While Game of Thrones‘ coffee cup takes the crown for the most infamous TV goof, these ten other incidents should be just as memorable. The frustrations that audiences had with Game of Thrones season 8 came to a head when the TV show failed to edit out a Starbucks cup. It is considered one of the most infamous TV goofs, and many use it as “proof” that the creative team didn’t care at the end of Game of Thrones. In reality, the fantasy epic has major gaffes that slipped through the cracks going all the way back to the beginning. They just weren’t as noticeable or discussed.
Additionally, continuity errors, anachronisms, and accidents get included in TV shows all the time. They can certainly be distracting or frustrating, but it’s a natural consequence of TV shows being created by fallible human beings. Truly, mistakes happen in the best of circumstances with the most competent individuals. These ten entertaining and irritating errors in beloved TV shows deserve to be considered for the infamous TV goofs hall of fame. And, to be clear, when I say “infamous,” I’m being facetious; even the coffee cup is really not that serious.
10
Bridgerton’s Yellow Car Line
Bridgerton Season 1, Episode 1, “Diamond Of The First Water”
The hit romance series Bridgerton takes place in the 19th-century Regency era. However, the pilot episode includes a major anachronism that feels frustrating for a high-budget Netflix TV show. When Daphne Bridgerton looks out the window, she sees a bunch of horse-drawn carriages going down a cobbled road. However, they left a giant yellow line on the road in the final edited version.
This traffic line was introduced in the United Kingdom until the 1940s to mark where cars cannot park. Unlike other shows, Bridgerton had the funds from the start, costing an average of $7 million per episode. As one of the most expensive Netflix shows, they should have had a team capable of noticing the issue and fixing it in post-production.
9
The Avengers Comic In M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H Season 4, Episode 18, “Der Tag”
The entire point of a period piece is pulling the audience into a different time and place, and anything too modern will break the suspension of disbelief. That’s exactly the case in the M*A*S*H episode “Der Tag.” When Radar is asleep, he has a teddy bear and a comic book. M*A*S*H season 4 is set in late 1952 during the Korean War.
However, Radar reads Avengers #60, “Till Death Do Us Part,” and later #72, “Did You Hear the One About Scorpio,” which have cover dates of January 1969 and January 1970, respectively. Not only would these two comics not exist during the Korean War, but the Avengers as a whole also didn’t either. The first Avengers comic was released July 2, 1963, with a cover date of September 1963.
8
Mulder’s Mysterious Wedding Ring In X-Files
The X-Files, Season 5, Episode 15, “Travelers”
The X-Files makes a point out of the fact that Mulder and Scully don’t get married. They develop a committed relationship, live together, split up, recommit to their relationship, but stay living apart, which works for them. When they went undercover as a married couple, it really wasn’t enjoyable for them. This makes it all the more confusing that Mulder mysteriously wears a wedding ring in parts of The X-Files season 5. In a 1999 Entertainment Weekly article (via Eat The Corn), David Duchovny explains the reason why the ring appears in the episode:
”That was just me, you know, fooling around. I had recently gotten married, and I wanted to wear it. The director was really nervous. ‘You have to call [Chris] to see if the wedding ring is okay.’ I didn’t until [after the scene was shot]. When I did call, Chris goes, ‘What!?’ I said, ‘No, it’s good. It’s so Mulder to never have mentioned that he was married.’ And he says, ‘Well, that creates a problem. If we ever do a show that takes place seven years ago, you’ll have to be married.’ I said, ‘Do you really have a lot of shows in your head that are going to take place seven years ago?”’
If they’d stuck with this in the flashbacks, it would be more understandable. However, he isn’t always wearing it, so we’re kind of left to just shrug it off. Ultimately, the confusing episode of The X-Files included a choice that has spawned dozens of theories, so there’s at least some fun to be had.
7
Stranger Things’ Name Slip-Up
Stranger Things Season 1, Episode 5, “Chapter 5: The Flea And The Acrobat”
In Stranger Things “Chapter 5: The Flea and the Acrobat,” a TV goof made it past all the quality checks and appeared in the final product on Netflix. It’s an easy flub to make but it is amusing and distracting. No hate should be directed at Gaten Matarazzo or Finn Wolfhard for this mistake, as they were both 13 years old during the first season. Frankly, adult actors have made the very same mistake. Sometimes these things just happen.
That being said, just as I’m shocked that nobody noticed the Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones, I’m surprised it made it past multiple adults working on Stranger Things. Anyone from the director to the post-production team could have noticed this mistake. But nobody realized the problem and fixed it.
