Best mystery TV mistakes of all time

Please vote as you browse around to help the best rise to the top.

Forever Knight picture

Forward into the Past - S2-E4

Factual error: Nick tells fellow vampire Aristotle, "You still owe me for that time at the Battle of Hastings." Nick was brought across in 1228, or so the intro told us every week. The Battle of Hastings, as any British school kid knows, was fought in 1066, over 100 years before Nick's mortal birth. (00:29:30)

Jean G

More Forever Knight mistakes
Midsomer Murders picture

Show generally

Continuity mistake: In the first episode of season 10, when Marissa is holding a dog while talking to Elaine, the way her arm lies around the dog's neck changes several times between shots.

littlestar

More Midsomer Murders mistakes
Kim Possible picture

The Twin Factor - S1-E17

Continuity mistake: When Kim and Shego stop chasing Ron back in Drakken's lab Shego is wearing a purple apron, then the camera moves away Shego and Kim then comes back and Shego is not wearing a purple apron, then the camera moves away again and then comes back to her and now she is wearing the apron.

More Kim Possible mistakes
Dark Shadows picture

Show generally

Revealing mistake: 1967: Barnabas and Vicky are talking in Collinwood's foyer when a great deal of noise starts interrupting the scene from backstage. You can hear coughing, several bumps and crashes, shouts, and finally, a fire extinguisher going off. Meanwhile, the distracted actors are completely blowing all their lines - but the unstoppable taping goes on.

Jean G

More Dark Shadows mistakes
The Wire picture

Storm Warnings - S2-E10

Continuity mistake: They check up Pyramid Inc at the Eastpoint Insurance register for the Volvo S80 to GPS track at the beginning of the episode. Next scene they're putting a tracker on a S60. (00:01:53)

More The Wire mistakes
Murdoch Mysteries picture

Murdoch.com - S2-E10

Factual error: Enid, the telegraph operator, exclaims that "He is sending an SOS." However, in the 19th century, distress calls did not include the letters "SOS," It was not until the early 20th Century that SOS was chosen as the international distress call.

goofyfoot

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

Suggested correction: The show is set in the early 1900's, which is the early 20th century. By the time this event transpired, SOS would have been established as a universal distress signal.

The show starts in 1895 and by season 2, it was still the 19th century and before Germany adopted SOS in 1905.

Bishop73

More Murdoch Mysteries mistakes
The Ark picture

Hoping for Forever - S1-E10

Factual error: Trust called Proxima B an "eyeball" planet, meaning according to him a planet that does not spin on its own axis and always has one side facing the sun. That is incorrect. If only one side faces the sun it means the rotation on its axis and its revolution around the sun are the same.Otherwise, the planet would seasonally have all of its surface facing the sun once every solar year.

toroscan

More The Ark mistakes
The Good Wife picture

Stripped - S1-E2

Visible crew/equipment: At the end of the episode, when Alicia is listening to the audio recording on her laptop in bed, you can see the hand of a crewmember on the corner of the white cupboard at the left side of the screen. (00:42:45)

More The Good Wife mistakes
Quantico picture

Answer - S1-E14

Character mistake: The diploma on the wall in Connor's office for the University of Kentucky, "university" is misspelled "universisty".

More Quantico mistakes
Sense8 picture

Art Is Like Religion - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: A henchman places a briefcase up-side down on a bench, opens the locks and starts to open the briefcase with the locks above the lid latches which are flipped open toward the floor. Instantly the briefcase is right-side up with the locks down and the lid latches up. (00:26:11)

More Sense8 mistakes
Diagnosis Murder picture

Inheritance of Death - S1-E4

Other mistake: Jack follows J. Edison Nash to a wine warehouse and watches as Nash punches numbers on a keypad in order to gain entrance to a private room. Nash punches the 6 and a beep is heard. He then punches the 8 and another beep is heard. During a close-up of Jack, four more beeps are heard, for a total of six. Jack says the number out loud - 862, which is only three digits.

More Diagnosis Murder mistakes
Alias picture

Show generally

Factual error: In the episode where Sydney is supposed to be in Helsinki, there are visible skyscrapers in the background. There are no skyscrapers in Helsinki.

More Alias mistakes
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: No, I don't think this is an error. I think the house with the red door is Luther and Zoe's marital home and the house with the black door is Mark's home.

That's what I thought, but how did he know where Mark lived?

I think it's a mistake because Riply is outside keeping watch on Zoe's house. At that point, Luther didn't know who Mark was, so how could he know where he lives?

lola85

More Luther mistakes
Twin Peaks picture

Episode Nine - S2-E2

Continuity mistake: The necklace James took from the coconut in Dr. Jacobi's office in the previous episode had a gold chain. When he gives it to Agent Cooper in this episode, it's on leather.

More Twin Peaks mistakes
Vigil picture

Show generally

Plot hole: Burke is murdered so that Doward will be sent out to replace him, as both hold the same rate of CPO sonar operator. But there are many CPO sonar operators in the Royal Navy. How can the GRU be so sure that Doward will be the man chosen to replace him?

Necrothesp

More Vigil mistakes
Kyle XY picture

The List is Life - S2-E3

Revealing mistake: In the scene after the fire, when Kyle is playing with a candle, as he picks up the candle his belly button is visible. It has been established that Kyle has no belly button, therefore this is a mistake.

kencokamo

More Kyle XY mistakes
More The Closer mistakes
More Quantum Leap mistakes
More Law & Order: Organized Crime mistakes
More Rosemary & Thyme mistakes

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.