7 Glaring TV Show Plot Holes That Still Bother Us Years Later

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Even the most captivating story or well-loved character can be ruined by a plot hole. These inconsistencies can be small details that don’t quite add up, or a character acting in a way that doesn’t make sense given what we already know about them. While writers don’t intentionally create these errors, it’s surprising when they slip past all the people involved in making the show – often hundreds or even thousands – before it’s broadcast.

What’s often more frustrating than a simple plot mistake is the intense focus it receives from fans. Plot holes usually happen accidentally and should be easy to overlook. However, they often aren’t, because fans start to speculate about how these errors might change the established story or encourage deeper, analytical thinking instead of just enjoying the narrative. Marvel famously acknowledged this tendency by sending fans who spotted inconsistencies a blank envelope labeled a “No Prize.” The issues discussed here aren’t like those harmless errors – they haven’t been easily dismissed, and instead, they continue to bother us long after we’ve noticed them.

7) Game of Thrones

It’s become common to criticize the final season of Game of Thrones, but much of the negative reaction was justified. The last episodes featured strange storytelling decisions and inconsistencies that didn’t align with the show’s established themes. A particularly noticeable plot hole appeared early in the final season, despite years of established history that could have prevented it.

With the Night King and his army of the dead approaching Winterfell, the plan was to keep non-fighters safe by hiding them in the crypts. However, this seemed risky, considering the Night King’s ability to resurrect the dead – something Jon Snow had already seen happen. Ironically, Jon Snow was the one who suggested the crypts as a hiding place, and as you might expect, things didn’t go well down there once the Night King arrived.

6) American Horror Story

As a longtime viewer, I’ve noticed that while each season of American Horror Story feels like a completely fresh start – often reusing familiar faces in new roles – there’s a subtle, overarching mythology at play. It’s fun to see connections hinted at, and occasionally, characters or concepts do cross over. However, the show isn’t afraid to prioritize a good story right now over maintaining a perfectly consistent timeline. Basically, don’t get too hung up on plot holes – the creators will happily sacrifice continuity for the sake of a compelling narrative.

The season AHS: Hotel establishes that James March influenced several notorious serial killers, like Charles Manson, the Zodiac Killer, John Wayne Gacy, and Richard Ramirez – all of whom appear as ghosts, even stating when they died (Ramirez says 2013). Interestingly, Ramirez reappears in AHS: 1984, haunting Camp Redwood before ultimately being killed again and trapped there as a ghost forever. While the show sometimes loosely connects storylines across seasons, this contradiction is noticeable because the series generally tries to maintain a consistent internal history.

5) Breaking Bad

Generally, Breaking Bad is a very tightly plotted and well-made drama, especially when it comes to its overall story. However, the show’s timeline can get a bit confusing. While the series aired from 2008 to 2013, the events within the show only cover a two-year period, from 2008 to 2010. This leads to some errors, most notably a reference to the death of Osama bin Laden. In an episode that takes place in 2009, a character named Jack Welker comments that killing bin Laden wasn’t as difficult as the hits Walt orders on inmates. The issue is that bin Laden wasn’t actually killed until 2011, two years later.

4) Sherlock

Okay, so the Sherlock finale… wow. It’s honestly one of the most frustrating episodes they ever did. It felt like they were rewriting things as we watched, with reveals that just didn’t quite fit and made you question everything that came before. The core of it was this big showdown with Sherlock and his newly-introduced sister, Eurus, who was seriously intense. Things get pretty dire – she chains John Watson to the bottom of a well, and it starts filling with water! He does get rescued, but honestly, the way it happens… it just doesn’t make sense. A random rope just falls down the well and he climbs up? Seriously? After everything, that’s how they ended the whole series? It felt like the most glaring plot hole of the entire show, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.

3) Dexter

The show Dexter often relies on unlikely events to protect its main character, and the storyline involving Joey Quinn in Season 5 is a prime example. Quinn gets suspicious of Dexter and starts investigating him, uncovering some concerning information. However, he surprisingly abandons his investigation as he becomes more involved with Dexter’s sister. Even when he later helps clear Dexter’s name in a murder case, he seems to confirm his initial suspicions about Dexter’s true nature. The issue was never addressed when Quinn reappeared in Dexter: New Blood, leaving that plotline unresolved.

2) Stranger Things

Fans have been criticizing the writing in the latest season of Stranger Things, but a plot hole actually goes back to Season 2. That season introduced “Demodogs,” which are young Demogorgons. In the Season 2 finale, Dustin and Steve put a dead Demodog in the Byers’ fridge to study. Strangely, the dead monster is never mentioned again, even though the Byers family continues to use the fridge. While a comic book tried to explain what happened to it, the show itself never addressed it.

1) The Walking Dead

With so many shows and hundreds of episodes, The Walking Dead universe struggles with consistency. A major issue is the changing rules surrounding the zombie infection and how it works. For example, the method of disguising oneself from zombies – initially needing to be covered in zombie guts or skin – has become less and less consistent throughout the series.

A major element of The Walking Dead is that everyone eventually turns into a zombie after they die, even if they weren’t bitten. This means that any deceased person should reanimate as a zombie, unless their brain is damaged. However, the show doesn’t always follow this rule, with instances of dead bodies remaining lifeless or characters dying without immediately turning.

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2026-03-07 20:17