Best mystery TV mistakes of all time

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

MythBusters picture

Coffin Punch - S6-E19

Continuity mistake: Jamie and Adam are shooting at Police badges to see which one would potentially stop a bullet. When they get to the third badge, it is held up to the camera. It says 'Jamie Hyneman' on the badge. The badge is then shot, and shown again to the camera. This time the engraved writing on the badge has changed to 'Adam Savage'.

Mr Manchester

More MythBusters mistakes
In the Heat of the Night picture

A Matter of Justice - S8-E1

Factual error: About 45 minutes into the episode, the girls' car stalls because the alternator's wire has been removed to cause this. For a car to stall like this, the battery has to be heavily drained which it would wind up being. When the killer comes up to the car, he tells her to try and start the car. She does and it turns over but doesn't start. The battery would never have enough amperage to turn over the car if it didn't have enough to keep the motor running.

terry s

More In the Heat of the Night mistakes
More The Rockford Files mistakes
Murder Most Horrid picture

He Died a Death - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: Tony Sparkle is seen defacing a picture of Judy Talent. He starts writing something beginning with T. The action cuts away for a moment, and then back again. The words on the picture are "SAD OLD BAT". (00:07:05)

paolog

More Murder Most Horrid mistakes
Wayward Pines picture

Time Will Tell - S2-E7

Character mistake: A shot shows Djimon Hounsou completing his year entry on a large chalk board. The entries are 20 years apart. The third entry on the second line is 2274, the next should be 2294, but instead it records 2394. The one after corrects the sequence with 2314. Considering there is an entry only every twenty years, you would think he'd be more careful. (00:20:15)

The24fretking

More Wayward Pines mistakes
Law & Order: UK picture

Vice - S1-E3

Character mistake: When Brooks and Devlin talk to Teddy, the forensic scientist, Teddy puts his rubber glove on incorrectly, with the thumb hanging off the pinkie side of his hand. (00:09:45)

Cubs Fan

More Law & Order: UK mistakes
More Lupin the 3rd mistakes
Surface picture

Episode #1.15 - S1-E15

Continuity mistake: When Miles jumps off the ferry to swim ashore, the camera view is from the ferry: he jumps into quiet, fairly level water, yet the camera recedes from him (he jumped off the back of the boat as the camera continues moving with the boat). The angle changes and we see the wake of the boat - but it's not what he jumped into.

David R Turner

More Surface mistakes
Warehouse 13 picture

Magnetism - S1-E3

Factual error: In the banner for the exibition in France at the start, the French isn't right. It says "Opéra nationale" and "La morte de Marie Antoinette Des objets fabriqués de le temps de Marie Antoinette". It should be "Opera national" and "La mort de Marie Antoinette Des objets fabriqués à l'époque de Marie Antoinette" or "des objets fabriqués du temps de Marie Antoinette".

More Warehouse 13 mistakes
Line of Duty picture

Season 1 generally

Factual error: Chief Superintendent Hilton wears the ribbons of the General Service Medal (awarded for military service in a combat zone, most commonly in Northern Ireland) and the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (awarded for twenty years' service), but not the Golden Jubilee Medal (awarded to all officers with five years' service in 2002), which he would also have. When he reappears in Series 4, he is wearing the Golden Jubilee Medal, Diamond Jubilee Medal (awarded in 2012) and Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, which would all be correct, but no longer has the General Service Medal.

Necrothesp

More Line of Duty mistakes
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency picture

Show generally

Revealing mistake: Mr Knight shoots Suzie Boreton - after the muzzle flashes and sounds stop the bolt of his MK14 EBR continues to move back and forth as if it's still firing. (00:30:30)

More Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency mistakes
More The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance mistakes
Absentia picture

Nobody's Innocent - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: Early in the episode as she is on a fire escape looking to hide somewhere, the window she opens from the outside has two half panes of glass, but on the inside it only has one pane of glass.

More Absentia mistakes
More The Twilight Zone mistakes
Magic City picture

Show generally

Factual error: Noticed this watching season 2, and I assume it was also the case in season 1. The entrance of the Miramar Playa has flags from various countries flying. One of them is the Canadian flag with the maple leaf. Wrong flag. In that period the Canadian flag was the "Red Ensign", or "Dominion Flag." The maple leaf flag wasn't introduced until 1965.

More Magic City mistakes
FBI: Most Wanted picture

Predators - S1-E8

Character mistake: The FBI team responds to a murder crime scene. The victim is lying face down in the bed with blood everywhere. The team leader takes the victim's wrist with his bare ungloved hand. A trained FBI agent would never touch a murder victim without gloves - one to protect himself and two not to contaminate the crime scene. (00:10:00)

Snag.1

More FBI: Most Wanted mistakes
Ripper Street picture

Some Conscience Lost - S4-E2

Factual error: The depiction of the hanging is completely inaccurate. By the 1890s, the gallows at Newgate were housed in a room within the prison, not in the courtyard. Prisoners' wrists and legs were pinioned before they were hanged, not left free as depicted. The long drop was used in Britain from the 1870s, not the short drop depicted. The large knot depicted was not used in Britain (although it was in America) ; a simple sliding loop was actually used, and this was positioned under the jawbone at the side of the neck, not at the back of the neck, which would quite probably not have broken the neck, leaving the person to strangle to death.

Necrothesp

More Ripper Street mistakes
Whitechapel picture

Episode #3.1 - S3-E1

Continuity mistake: DI Chandler calls a suspect "Daniel Wilkie." However when the interview is done he goes and talks to Ed, saying "you've just arrested Ben Wilkie."

More Whitechapel mistakes
Fortitude picture

Show generally

Factual error: A scene in a photographic darkroom shows Michael Gambon developing a colour print in a dish under safe lights. Not possible. Colour printing must be carried out in pitch dark usually inside a light tight print processor, as colour photographic paper is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light.

More Fortitude mistakes
Scream picture

Pilot - S1-E1

Factual error: There is no way cops would just walk up and open fire on a suspect unannounced, not knowing if he is armed or not, and with an innocent bystander so close.

brianjr0412

More Scream 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.