Top 10 Plot Holes That Keep Us up at Night

“The Walking Dead” (2010-22)
Zombie apocalypses are world-ending in many ways. This acclaimed series does a good job showing the realistic effects of such a fallout in compelling ways. However, it does cheat in at least one respect. Characters travel all over the Atlanta, Georgia region without seeming to worry about gas for their cars, or even how easily gas can degrade. Only in Season 9 do we find out that some characters have been making their own ethanol via dead corn crops. Better late than never, but it does beg a question: were bicycles really not an option?

“The Sopranos” (1999-2007)
Yes, even this show has its fair share of plot holes. But we find one hole in particular the most glaring. While Livia is living in a retirement community, she finds out that Tony has decided to sell her home. Tony initially tells the retirement home staff member that his mother’s house went into escrow, but he ends the conversation asking Livia be told that [“her house sold and they accepted the counter offer.”] This leads a bitter Livia to attempt to enact revenge on her son. But in the first episode of Season 2, Tony tells his sister Janice that he just put her house on the market. In the end, Tony ends up keeping the house after all. It’s a strange retcon, or perhaps a continuity error, and yet it’s still one of the many enduring mysteries of this seminal series.

“Friends” (1994-2004)
You’d think for a show about a bunch of friends, called “Friends,” we’d know how everyone… became friends. Okay, that’s the last time we’ll say “friends.” In the pilot episode of the series, Rachel makes her grand entrance into Central Perk, reuniting with her former bestie Monica after having run out on her wedding. Monica introduces her to her crew, including Chandler– Ross’s longtime friend, who we later learn has met Rachel many times before the events of the first episode. So, why don’t they recognize one another? Perhaps the writers hadn’t figured out everyone’s backstories quite yet, and later hoped that we wouldn’t notice!

“Scrubs” (2001-10)
The close relationship between these friends is the heart of many touching and hilarious moments in the show. But how did these best bros first meet? In Season 2, we see JD dorkily introducing himself to Turk while entering the room. But in Season 4, a different flashback altogether shows Turk showing up to what’s seemingly JD’s dorm, with a (still) dorky JD reciprocating. This can’t be the case of two entirely different perspectives, like what JD thinks and what Turk says about what happened between Turk and JD’s girlfriend Stacy. Either one or the other happened. At least these two kept the bromance going though!

“Pretty Little Liars” (2010-17)
Fans of this mystery teen drama have always been confused about when, and how exactly, Marion Cavanaugh died. The story goes that Toby was still a kid when it happened. However ,in Season 4, we’re treated to a flashback of her son Toby and Alison as teenagers about to lock lips. In that scene, Marion was clearly still alive. But in Season 6, it’s discovered that Bethany Young killed Marion, framing a young CeCe Drake for the murder. On top of that, CeCe is over 6 years older than Alison, so the timeline doesn’t add up. Considering that Season 4 concerned Toby investigating his mother’s death, this appears to be a grave oversight.

“Gossip Girl” (2007-12)
The identity of this mysterious gossip blogger had been hotly theorized by fans throughout the show’s run. Unfortunately, the long-awaited reveal was highly disappointing. Dan Humphrey being Gossip Girl does suit his outsider type character. In-universe, however, the revelation has many holes and begs many questions. For one thing, he always seemed surprised by Gossip Girl’s blasts, even when he was alone without an audience. For another, his sister Jenny had been cruelly targeted by Gossip Girl before. It would have been out of character for Dan to slander her, considering his protectiveness towards her. All in all, it’s a very confusing choice.

“The Office” (2005-13)
The mockumentary aspect of this iconic sitcom still holds up, at least better than similar shows who tried their hand at it. But when it becomes time for the employees at Dunder Mifflin to get to watch this years-long project, it becomes an instant controversy. Why? They obviously knew there were cameras there in the first place. We suppose with the way this bunch carried on that perhaps they just forgot about them after a while, and/or they just didn’t realize how much of the last years of their lives would be captured on film. Also, the reason why the documentary was being made in the first place was never clear. The show’s writers stated it was due to an employee’s death but that, too, doesn’t really make sense overall. Some mysteries are better left as such.

“Heroes” (2005-10)
This superhero drama had some plot holes, especially the origins of Claire’s powers, which are a little unclear. We’re told in the pilot episode that Claire’s self-healing prowess manifested in adolescence. Later on in the season, however, Claire reunites with her biological mother, who tells her she thought her daughter had died in the fire. Claire both tells and shows Meredith that she believes she survived thanks to her healing abilities. However, if Claire’s powers had already manifested when she was a baby, then why did they seemingly become dormant, only to reemerge later during puberty? We’re not even going to touch on Claire’s healing blood.

“Prison Break” (2005-09)
There are many, many plot holes and inconsistencies in this crime drama. Perhaps the most egregious is Brad Bellick being framed and then arrested for the murder of Roy Geary. The captain’s violent voicemail clearly made it easy for T-Bag to set him up. But the fact still stands that Bellick was at the hospital during the time of the murder. It would have been a very easy thing to prove, so there was no way Bellick should have been convicted. Were the police that incompetent? Did no one give Bellick a decent lawyer? It’s frustrating, all right.

“Riverdale” (2017-23)
Okay, so perhaps this isn’t a show that you’d expect good continuity from. Or even particularly strong writing. “Riverdale” seems to almost pride itself on its pulpy surrealism and nonsensical plot lines. Still, we must recount some of the ways in which this series had all our brains melting. For one, there is the teenaged Jughead becoming the King of the dangerous gang of criminals known as the Southside Serpents, with Cheryl joining in. There are countless discrepancies regarding the ages of the characters. And then there’s that time the characters find themselves in an alternate universe, with the town now known as Rivervale. This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink storyline had even its fans scratching their heads to make sense of it all. But alas, it was all in vain..

Which other TV series had you tripping over its many plot holes? Let us know in the comments down below!