20 Inconsistencies And Plot Holes In Your Favorite TV Shows That You Might Have Missed

Have you noticed anything strange about the way the characters from “Friends” age?

Damjan

• Published in Film & TV
• May 18, 2022

There's nothing like watching a well-written TV show with a good storyline and believable characters, whether you prefer drama, comedy, psychological thrillers, or action-packed sci-fi. However, some TV shows have storylines that are so poor that they break our suspension of disbelief, and neither the score nor the actors' performances can redeem the situation.

On the other hand, some shows are so great that they suck you in and you don't even pay attention to some inconsistencies. That makes a good show - when you care about the characters and not some minor insignificant details.

However, some details are hard to miss, like those character age inconsistencies in Friends, or people reappearing with completely different names in Gilmore Girls and Full House. The thing with TV shows and series is that they are sort of interactive.

This means that the writers are listening to the audience’s reactions and writing the script accordingly. Also, no show is planned to last for five, seven, or ten seasons – the writers have only a season or two written when they start.

And when you are writing a hundredth episode, it is hard to remember everything. We've compiled a list of 20 plot holes and inconsistencies in highly popular TV shows.

Obviously, they didn't ruin them. Take a look at our list and tell us what you think:

1. Gilmore Girls - In the second episode, a character introduces himself as "Mick." Four episodes later, the same character takes the name "Kirk" and keeps it throughout the series.

2. The Office pilot - Michael claims to have worked for Dunder Mifflin for 12 years. Michael claims to be celebrating his 15th year with the organization in Season 5, four years later.

3. The Office - Pam's mother first introduced in Season 2, but she is an entirely different person when she reappears for Jim and Pam's wedding in Season 6.

4. The Office - Pam claims she used to lie to get out of volleyball in high school, but it was later uncovered that she competed in the sport throughout college.

5. Sex and the City - Characters used to break the fourth wall by speaking directly to the camera, but by the end of Season 2, the series had abandoned those mockumentary-style interviews.

6. That '70s Show - Tina, Donna's younger sister, appears in only one episode of Season 1 and is never referenced again.

7. Friends - Rachel and Chandler were introduced to each other three times as if they had never met before, once in the present day and twice in flashbacks.

8. Friends - The characters' ages are very inconsistent throughout the show.

Ross is 29 in Season 3, but in Season 5 he's not yet 30.

Monica says she is 26 in Season 1 but turns 30 in Season 7 — she's only aged four years over the course of seven seasons.

Joey, who claims to be 25 in the first season and thus the group's youngest member, turns 30 before Rachel.

9. SpongeBob trips in a Season 2 episode, resulting in many Krabby Patties landing in Squidward's mouth. Squidward, on the other hand, claims to have never tried a Krabby Patty in Season 3.

10. Dan provides Gossip Girl suggestions and is always surprised by fresh posts, despite the fact that he was Gossip Girl the entire time.

11. Full House - Jesse's last name was initially "Cochran," but in Season 2 it was changed to "Katsopolis."

John Stamos asked for the change so his character would reflect his Greek heritage.

12. The Nanny - After the first episode, the Sheffield mansion has a different design and layout.

13. The Big Bang Theory - In Season 1, Howard has no knowledge the elevator is malfunctioning. However, it is revealed in a Season 3 flashback that Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj were the ones who caused the elevator to break down in the first place.

14. The X-Files - In a Season 5 flashback episode, Mulder is seen wearing a wedding band, but the show makes no mention of him ever being married.

15. New Girl - Jess confesses to Winston that she is claustrophobic, even locking herself in a closet and screaming for help. However, Jess hides in a closet with many characters and has no panic attack just one episode later.

16. Hannah Montana - Miley Stewart's father, Robby Ray also claims to be Hannah Montana's father. Despite this, no one can figure out that Miley and Hannah are the same person.

17. Cheers - Frasier said his father was a scientist and that he is dead. However, in the spinoff Frasier, Martin Crane is very much alive and was a retired cop, not a scientist.

18.The Golden Girls - Blanche said that she had four children, but as the series unfolds, it becomes clear that she has six: four boys and two daughters.

19. Family Matters - Judy vanished after Season 4, and the Winslow family never provided an explanation for her disappearance.

20. Riverdale -Jason and Cheryl Blossom are twins, however they are in separate school grades.

Writing a good script for a TV show is hard, especially when it's for a show that’s been airing for several years. Many characters pass through the show and many things happen.

It simply starts to take too much effort to keep track of everything some character ever said. That’s how we end up with people who skipped volleyball in high school but were active players in college, or people who age only four years instead of seven.

But we don’t mind those inconsistencies, don’t we?

Damjan