Best thriller TV factual errors of all time

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Teen Titans picture

Wavelength - S3-E8

Factual error: When Cyborg learns the hard way that Bumblebee can fly, his inbuilt Sonic Cannon rips a hole into the wall which glows with heat. A sonic weapon does not work with heat; it would shatter the wall, not melt it.

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Alfred Hitchcock Hour picture

Water's Edge - S3-E3

Factual error: Pete Taylor's corpse is a bare skeleton after just two years in the sea-shack's attic, though it shouldn't be. There should at least be traces of hair and clothing surrounding the bones. (00:40:00)

Jean G

More Alfred Hitchcock Hour factual errors
Beast Wars: Transformers picture

Season 2 generally

Factual error: Megatron tells Ravage that the Golden Disc was launched aboard the Voyager spacecraft, just as the Great War between Autobots and Decepticons began. Either Megatron is wrong or Cybertonian history is wrong, because Voyager was launched in 1977, and the Great War didn't begin until 1984 (the first season of The Transformers), seven years later. The disc can be read by lasers, but it was in fact an analog recording (as digital recording did not exist until the early 1980s with the compact disc). Just as well, the disc was only twelve inches wide; it looks much bigger in Beast Wars.

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The Sixth Sense picture

With This Ring, I Thee Kill! - S1-E7

Factual error: Rhodes views the silent movie and the film breaks, leaving the last frame frozen on the screen. Wouldn't happen. When 16mm film broke in 1970s projectors, any portion that jammed in the mechanism was exposed to intense heat from the projection lamp, and would burn. (00:35:30)

Jean G

More The Sixth Sense factual errors
The Serpent picture

Season 1 generally

Factual error: At the end of episode 6, we see Alain crossing the German French border in a European registered right-hand drive Citroen CX. Then at the very beginning of Episode 7, they check into a hotel and the Mercedes parked in the forecourt was also right-hand drive. (00:01:00 - 00:01:30)

More The Serpent factual errors
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.

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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 factual errors
Burn Notice picture

Fight or Flight - S1-E4

Factual error: When Michael attempts to start the Charger, the starter just clicks, indicative of a dead battery or faulty starter. He checks his father's logbook and reads "spark plugs." Unless the cylinders are filled with an non-compressible liquid, there is no way that spark plugs are going to prevent the engine from cranking.

goofyfoot

More Burn Notice factual errors
Haven picture

Last Goodbyes - S3-E11

Factual error: Will's hospital chart states he is taking Warfarin and Coumadin. These are both the same drug to prevent blood clots. He would not be on both. (00:31:50)

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The Triangle picture

Show generally

Factual error: Haloclines are referred to throughout, and depicted occasionally as some sort of underwater tornadoes. Haloclines are in fact just salinity gradients, and look nothing like they do on the show.

Andrew Perry

More The Triangle factual errors

FBI (2018)

FBI picture

Partners in Crime - S1-E13

Factual error: The Saturn in the show is an Ion which stopped production in March of 2007. Therefore, it couldn't be a silver 2009 Saturn they were looking for.

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Person of Interest picture

Skip - S4-E18

Factual error: The bounty hunter, Frankie's, car has a Florida license plate on the front of the car. Florida only issues one license plate for vehicles, and it goes on the rear of the vehicle. (00:15:15)

ExpatScott

More Person of Interest factual errors
Gotham picture

Into the Woods - S2-E17

Factual error: The address on Lee's business card shows her zip code for Atlanta, GA as "11453." This is a non-existent US zip code, and the zip code for Atlanta is "303xx."

Bishop73

More Gotham factual errors
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The Unit picture

Games of Chance - S2-E16

Factual error: When the American team almost assassinates the vice-chancellor in the beginning, the German team comes in guns blazing. No special forces unit in the world would do that. They would have suppressed weapons, and use their ammunition diligently.

Tanngrisnir

More The Unit factual errors
Roswell picture

Max to the Max - S1-E20

Factual error: When Nasedo kidnaps Liz, he stops in a gas station to leave the FBI another clue. As he is pulling into the station, the sign above the gas pumps misspells the word "brakes" as "breaks."

zanijoey

More Roswell factual errors
Hemlock Grove picture

Tintypes - S2-E9

Factual error: The show is supposed to be set in Pennsylvania. But when Roman is getting treatment in a doctor's office, and his phone vibrates on a table next to him, a close up shot of his phone is shown and the cell service is ROGERS. This cell service is only in Canada. (00:22:00)

Vettey

More Hemlock Grove factual errors
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Bodyguard picture

Episode #1.6 - S1-E6

Factual error: When Commander Anne Sampson appears in her body armour she wears the rank insignia only worn by the Commissioner (a crown over a pip over crossed tipstaves in a wreath) instead of that worn by her own rank of Commander (crossed tipstaves in a wreath). She has apparently been promoted four ranks.

Necrothesp

More Bodyguard factual errors

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