Television is a valued and iconic part of the pop culture landscape and continues to create viral and memorable moments. That includes TV mistakes, whether they be poor writing or a flub that's noticed by the public. And there are 32 TV mistakes off the top of my head that stand out, spanning scripted, reality, and live television. Let's break it all down.
To be clear, this isn't a list of solely continuity errors or viral newscaster flubs. Instead, it's combining both of these categories, as well as narrative issues that have continued to plague the reputation of popular TV shows. And some of them just happen to be the most memorable TV moment from that particular show. In no specific order here is the list. Although a spoiler alert is in play for the scripted shows.
Warren Beatty And Faye Dunaway's Oscars Flub
The biggest story to come out of the 2017 Academy Awards ceremony was that presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Betty accidentally named La La Land the Best Picture winner when it was actually Barry Jenkins' Moonlight. It was a truly wild to end the night and was one of the most memorable moments to come out of the star-studded event in modern memory. That is, until the infamous Will Smith slap incident.
Jeff Varner Outs Zeke, Survivor
Survivor is one of the best reality shows of all time and has remained wildly popular in the decades since it first premiered. The show is endlessly captivating because every season is different, and is influenced by the unique cast of characters. Unfortunately, the social experiment got ugly in Season 34, when Jeff Varner outed Zeke Smith as transgender in an attempt to prove that he was untrustworthy.
Kathie Lee Forgets Martin Short's Wife Had Died
Kathie Lee Gifford has a long career on TV, and had her own hour of The Today Show for years on NBC. While she and Hota Kotb had plenty of fans, there were some noticeable missteps along the way. Chief among them was an interview with Martin Short, where Kathie Lee referred to his late wife and seemingly forgot she had actually passed away two years earlier. It's wildly awkward, although the Only Murders in the Building star handled it with grace.
Dany Burns King's Landing, Game Of Thrones
Throughout Game of Thrones' run on TV, Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen was one of the show's primary heroes. Fans were thrilled when she finally appeared in Westeros to take the Iron Throne, and were shocked and disappointed when she suddenly decided to burn King's Landing down, killing thousands of innocent people. And fans have been complaining about this plot choice, and how quickly she went mad, for years.
Asking the Models To Change Races, America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model ran for many years, and had a number of controversial challenges that haven't aged very well. Chief among them was back in Cycle 4, where models were asked to portray another race for a photo shoot. Before the term "cultural appropriation" was known, this was a wild challenge that seriously gives the ick... and happens to be one of the most iconic reality TV moments.
The Faithful Trusting Cirie, The Traitors
The first season of The Traitors US was a big experiment, with the show's second season helping to make it a wildly successful Emmy-winning hit. Season 1 featured a mix of celebrities and normal folks, including Survivor legend Cirie Fields. Unfortunately, her allies seemingly didn't know her reputation, and completely trusted her and allowed her to easily win and take the money in the end. And the reunion was super awkward.
Miss Teen South Carolina's Map Question
Every so often a beauty pageant will go viral, usually for all the wrong reasons. There are few as iconic as Miss Teen South Carolina Caitlin Upton's interview answer from back in 2007. She's asked why young Americans can't locate the country on a map, and has a stream-of-consciousness answer that's iconic in its word salad-ness.
Netflix Canceling Mindhunter
After the streaming wars began, it became clear that services were producing way too much original content. Netflix has canceled a number of beloved shows, but few have caused as much of a stir as Mindhunter. David Fincher's drama was a gripping story, but Netflix won't let Fincher continue with Season 3.
Anne Hathway And James Franco Hosting The Oscars
Finding the right host for ceremonies like the Academy Awards is easier said than done, and there have been some stinkers over the years. Back in 2011 James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosted together, and it was an extremely awkward viewing experience. While the Les Miserables actress was seemingly trying to make it as perfect as can be, that stood in juxtaposition to Franco's laid-back stance.
Separating Lorelai And Rory, Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls ran for seven seasons and continues to have staying power thanks to new audiences streaming the show (and its reboot) on Netflix. However, Season 6 remains controversial for fans because Lorelai and Rory aren't on speaking terms throughout much of it. And that served as an example of a time when Lorelai was the worst.
Season 2, Heroes
The first season of Heroes was a huge success for NBC, offering a unique take on a superhero story. Unfortunately, the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike happened during Season 2, resulting in a disappointing and shorter installment. While the show would continue it never reached its former glory, and many characters and plot lines from Season 2 were abandoned altogether.
Fonzie Jumps The Shark, Happy Days
This moment changed the TV world forever and inspired a new pop culture for the masses. While "jumping the shark" is a phrase used to describe a TV show that goes off the wall, it's something that actually happened during Happy Days' run. Talk about a mistake.
Killing Off McDreamy, Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is one of the longest-running shows of all time and many of the OG fans (as well as the original cast) have dropped off as a result. While it was tough to continue the show without Sandra Oh's Cristina Yang, eventually the show had to write off Patrick Dempsey's Derek Shepherd... by tragically killing him. And for many the show hasn't been the same since.
The Grape Stomping Lady
Journalist Melissa Sander became instantly recognizable thanks to a news blunder she was involved in which became one of YouTube's earliest viral videos. In it, she's stomping on grapes, and suddenly falls and gets the wind knocked out of her. The noises she makes and the instant karma of the video have helped it remain iconic through the years.
