The CW Television Network is home to a lot of popular TV shows. Named The CW due to its parent organizations CBS and Warner Bros., the network was created in 2006. Since then, the station has widely been known for their several superhero shows such as Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, but there were dozens of popular shows that were around prior to the Arrowverse starting in 2012.
The CW has created several shows in all genres, including crime, action, and romance. Even though the television industry is a competitive business, The CW has managed to become a success with its shows lasting for several seasons, and some even getting the revival treatment. Despite the fact that many of these shows have huge fanbases, there are always mistakes that slip past cinematographers and editors that result in shows having continuity and production errors.
Since these mistakes don’t take away too much from the actual content of the show most of the time, most fans don't pick up on most of these mistakes. Some shows have more mistakes than others, but it is pretty rare to find a show that doesn’t have any continuity or production errors.
Without further ado, here are the 30 Mistakes Fans Completely Missed In CW Shows.
Fake Money? - Riverdale
In 2016, The CW attempted to create a live-action television show based on the Archie comic books from the 1940s. The show became a massive hit and is currently in its third season, but one continuity error came in the very first episode of the show.
In the series premiere, Veronica Lodge’s mom named Hermione opens a bag of cash. Almost all TV shows and movies use fake cash for scenes like this; however, the phrase “Motion Picture Use Only” usually isn’t seen in the shots. The filmmakers on Riverdale didn’t catch it, but one of the stacks of cash clearly states “Motion Picture Use Only.”
He’s Not Supposed To Be There - Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is one show that was so popular in its initial run that it was given a revival series on Netflix, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. The original series ran on The WB, which would later turn into The CW. Even though the original series was beloved by fans, it still had a lot of mistakes.
One of these errors came in season 1 episode 17, when a couple of the characters go to Luke’s Diner. When Lorelai and Rory are trying to go to the restaurant, the reflection of a cameraman can be seen on the glass door of the restaurant.
When Was Mystic Falls Built? - The Vampire Diaries
Around the time that vampires were all the rage, The CW released The Vampire Diaries. The show revolves around Elena Gilbert, who had to choose between two vampiric brothers named Damon and Stefan Salvatore. The Vampire Diaries took place in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, which had a history of vampires, witches, and werewolves.
While Mystic Falls has been around for a while, the exact amount of time is still a mystery. In season 1 episode 1, a sign at the cemetery says that the city was built in 1792, but it was later established in the show that the town was built in the 1860s.
London Looks A Lot Different - Nikita
Nikita was a short, yet well-received show for The CW. The series only got three seasons, but it packed a punch while it was on the air. The show followed Nikita around the world, as she tried to take down the organization known as Division. One of the episodes took place in London, but it quickly becomes clear that the episode wasn’t actually filmed there.
During a chase scene in this episode, the traffic lights and road markings are clearly from the U.D. The cars are even driving on the right side of the road. If they were really in London, the cars should have been driving on the left-hand side of the road.
Playing An Impossible Game - Legends Of Tomorrow
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is no doubt one of the weirdest superhero shows The CW has pumped out in recent years. However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the characters often time travel and have incredibly unique storylines. In season 1 episode 9, Ray, Sara, and Kendra get stranded in the 1950s and decide to play the board game Life to pass the time.
While The Game of Life was created in 1860 by Milton Bradley, the gang are seen playing a more modern version of the game. The first versions of Life were more of a checkered based game, which definitely isn’t what the characters are playing in the show.
Confusing Jack the Ripper With H.H. Holmes - Supernatural
Supernatural is currently one of The CW’s longest running TV series. The show has been on for 14 seasons now, and hit its 300th episode this year. Like most TV shows, Supernatural has suffered from good and bad storylines, but is still generally well received.
Early on in the series, in season 2 episode 6 to be exact, Dean and Sam run into the ghost of H.H. Holmes. In one scene, Sam and Dean are showing the character Jo pictures of Holmes’ victims, however, the last victim is not his. The last image they show is actually one of Jack the Ripper’s victims.
Brainy Isn’t So Smart - Supergirl
Supergirl may have not originated on The CW, but the network picked the show up starting with season 2 after it moved from CBS. The CW has been responsible for shaping the character of Kara Zor-El and also introducing several new characters to the show, including Brainy, aka Querl Dox or Brainiac 5.
While the character is supposed to be super smart, he apparently doesn’t count very well. In Supergirl season 4 episode 2, Brainy orders 12 pizzas from a pizza shop. However, he only walks out of the store with only 5 boxes.
Oliver Is A Straight Shooter - Arrow
Arrow might not be The CW’s first ever superhero show, but without the success of Arrow, shows like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl probably would never have happened. The Arrow’s real name is Oliver Queen, and he sometimes has dark streaks, but he is still seen as a hero for Starling City.
In season 5 episode 9 of the show, Arrow goes up against Prometheus. When he shoots an arrow at the character, the scene begins a slow-motion effect, which shows the arrow flying in a completely straight line. In reality, however, arrows slightly wobble back and forth when they are fired from a bow.
Iris Doesn’t Know How To Use A Phone - The Flash
It is no secret that for many superhero movies and shows, technology now plays a big role in helping heroes fight crime. Some of this technology is implemented into weapons and gadgets that haven’t even been invented yet, but not everyone is great with it. For example, Iris West doesn’t even know how to use a phone.
In The Flash season 3 episode 22, Iris is using her iPhone to record a message for Barry, but is clearly just watching a video. For one, her fingers are over the microphone and camera, so even if she was recording, Barry wouldn’t have been able to see any video or hear any audio. To make matters even worse, the record button is on the wrong end of the phone, which is clearly a continuity error.