6
“The One With The Disappearing Foam Finger”
Friends Season 1, Episode 4, “The One With George Stephanopoulos”
Friends has many continuity errors, but few of them actually impact the plot. The one that really stands out among the rest is the disappearing foam finger in “The One With George Stephanopoulos.” Ross only agrees to go to the hockey game because Joey promises to buy him a big foam finger. It’s the thing that cheers him up.
He is shown wearing it while shouting at the players in one scene. They cut away from Chandler, Ross, and Joey to the players on the ice. When the cut back, Ross is still shouting, but the foam finger is completely gone. Here’s the crux of the issue. If Ross was still wearing the foam finger, he might not have been hit in the face by the puck.
5
The Never-Ending Cake In Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls Season 2, Episode 3, “Red Light on the Wedding Night”
Gilmore Girls is a treasured comfort TV show, but it has plenty of goofs to go around. There are multiple boom mics, an occasional crew member, and even a piece of tape marking where Emily needs to sit. Most are easily overlooked, though. That said, in Gilmore Girls season 2, Lorelai and Rory go to taste wedding cakes at Weston’s Bakery, even though Sookie’s making the cake.
Rory tastes the raspberry cake and shouts, “The raspberry! The raspberry!” The scene cuts back and forth between Rory and Lorelai on one side of the counter and Fran on the other side. The problem is that every time they cut into Rory and Lorelai, Rory is taking a bite from the cake. Then, every time they cut to Fran, the cake is untouched.
4
Maggie’s Baby Picture In The Simpsons
The Simpsons Season 6, Episode 13, “And Maggie Makes Three”
The Simpsons frequently eschews realism, and a prime example of this is that Maggie and the other characters seem to be the same age permanently. It doesn’t matter how many birthdays they have. That’s completely fine. However, things get a little funny and strange during the flashback episode, “And Maggie Makes Three.”
Marge is pregnant with Maggie. During the scene in the living room, where she reveals her pregnancy to Homer, there’s a gaffe. The large portrait on the wall shows Maggie as a 1-year-old toddler, even though she hasn’t been born yet. Luckily, the team behind The Simpsons seems to have a good sense of humor. Producer Matt Selman was the one who pointed out the mistake on Twitter.
3
The Ovulation Test In This Is Us
This Is Us Season 5, Episode 4, “Honestly”
The family drama This Is Us might have won Emmys and Critics’ Choice Awards, but it wasn’t immune to TV goofs. One drastically changed the understanding of the scene in question. In This Is Us season 5 episode “Honestly,” a flashback shows Kate pulling out an ovulation test box. Then, it cuts to her holding a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom.
The mistake wasn’t subtle. It was front and center, making it seem intentional. Unfortunately, this happened right before a 2-month mid-season hiatus, leaving far too much time for fans to speculate about what it could possibly mean. However, This Is Us’s producer explained the mix-up before the season returned, confirming that it was a mistake caused by editing the show over Zoom. Now that it’s on streaming, the box has been fixed to say “pregnancy test.”
Mad Men Season 4, Episode 1, “Public Relations”
When it comes to Mad Men, any inconsistency or gaffe is a big deal because the show is celebrated for its historical accuracy. The most notable example is a 1964 scene in which Don Draper watches an NFL game broadcast during prime time, including a slow-motion replay. Even though it’s never shown onscreen, fans quickly picked up on this.
The problem with this Mad Men scene is that prime-time football wasn’t available until 1970, and slow-motion replays weren’t available until 1965. It turns out there was a good reason for this inaccuracy, though. According to The LA Times, Don Draper was supposed to watch the hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. However, they could not get the rights. As such, they inserted the American football game and hoped it would be Indiscernible.
1
Game Of Thrones’ Floppy Rubber Sword
Game Of Thrones Season 6, Episode 9, “Battle Of The Bastards”
The Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones might be the most famous TV goof from the show, but another incident is much more hilarious. In “Battle of the Bastards,” the Stark and Bolton armies battle. Jon Snow is supposed to be using the sword Longclaw, made of Valyrian Steel.
However, in one of the most laughable moments of the show, Jon Snow is clearly using a rubber sword. When Snow runs and jumps on his horse, it can be seen swinging back and forth instead of keeping its shape. Obviously, this choice was made for safety purposes. However, for a weapon that’s supposed to be superior, it’s entertaining to see Longclaw flopping around in Game of Thrones.
- Release Date
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2011 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
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David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Directors
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David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff