Best mystery TV mistakes of all time

The Sinner and the Sandman - S5-E2

Plot hole: Ian Avery-Cooper loses his lottery ticket which is immediately picked up and appropriated by Leonard Corbyn. However, Avery-Cooper immediately reports the loss to the shopkeeper who sold him the ticket. All lottery sales staff are trained in what to do under these circumstances, because it happens a lot - they cancel the lost ticket and issue a new one. Since Avery-Cooper used the same numbers every week this would not pose a problem, but even if he didn't the ticket would be recorded on the seller's computers and could be precisely reconstructed. This would be even easier since Avery-Cooper reports the loss within a minute of it happening and we see that he has the receipt for the sale in his hand. Corbyn's stolen ticket would be worthless and Avery-Cooper would be able to claim his rightful winnings. If nothing else Ian could have simply bought another ticket with the same numbers.

Mr. Monk Visits a Farm - S5-E14

Character mistake: When Randy Disher is having Chinese food in his apartment with his new girlfriend in 3-12 "Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever", he gets a fortune stating that he is going to get money from his uncle, and says that he doesn't have an uncle. In this episode Randy inherits a farm from his uncle who appears to have committed suicide, but was actually murdered.

The Angel Maker - S4-E2

Other mistake: At the start, it's nighttime when the unsub hides in the house of the soon-to-be victim who goes to sleep when her alarm clock reads 'Tue 11:06', and then we see the time morph to 'Tue 1:13' when the victim is sound asleep, before the unsub comes out of the closet to kill her. However, the time on the clock should actually read 'Wed 1:13'.

Super Grover

Show generally

Factual error: In a number of episodes people are shown eating and drinking in the laboratories. For instance, in "Miss Willows' Regrets" Nick and Greg are seen eating fried chicken in the lab, and in "Overload" Sara eats a sandwich while watching Grissom experiment with her deli pickle. There are other examples. No reputable laboratory (which this is supposed to be) would allow its staff to eat or drink while in the lab. It is basic scientific protocol to prevent contamination of samples or the person picking up toxins on their food.

The Hustlers News of the Day - S3-E5

Factual error: The laboratory technician uses a bog standard light microscope to match the two DNA samples, one from Albert and one allegedly from the Queen Mother. That's absurd. DNA samples are compared using a procedure known as SDS-PAGE, otherwise known as gel electrophoresis. This produces the familiar chart we know as DNA "fingerprints" - bands of light and dark showing the composition of a DNA sample which has been broken up by enzymes. You cannot examine DNA with a light microscope - you couldn't even do it with a scanning electron microscope.

The Most Crucial Game - S2-E3

Factual error: Probably an in joke - the wheels of the "airliner" shown landing at LA international airport are those of a B52 bomber. They are very distinctive and look nothing like those on any airliner ever made.

Be Careful What You Witch For - S2-E22

Plot hole: When teenage Prue has run away with the demon, and Phoebe and Piper find her in the park, teenage Prue is 'killed'. Her sisters drive her home to get Leo to heal her, but shouldn't they have just been able to call to Leo to orb to them when Prue was first hurt, and heal her in the park, and save driving back to the Manor and risk Prue dying?

And Those We Left Behind - S4-E6

Plot hole: The very ending scene where Peter (in this version died in the ice as a boy so Walter's wife never met him) takes off some of the dust covers then picks up a toy airplane. The toy airplane he got as a child from ... Walter's wife when she was trying to placate him in an earlier episode for trying to run "home". This toy airplane wouldn't have been his as a child in this version of the universe. (00:42:00)

All Hell Breaks Loose (1) - S2-E21

Continuity mistake: Before the Roadhouse fire, Ash and Dean are talking on the phone. Ash looks at his watch, on his left hand, it says 8:10, and has a black dial/face. As Dean and Bobby go through the rubble, Dean identifies Ash by his watch. Still on his left hand, it is now upside down, evident by the crown of the watch (used to move the hands of the watch) which previously facing his hand, is now facing his elbow. Also, the dial/face of the watch is now silver instead of black. This is a different watch, and was inadvertently put on the burnt arm upside down.

Dirty Harry - S4-E5

Continuity mistake: When Dexter listens to Officer Lundy's tape recording, we hear Lundy say that the Trinity killer's weight is 190 to 200 pounds. When we saw him recording that, he said 200 to 220 pounds.

Anslo Garrick, Part 1 - S1-E9

Character mistake: As Reddington sets up the blood transfer between himself and Ressler he inserts the intravenous line in Ressler's arm first and then in his own arm. This way the remaining air inside the line gets into the recipient's body and could very well kill him. Judging the expert way he handles the set up he should know to first insert the IV in his own arm, let the line fill with blood and then insert the IV in Ressler's arm.

Free for All - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: Throughout the episode, Number 6's lapels switch from having solid to broken white piping and back again.

Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street - S1-E2

Factual error: When Chief Hopper and his fellow patrolman are standing over the lake, Hopper has a radio on his belt. The radio is a modern Motorola walkie talkie and at least a decade newer than it should be.

7:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M. - S1-E8

Visible crew/equipment: When Nina's just been shot, and makes it to the barn to call CTU (around 7.10am), while she's speaking on the phone there's a cameraman visible on the right hand side (DVD). (00:12:40)

Visiting Hours - S5-E9

Factual error: In Oregon and New Jersey, state law requires that a gas station attendant pump the gas. Romero pulls into an Oregon gas station and encounters a nosey person. They are both pumping their own gas.

A Death in the Family - S2-E5

Continuity mistake: The shots of Doran from his left rear shows him a couple feet away from the wall while frontal shots show him backed up against the wall.

The Blind Banker - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: When Sherlock is backstage at the circus and finds the yellow spray paint, he draws a line on the mirror. In the next shot, the line he drew is completely different (and in fact is more of a squiggle). (01:07:40)

Trylon and Perisphere - S4-E2

Continuity mistake: Carrie Matheson leaves her sister's house in a Jeep Compass with her son. When she arrives at her destination, she is in a newer model of the Jeep Compass (the front indicators are different).

A Person of Interest - S1-E19

Continuity mistake: On the video of Ian supposedly killing Alison, we see her arm fall to the ground with her "Alison" bracelet visible. But in a later scene where Emily watches Ian put his bag in the athletics room, we cut back to the video and Alison's arm suddenly has a sleeve covering up her bracelet. When we see the video again later in the series, her bracelet is visible again.

Numbers - S1-E18

Visible crew/equipment: When Hurley is at the new house, after his mom hurts her ankle, he reaches into the car window to get the cell phone. When he begins to dial, the cameraman's arm moving about is reflected in the back chrome of the side view mirror. (00:12:10)

Super Grover