Best TV mistakes of 2002

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Monk picture

Mr. Monk Goes to Jail - S2-E16

Factual error: When Monk visits the prison for the first time, he is searched, passed, and has a mini-panic attack because people have touched him. Sharona steps forward to comfort him, and she puts her arms around him. This is a very serious breach of procedure and it is not possible for the guards to miss it, because Sharona has not been searched. It's a common technique for trying to pass contraband called 'a touch through' - a person with an item to be smuggled into the prison (drugs, usually), passes them on to a person who has been searched and is therefore 'clean'. Monk would be taken back to the guard's station to be searched again. He would not be allowed leniency because the guards happen to know or to like him - visitor ingress and egress is always done under CCTV and the guard would know he was being watched - quite possibly by someone who doesn't know who Monk and Sharona are.

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

Suggested correction: Sharona was searched first by the female guard.

In fact Sharona breaks away from the female guard to go to Monk. She has NOT been searched.

The correction is correct. The female guard already finished patting Sharona down before the male guard even had a chance to start his pat down of Monk.

Bishop73

Yeah, the correction is correct. I went back six times through that clip: Sharona and Monk both get searched, and then Sharona touches Monk.

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Top Gear picture

India Special - S18-E1

Revealing mistake: Watch the opening sequence of this episode very carefully - Clarkson, May and Hammond are not in Downing Street (they are on a set that stands on the BBC backlot) and library footage of the Prime Minister is cleverly edited in to make it look as if they were there at the same time. Even taking into account the fact that the Prime Minister's security service would never allow such an intrusion onto Downing Street, the line up of the shots does not quite match - our three intrepid heroes should be visible in shot when the Prime Minister is shown exiting number 10, but they are nowhere to be seen. It is all sleight of hand and clever editing, but detectable if you watch carefully enough.

PEDAUNT

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Foyle's War picture

Enemy Fire - S3-E2

Continuity mistake: In episode 2-4 "The Funk Hole " which takes place in the fall of 1940, Andrew states to Sam that his mother died when he was eight years old. In this episode (Feb to June 1941), Foyle is looking at his wife's grave; it shows his mother died in 1932, which would have meant Andrew was born in 1924, and only 16 in 1940, far too young to be a Spitfire pilot. Also, his commanding officer states "the younger pilots look up to you, Andrew", before one of the "younger" pilots (age 19) is badly burned in a crash in Andrew's plane.

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

Suggested correction: This series is not meant to be taken in exact chronological order. Most episodes have no dates or time of the year set. Unless we have reference to a date or time period of the year; we have no way of knowing if the continuity is truly off as this series is meant for the episodes to be taken within a generalized time. Not in any specific chronology except for a few where the time period is specific. Neither this episode or the one before it has reference to a date in time.

Suggested correction: While the other correction is wrong, the real reason this isn't a mistake is because the episodes were aired out of order they were produced, which means it's not a mistake within the context of the show. "Bend It Like Baxter" (production code 315) was filmed before the previous episode, "Double Vision" (production code 318).

Bishop73

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CSI: Miami picture

Show generally

Factual error: Calleigh Duquesne frequently wears completely inappropriate clothing throughout the whole series. She often wears blouses that are so low cut that the neckline is below the lower curve of her breasts. No officer of the court in the US would be allowed to dress this way. There is no grey area here, and this is not a character mistake - first time a CSI turned up at work dressed like that, she'd be sent home to change. Second time, she'd be on suspension until she agreed to change her dress standards. Also (and this regularly happens in CSI: NY as well) she is regularly wearing high heels - also a certain no-no for as CSI. Incidentally, male CSIs have equally strict dress standards.

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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.

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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)

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Bo Selecta picture

Episode One - S3-E1

Continuity mistake: In the Blankety Blank sketch,the village people person holds up a board saying "gay" on it, but when it switches to the long shot showing all the characters, it has changed to "massive bender". ""Massive bender" is part of another sketch involving Blankety Blank, so it's an editing problem.

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Kath and Kim picture

Sex - S1-E1

Visible crew/equipment: When Kath is following Kim up the stairs with her bags, when they stop half way up the stairs, the cameraman's shadow is visible on Kath.

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The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius picture

The League of Villains - S3-E16

Factual error: As the villains are approaching to Earth, South America is shown just under Asia, connected to the Arabian Peninsula and the southern tip of India. The two continents are nowhere near enough to each other to be seen at the same time from space, much less connected. They are on opposite sides of the Pacific ocean, over 10,000 miles (16,000 km) apart. (00:06:45)

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Without A Trace picture

Lost Time - S4-E4

Continuity mistake: When the professor stands up in the holding cell after Jack tells him that someone saw Skye at 10:30, he slams his chair back causing it to tip over. In the next shot the chair is upright, then when he goes to sit back down, it is again on its side.

Boobra

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What's New, Scooby-Doo? picture What's New, Scooby-Doo? mistake picture

Ready to Scare - S3-E5

Continuity mistake: When the gang arrives at the fashion show, they park the Mystery Machine at the end of the walk way. But when the head of the fashion show is shown, the Mystery Machine has vanished. (00:03:05)

Quantom X

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The Shield picture

Playing Tight - S3-E1

Visible crew/equipment: Dutch and Claudette are watching an interrogation video of the Margos with Armin Chorekian. Just before the scene changes, the boom mic bobs down into the shot above Armins' head for a split second. (00:14:40)

AngryBird

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The Dead Zone picture

Here There Be Monsters - S1-E10

Plot hole: The female police officer has a theory that Johnny was the Strangler in the case the papers claimed he helped solve but this hardly makes sense. If she was researching him as was seen in the episode, surely it would have said something about Johnny being in a coma during the bulk of the murders since the story was about Johnny.

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Greg the Bunny picture

Show generally

Visible crew/equipment: In the introduction/theme song, as Tardy Turtle is receiving his diploma, you can see the head of Victor Yerrid (the puppeteer) under the character.

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