# Continuity Errors in TV Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653 "2012-08-25T22:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/1 "2012-08-25T22:55:46Z")
The episode of _The Middle_ entitled _Leap Year_ (S3, E18) - which is airing next week, btw - has a _huge_ continuity error. Sue’s birthday falls on a leap day, and the family manages to ignore it, before salvaging the day at the last possible minute. Except that’s not possible. For Sue to have been born on a Leap Day, in this episode she’d have had to be turning either 12 or 16. But since she’s a freshman in high school, she’s too old for 12 and too young for 16. Noticed any others in other shows? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/2 "2012-08-26T02:29:07Z")
I don’t watch the show, but a 16-year-old freshman is not impossible. She might have had to repeat a grade, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/3 "2012-08-26T09:59:21Z")
[Nerd Pedant Mode Activated] Well, _The Middle_ is set in Indiana. By law, she’ll have had to start first grade no later then the year she turns 7 ([cite](http://www.doe.in.gov/student-services/attendance/faq/when-child-required-be-school)), so if her parents waited a bit before putting her in school (a practice gaining some momentum nationwide), she’d start Grade 1 at age 7, and Grade 9 (i.e. freshman) at age 15, so… yes, if she repeated a grade at some point… [Process ends] ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/4 "2012-08-26T11:46:49Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > [Nerd Pedant Mode Activated] > > Well, _The Middle_ is set in Indiana. By law, she’ll have had to start first grade no later then the year she turns 7 ([cite](http://www.doe.in.gov/student-services/attendance/faq/when-child-required-be-school)), so if her parents waited a bit before putting her in school (a practice gaining some momentum nationwide), she’d start Grade 1 at age 7, and Grade 9 (i.e. freshman) at age 15, so… yes, if she repeated a grade at some point… > > [Process ends] No need to repeat a grade. If she was 7 when she started grade 1, then she was 15 when she started grade 9. The following February, she would have turned 16. Another interesting data point, her older brother Axl is a junior (grade 11). He apparently had a learner’s permit by episode 3 of season 1 (two years ago). He needs to be at least 15 to get a permit in Indiana. So apparently, he also started high school at age 15 (or higher). Another bit of trivia: We see Frankie’s driver’s license in the pilot episode. It says she was born 11/14/1966. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/5 "2012-08-26T12:08:57Z")
More trivia: In the episode that first aired 11/3/2010, [Brick celebrates his ninth birthday](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1752551/). During that season he is in third grade. That means he will start his freshman year in high school at 15 and turn 16 during the year. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/6 "2012-08-26T12:21:39Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > More trivia: In the episode that first aired 11/3/2010, [Brick celebrates his ninth birthday](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1752551/). During that season he is in third grade. That means he will start his freshman year in high school at 15 and turn 16 during the year. Darn the edit window! Correction: That means he will start his freshman year in high school at 14 and turn 15 during the year. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/7 "2012-08-26T13:57:21Z")
I’m not buying the explanation of Sue’s age. She’d just gotten her first period a few episodes earlier; 15 is far too old (though I concede it’s not out of the question) for a North American girl to get her first period. Also, absolutely nothing has been said about Sue getting her permit or her license. If she were turning 16 they’d have made a big deal about it. I think the writers just collectively flaked. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/8 "2012-08-26T15:06:24Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’m not buying the explanation of Sue’s age. She’d just gotten her first period a few episodes earlier; 15 is far too old (though I concede it’s not out of the question) for a North American girl to get her first period. My best friend in high school got her first period at 15. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/9 "2012-08-26T16:06:57Z")
What the OP describes may be a mistake in the writing of the show’s script, but it is not a continuity error. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/10 "2012-08-26T16:14:41Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’m not buying the explanation of Sue’s age. She’d just gotten her first period a few episodes earlier; 15 is far too old (though I concede it’s not out of the question) for a North American girl to get her first period. I personally know three women who had their first period at age 14, and that’s just out of the women I know well enough for the topic to have come up. 15 would be unusual, but not all _that_ far-fetched. I haven’t seen _The Middle_ very often, but isn’t the character Sue portrayed as being kind of naive and immature for her age? Maybe she’s just supposed to be a late bloomer. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/11 "2012-08-26T16:45:39Z")
