Best romance TV factual errors of all time

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Grey's Anatomy picture

Throwing It All Away - S10-E15

Factual error: In the opening scenes, Arizona mistakenly says a child suffering from imminent liver failure is at risk for psoriasis, when the script called for the word cirrhosis. Psoriasis is a skin disease. Cirrhosis is the medical term for end stage liver disease.

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Friends picture

The One With The Hypnosis Tape - S3-E18

Factual error: When Pete takes Monica to Rome for the date this would have been impossible as Rome is 6 hours ahead of New York and at least 4/5 hours travel time, assuming they went by Concorde (double that otherwise). They would have had to have left New York early in the morning to make dinner for 8/9 pm in Rome.

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Little House on the Prairie picture

A Wiser Heart - S8-E5

Factual error: Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867. Ralph Waldo Emerson died in 1882, which means she was at the maximum 15-16 years old (and already married) in order to meet him IF he were to appear in 1882 which is not possible because: The problems with his memory had become embarrassing to Emerson, and he ceased his public appearances by 1879 (according to wikipedia).

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That '70s Show picture

Thanksgiving - S1-E9

Factual error: The scene where Kitty is making peanut butter celery for Thanksgiving appetizers; she is using Skippy brand peanut butter and the packaging is not from the 70's, it's the current packaging. (00:05:10 - 00:06:05)

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Frasier picture

The Club - S2-E18

Factual error: When Frasier goes back to The Club to talk to the president about giving his membership to Niles, the butler comes over to offer him an 1896 port. But the bottle is actually a Baul Madeira, not a port. (00:19:40)

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Bonanza picture

Enter Mark Twain - S1-E5

Factual error: Samuel Clemens, who has written several humorous tales for the Territorial Enterprise, tells the publisher he would like to start writing serious news stories. The publisher replies, "This is a newspaper, not a comic strip. You write it and I'll print it." The first comic strip, "The Little Bears," debuted in 1893 and the term "comic strip" did not enter the vocabulary until 1920. "Bonanza" is set in the 1860s.

Steven Lee

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The Waltons picture

The Heartbreaker - S5-E21

Factual error: When Elizabeth asks Zeb how Vanessa can be happy, Zeb has his old catalog with a bunch of flower seed packets on his lap, and as they both hold up the packets, particularly Elizabeth, the modern Universal Product Codes are at the back of the packets. The UPC did not exist until many years later. (00:10:05)

Super Grover

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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.).

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

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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The L Word picture

LGB Tease - S5-E1

Factual error: The show takes place in L.A, and in this episode (SPOILER ALERT) Tim and Jenny rush off to hastily and ill-advisedly get married. Los Angeles is three-four hours away from Vegas, where most quickie weddings are done, but a road sign shows them heading to Lake Tahoe/Reno, which is another four hours further away than that. It's just not plausible that they would skip Vegas, where everyone in Los Angeles goes for this purpose, to drive hours further along when they're in such a hurry. It does, however, make sense if you're either ignorant of California/Nevada geography, or if your show is filmed in woodsy British Columbia, where no location can be easily found that looks like the approach to Vegas. Also, the road sign reads, "Tahoe" - an obvious fake. Actual road signs read "Lake Tahoe" and they always show how many miles away it is.

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Away picture

Negative Return - S1-E2

Factual error: The communication delay for earth-moon communications is around 2.6 seconds. Yet Emma's daughter simply dials a cell phone and is connected to her Mom in space past the moon in less than that. The communication has no time lag. (00:18:45)

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Journeyman picture

Friendly Skies - S1-E2

Factual error: When Dan goes into the machine for his MRI a light switches on just as his head enters the machine. MRIs have soft muted lights already in the machine (so technician can see the patient via cameras) they want you to rest and be calm to avoid claustrophobia, there are no bright lights. I have had 5 different MRIs in 4 different machines in 2 different states, all were the same. (00:02:00)

OneHappyHusky

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Helen of Troy picture

Show generally

Factual error: When they first assault the city, the Greeks construct catapults. Only problem: catapults were invented at 400 - 300 BC, i.e. about 800 years later; and the first models looked similar to giant crossbows. The one-armed onager and similar types (as seen here) were a later Roman invention.

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Mr. Sunshine picture

Episode #1.1 - S1-E1

Factual error: The American flag shown waving outside the White House is the current present-day flag with 50 stars. From 1896 to 1908, (the time period that this show is set in) the US flag only had 45 stars as Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nebraska, Alaska and Hawaii were not recognised as states in that time period. The flag did not have 50 stars until 1960. (00:04:30)

Casual Person

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Pride and Prejudice picture

Show generally

Factual error: During Lizzie's visit to Rosings Park, Lady Catherine presses her to stay longer, saying that if she will stay another month, she will be able to accommodate Lizzie "on the barouche-box" as far as London. This is nonsensical. What Austen actually wrote (Ch. 37) was: "And if you will stay another month complete, it will be in my power to take one of you as far as London, for I am going there early in June for a week; and as Dawson does not object to the barouche-box, there will be very good room for one of you. . ." The box is the coachman's seat on top of the carriage. Dawson is a servant, but if there were enough room inside the carriage, she would ride inside. What Lady Catherine is doing is offering Dawson's inside place to Lizzie. But in the movie, she is offering to let Lizzie ride outside next to the coachman. Not much of a treat.

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Dark Shadows picture

Episode One (Pilot) - S1-E1

Factual error: Willie opens the secret room in the Collins family mausoleum, and a flock of bats flies out. It's a hidden chamber that's been sealed (without even small openings - it's imprisoning a vampire) for 200 years. There'd be no way for the bats to get in. (00:15:00)

Jean G

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The O.C. picture

The Distance - S2-E1

Factual error: Julie picks up Marissa's iPod and presses the menu button, and Marissa acts as though the song has stopped, when pressing the menu button wouldn't do anything to the song - all that would do is have the playlist come up on the screen.

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