Ralph Bohner, WandaVision
WandaVision was wildly popular upon its release on Disney+, especially as we were in the midst of isolating due to the pandemic. Fans were shocked when X-Men star Evan Peters showed up as "Pietro", since Quicksilver was played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the MCU. In the end, this was all a gag, with his character Ralph Bohner being perhaps the show's only misstep.
Lisa Barlow's Hot Mic, The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City
Throughout the many years of The Real Housewives franchise, there have been a few notable hot mic moments. But the most iconic came from RHOSLC's Lisa Barlow, where she went off on a wild rant about Meredith Marks behind closed doors. Unfortunately, her mic was very much still on.
Ashlee Simpson's Performance, SNL
Ashlee Simpson was a popular reality TV star and recording artist in the early aughts, and eventually, she was offered a chance to perform on Saturday Night Live. But Simpson got caught lip-syncing, and that viral moment has continued to haunt her in the years since this infamous performance.
Robert Durst's Bathroom Confession, The Jinx
True crime documentaries are super popular, and The Jinx is one of the best true crime shows on streaming. In the Season 1 finale, after denying having killed anyone, subject Robert Durst went to the bathroom with a hot mic on, where he seemingly confessed to "killing them all."
Flash Sideways, Lost
Lost was super popular during its run on the air, although there's been some debate about how its quality dipped in later years. While the show often used flashbacks to offer context on the characters, the final season featured the controversial flash sideways, imagining a world where Oceanic 815 never crashed. The controversial Lost finale explained this, but not before fans got frustrated.
Killing Tara Offscreen, True Blood
Most shows struggle to stick the landing during their final season, and HBO's True Blood is in a long line of shows with controversial finales. But perhaps the biggest mistake the show made was killing Rutina Wesley's character Tara (who had been there from the very beginning) offscreen. Fans hoped she survived for some of the season before it was clear she was never coming back.
Jennifer Hudson's Early Elimination, American Idol
While Jennifer Hudson is known as one of the biggest success stories to come out of American Idol, she didn't go as far as folks might assume. She actually got seventh place in Season 3 of Idol, before eventually becoming a celebrated recording artist and actress. Talk about a mistake.
Turok-Han Power Levels, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer introduced a new type of blood-drinking villain: the Turok-Han aka Uber Vamps. In their first appearances they're shown to be way more powerful than regular vampires, with even Buffy struggling to take one on. But by Buffy's series finale, even regular humans like Giles and Wood are able to fight them off, as well as the newly activated Potentials.
Will Smith's Oscars Slap
The most memorable thing to come out of the Oscars for years has to be when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage, in a moment that continues to follow his career. The Academy and the network have both caught flak for how they handled this, and how Smith was able to accept the Best Actor Oscar so shortly after the onscreen assault.
Valentina Asks To Keep Her Mask On, RuPaul's Drag Race
Season 9 of Drag Race was a memorable one, and contestant Valentina quickly became a fan favorite. But her most memorable moment was definitely a flub, where she asked to keep her mask on during a lip sync against Nina Bo'nina Brown. Ru insists that she take it off, and it soon becomes clear Valentina simply doesn't know the lyrics to her song.
The Infamous Starbucks Cup, Game Of Thrones
HBO's Game of Thrones was a sensation when it was on the air, even if the final season left something to be desired. But it also went viral for unique reasons, such as the GOT error where a Starbucks cup was visible in Westeros. Oops.
Various Stand-Ins, Friends
Friends ran for a whopping ten seasons, which saw a ton of acclaim come to its star-studded cast. Scheduling was likely a bit of a puzzle at the height of its popularity, which is why fans have spotted several scenes where actors' stand-ins are visible. Hey, it was before we were filming in HD.
The Demogorgon, Stranger Things
Stranger Things is arguably the most popular original show to come out of Netflix since its inception. But that doesn't mean it's perfect, especially related to the use of Dungeons & Dragons lore. Because in Season 1 while the cast references the Demogorgon and even has a figure for the creature, it actually wouldn't be available in the year 1983. Given how passionate D&D fans are, the folks at Netflix probably should have seen this coming.
Maggie's Picture, The Simpsons
Even animated shows could have some goofs, and The Simpsons isn't excluded from this. During the Sixth Season episode "And Maggie Makes Three" we see Marge and Homer talk about her being pregnant with the titular baby. But despite her not being born yet, we can see a photo of Maggie on the wall.
Bin Ladin Reference, Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is considered one of the best TV dramas ever, and continues to be a re-watchable show. But it's not without error, especially when it referenced Osama Bin Laden's 2011 death, despite it only being around 2007 in the show.
Erica Hahn's Story, Grey's Anatomy
Throughout its long run on the air, we've seen plenty of characters come and go on Grey's Anatomy. But few characters got the shaft as bad as Brooke Smith's Erica Hahn aka one of the most iconic LGBTQ+ Grey's characters. Shortly after dating Callie and giving a gorgeous monologue about realizing she was gay, she was promptly written off the show in favor of Arizona Robbins.
Rose's Education Level, The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is one of the best sitcoms of all time, and has truly aged like fine wine. However, there were some discrepancies throughout its run, particularly when it comes to the education level of Betty White's Rose. In some episodes, she claims to be the valedictorian of her high school, while in others it's said she dropped out and instead got a GED.
Josh's Age, Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an iconic piece of '90s culture, one that many millennial fans grew up on. But there were a few head-scratchers/mistakes in the comedy, especially related to the age of Cory's younger brother Josh. One season he's a baby, and then he mysteriously ages to about 5 years old without anyone acknowledging how.