On the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Dobie starts off as an only child, an older brother was introduced, and then he became an only child again. Maynard, well, Maynard pretty much is a continuity error since his powers and abilities varied from show to show as much as Superman’s. And he has flunked every course he’s ever taken, repeated one grade three times, but manages to enter and leave school at the exact same time as Dobie does. The kicker is in season one when he is drafted and then discharged from the Army for medical reasons. He’s allergic to khaki. And in season three he enlists. Of course, medical science may have made huge strides against khaki allergies in the interim! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/12 "2012-08-26T17:13:58Z")
Just watch the beer glasses in _Cheers_. Up, then down, then up, then down, then empty, then full, etc etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/13 "2012-08-26T17:17:35Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Just watch the beer glasses in _Cheers_. Up, then down, then up, then down, then empty, then full, etc etc etc. This is a prop error, not a continuity error. It annoys me when people notice prop errors, continuity errors however I can’t stand them. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/14 "2012-08-26T17:20:58Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > No need to repeat a grade. > If she was 7 when she started grade 1, then she was 15 when she started grade 9. > The following February, she would have turned 16. Clearly I terminated the process early. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/15 "2012-08-26T19:34:30Z")
I’m presently rewatching _Castle_ and one error that I noticed, is that the precinct’s elevator doors are clearly indicated as it being the 12[sup]th[/sup], while the outside shots indicate that it is the 9[sup]th[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/16 "2012-08-26T22:15:46Z")
> [@grude](#): > > This is a prop error, not a continuity error. It annoys me when people notice prop errors, continuity errors however I can’t stand them. Prop errors like that ARE continuity errors. Minor ones that don’t effect the story, but still continuity errors. Anywho… How about the time Cliff told Claire they had 4 children because they did not want to have 5, then later on… hello Sandra, the never before seen oldest daughter. Sort of a reverse Chuck Cunningham. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/17 "2012-08-26T22:18:29Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Prop errors like that ARE continuity errors. Minor ones that don’t effect the story, but still continuity errors. > Anywho… > > How about the time Cliff told Claire they had 4 children because they did not want to have 5, then later on… hello Sandra, the never before seen oldest daughter. Sort of a reverse Chuck Cunningham. The entire house looked different in the pilot as well. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/18 "2012-08-26T22:34:21Z")
Season 1 of _24_ is set on Super Tuesday in a presidential election year. It’s also set two years to the day after a covert US strike during the Kosovo War - which ended in 2000, meaning the show would have to be set in 2002, which was not a presidential election year. Later seasons just sort of ignore that detail and assume season 1 was set in 2004. Battlestar Galactica was pretty sloppy about keeping track of how long ago Kobol was evacuated and the Twelve Colonies were settled, variously referring to it as happening 2,000, 3,600, and 4,000 years prior to the “present day”. In season 2 of the same, the characters explore the tomb of Athena on Kobol and see a star chart of the constellations as they appear from Earth (the real Earth, not the “Earth” the thirteenth tribe went to). Of course, it’s later established that the entire show is taking place sometime around 148,000 BC, when the constellations as they exist today would have looked completely different. In this case, the producers were pretty open about the fact that they were making the story arc up as they went and missed some details. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/19 "2012-08-27T03:21:12Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Prop errors like that ARE continuity errors. Minor ones that don’t effect the story, but still continuity errors. A website I used to frequent called these little, inconsequential errors “nitpicks.” ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653/20 "2012-08-27T12:40:19Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > A website I used to frequent called these little, inconsequential errors “nitpicks.” They’re inconsequential and nitpicks but they’re definitely continuity errors and it doesn’t make any sense for \*\*grude \*\*to say they’re not. They’re errors introduced because television and movies are filmed in discrete segments of filming, not continuously. If you were in reality or watching a 1 act play it would be impossible for the amount of beer it a glass to vanish, reappear, decrease, etc. because they’re both fully continuous. When a television show doesn’t keep that sort of consistency in its props between takes, it’s a continuity error. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuity-errors-in-tv-shows/632653.md?page=2)