Continuity mistake: When Humphrey turns towards Florence to mutter instructions about checking the case with the UK police, Joséphine Jobert's hand is positioned on the top side of the notepad, and in a different position at the cut. (00:09:50)
Continuity mistake: Humphrey and Florence are checking out of the crime scene the morning after. When Florence says "Also, if she's telling the truth" the pen did a 180° turn in her hand; it had the ballpoint up, now it has the cap. (00:10:45)
Continuity mistake: Rosey Fabrice visits the police station the morning after the murder. Dwayne puts his moves on her and places his hand on the back of her chair, but in the close-ups his arm and hand are simply not there. (00:12:10)
Continuity mistake: DI Humphrey Goodman writes the name of the victim on the whiteboard, in a close-up. He then starts enumerating the suspects, but the name changed penmanship - look at the odd shape of the E linked to the previous letter, or the suddenly shallow M. (00:13:50)
Continuity mistake: Florence walks towards Goodman reading the post-mortem results; before the cut, you can see Kris Marshall's chin leaning on his right hand, but he has the opposite hand up and the right one down when he comments on the 'small mercies'. (00:23:20)
Continuity mistake: Florence advises Humphrey to "just be yourself." The slice of lemon is on (her) left side of the glass. Reverse shot and it's the right side, then it is back on the left side, where it remains for the rest of the scene. (00:28:35)
Continuity mistake: Humphrey sat down with the photographer, and asks him about the incident that bankrupted his previous agency. He says "Of course I would", scowling and putting the right hand on his left arm. Reverse shot, and his hand is on his knee. (00:34:05)
Continuity mistake: In an uncharacteristic display of authority, Humphrey orders Sadie Mernier to go back to her chair and answer the rather personal questions. She walks back with her shades in her right hand, and in the shot when she slumps back in the chair, the sunglasses are in the left. (00:37:10)
Continuity mistake: When Humphrey sits at the killer's table, they have the right hand on the left elbow in the first shot, both arms forward in the next. (00:45:55)
Continuity mistake: Dwayne's bottle of Etensel is facing opposite directions when he tries to act as if he didn't see his boss embarrass himself at the bar; the label faces the camera when the camera is to his right, and to his left. (00:50:35)
Continuity mistake: After the mishap at the bar counter, Humphrey reunites with Dwayne and Florence. He puts the glass on the table when he sits down, but in the next shot he's still holding it and only after a while he puts it back down. (00:50:40)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the episode, Catherine hands Humphrey the rag held in two different ways in the separate shots. (00:50:45)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the ceremony, Dwayne and the other friends of the deceased are walking out of the church. The woman with the golden hat in the background changes position, shaking hands next to the closed window, but moving close to it only in a later shot, as she is still seen walking out of the open door when Dwayne steps down after taking a sip in memory of Cedrik. (00:01:15)
Continuity mistake: Dwayne takes a sip from the flask at the exit of the church. When he gives it to the priest, his friend has both hands on the fence, but at the cut he's wiping his eyes with the left hand, only the right hand is on the picket. (00:01:30)
Continuity mistake: Dwayne and Humphrey take a walk from the sidecar to Cedrik Verga's house. The shadows on the road differ between shots - easy to notice looking at the parking markings. (00:06:30)
Continuity mistake: Cedrik has been murdered, seemingly; the crew then goes for beers at Catherine's. Dwayne holds between his fists the memento from his friend. His hands are closer by when Goodman asks why would he do nothing to protect himself, but they are still holding the chain in its length when Florence adds another question. (00:12:30)
Continuity mistake: Cedrik's brother rejoinders to Ivann's claim about the victim being drunk, saying that he was tipsy, not quite falli-over drunk. There's a cut mid-sentence, and Temmy Verga's hand jumps abruptly from mid-forearm to wrist. (00:15:25)
Continuity mistake: Humphrey's line about Vincent Garcia being a victim of Mt.Clair is repeated in flashback when he speaks with the widow at the secluded house, but it cuts mid-sentence to a wider angle where he has his arms raised in lack of continuity with the rest. And when he asks outside of the flashback "The boy who died." his arm changes position between shots as well. (00:29:00)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the scene set in Dr. Ivann Tate's study, Florence asks a question in close-up. The shot immediately following that reveals she has her pen up, which should have been visible. (00:32:00)
Continuity mistake: Brainstorming with the team about the murder one final time after the news about the bank statements of Dr. Tate, Goodman has the cheap watch in hand. The watch switches hand when he says "saying that he wants you to have something to remember him by." When he leans against the whiteboard from behind, arms over it, there's another switch - this time with a short cutaway but still in an impossible switch considering his hands position. (00:33:30)
Answer: There's probably no particular reason. Sets and props on long-running TV shows often change as needed and for various reasons throughout a series run.
raywest ★