An Unnatural Baby Bump - One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill is one television series that predated The CW. Originally airing from 2003 to 2012, One Tree Hill ran for a total of 188 episodes. Bethany Joy Lenz starred in each episode. The actress played the character Haley James Scott, and her character becomes pregnant for the first time in season 4.
In episode 13 of that season, however, the actress’ fake pregnancy pad can be seen peeking out from the bottom of her shirt. The actress wasn’t really pregnant while filming season 4, but was pregnant with her first child while filming season 8, when her character became pregnant for the second time.
An Indestructible Porsche - Smallville
Before The CW started their new superhero shows that are a part of the so-called Arrowverse, The CW was home to Smallville. Running for an impressive ten seasons, Smallville showed the teenage years of Clark Kent, aka Superman, in Smallville, Kansas. While the show had continuity errors here and there during its decade-long run, one of the first clearly noticeable errors come in the series premiere.
In season 1 episode 1, Lex Luthor answers his phone while driving and gets into a car accident with his Porsche. The car slams into Clark and crashes through the bridge, but when the car falls into the water, there is clearly not any damage to the front of the vehicle.
Of Course She’s Talking To You - Gossip Girl
While Ryan Reynolds is a Hollywood A-lister today, his wife Blake Lively was incredibly popular during her time on Gossip Girl. The show was a romance that lasted for six seasons and revolved around privileged teenagers living in New York.
One of the characters on the show was named Dan Humphrey and was played by Penn Badgley. In season 4 episode 4, Dan is talking to Serena and says the line, “I saw you talking to Dan,” but he should have said the name Nate instead of his own name.
Disappearing Cards - Riverdale
The teens on Riverdale no doubt live a more adventurous life than many teenagers get to experience. While that is what makes the show interesting, the characters also do things that normal teenagers do like playing card games and hanging out with their friends.
In season 2 episode 14, Jughead and Archie are playing cards, which are scattered across the table. In the next shot when Betty and Veronica enter the room, the cards completely disappear from the table. Sure they could have put the cards away real quick, but it is highly unlikely they would have been able to accomplish that in a split second.
Flash’s Missing Cowl - The Flash
Most superheroes in comic books, movies, and TV shows keep their identities a secret to protect their loved ones from their arch-enemies. That being said, almost every superhero has revealed their identity at one point or another, and Barry Allen did just that in season 3 episode 9.
In order to get Julian Albert to trust him, Barry pulls his cowl down to reveal his true identity. His cowl can be seen around his neck in most scenes, but when Barry gets close to Julian’s cell, his cowl is missing completely.
An Odd Celebratory Selfie - iZombie
Jumping on the popularity of zombies, The CW created iZombie in 2015. The series has gotten fairly good reviews thus far, and will be premiering its fifth season in 2019. iZombie isn’t like normal zombie stories, however, since the main character Liv actually works with Seattle PD to help solve crimes.
In season 2 episode 12, Liv takes a celebratory selfie with her teeth showing as she takes the picture. With that in mind, the image shown on her phone shows a picture of Liv with her mouth now closed.
When Was Robert Queen Born? - Arrow
Actor Jamey Sheridan didn’t have a very big role on Arrow, but he played Oliver Queen’s father Robert. Robert was the founder and CEO of Queen Consolidated as well as a member of Tempest. Robert ended his own life after the yacht accident so that Oliver could survive, meaning he was no longer living in 2007.
When his family visits his tombstone in the second episode of season 1, it says that he was born in 1958, but this contradicts a previous episode. In the series premiere, a news report says that Robert was born in 1948. While this is a simple continuity error, a ten year difference to a person’s birth year is quite significant.
Ray Picks Up The Apollo 11 Flag - Legends Of Tomorrow
Any movie or TV show that deals with time travel is bound to have some type of continuity error. Since DC’s Legends of Tomorrow often deals with historical events, the show is riddled with these types of errors. One big error came in season 2 episode 14 when Ray is trapped on the moon.
Ray is seen picking up the U.S. flag from the Apollo 11 mission, but Buzz Aldrin confirmed that the flag blew over when their aircraft took off in 1969. In a show filled with aliens and other creatures, though, whose to say an alien didn’t travel to the moon to set the flag upright again?
A Traveling Wound - The 100
The 100 is a sci-fi mystery that is set in a post-apocalyptic world. A ship with the last known humans are sent back to Earth to repopulate the planet, but things don’t go according to plan. During the season 3 finale in May 2016 titled “Perverse Instantiation: Part Two”, the character Jasper injures his left leg, which is bandaged by the conclusion of the show.
When the show returned in February 2017, the show picked back up the stories of Jasper and the other characters, only it seems the wardrobe department forgot that Jasper needed a bandage on his left leg, not his right.
A Missing Wendigo - Supernatural
The creature known as a Wendigo may not have originated on Supernatural, but the first season did center an episode around one. A Wendigo is a mythical monster based on native folklore.
While the second episode of the show focused on a Wendigo, the creature was seen again in season 1 episode 10 when Dean is referencing his father’s journal. A picture of a Wendigo can be seen in the pages of the journal in one scene, but when Dean references the same page later on in the episode, the image of the Wendigo is missing.
Vicki’s Bandage - The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries has many memorable characters, but Vicki Donovan was only a recurring character during the first season. Actress Kayla Ewell would return to the show periodically for a few episodes at a time, but her character had the most screen time during season 1 of The Vampire Diaries.
During season 1 episode 2, Viki wakes up from a nightmare and a bandage can be seen on the right side of her neck. Later on in the episode, her wound has seemingly switched to the other side of her neck. When Vicki goes to the grill, her bandage is now on the left side of her neck.