. However, the Stone Age actually ended in around 3300 BC. Stonehenge is believed to have been constructed in around 2500 BC, which was the Bronze Age.

swordfish

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The Brady Bunch picture

The Private Ear - S3-E9

Factual error: About 1/3 through the show, Greg has to talk to Marcia and asks Peter to leave. On the way out Peter stops to start recording on the tape recorder. He only pushes the play button. He would have had to push the red record and play button to record their conversation.

terry s

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Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons picture

Manhunt - S1-E4

Factual error: When we see the SPV escaping from the Culver Atomic Centre, it is night time. However, when we see Number 3 Tracking Vehicle, it has changed back to daytime.

Jcamts

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