20 Inconsistencies and Plot Holes in Your Favorite TV Shows That You Might Have Missed

Some TV shows are so beloved that fans barely notice when the details stop lining up. A character ages too slowly, a name changes without explanation, or a storyline quietly disappears, and the show keeps rolling anyway.

That is part of the fun, though, because long-running series are constantly juggling new plots, new characters, and old continuity. By the time a show reaches its hundredth episode, even small mistakes can slip through.

Here are 20 inconsistencies and plot holes from popular TV shows that viewers still talk about. Read on.

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.

The CW

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

NBCUniversal

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

NBCUniversal

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

NBCUniversal

That one changed the whole tone of the show.

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.

HBO

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

Fox

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

NBCUniversal

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

NBCUniversal

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

NBCUniversal

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.

NBCUniversal

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

NBCUniversal

Fans definitely noticed this one.

And that awkward rent math feels like a roommate split where uninvited guests keep showing up.

9. SpongeBob - In a Season 2 episode, SpongeBob trips, resulting in many Krabby Patties landing in Squidward's mouth. However, Squidward claims to have never tried a Krabby Patty in Season 3.

Nickelodeon

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

The CW

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.

ABC

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

CBS

13. The Big Bang Theory - In Season 1, Howard has no knowledge that 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.

CBS

That flashback made things messier, not clearer.

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.

Fox

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.

Fox

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.

Disney

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.

NBCUniversal

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.

NBCUniversal

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

ABC / courtesy Everett Collection

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

The CW

Long-running shows always leave a few loose ends behind.

For more behind-the-scenes confusion, see why Boy Meets World blocked Danielle Fishel from showing her arms in the last season.