10 TV Shows That Got Science Completely Wrong

8. Forensic Science - CSI

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CBS

There are a LOT of shows guilty of this particular science sin, but CSI has the gall to put it right in the name, so it gets to be the poster boy.

CSI and all of its many spin-offs and copycats like to treat forensic science as some kind of magic to instantly solve any mystery it faces, and all in a 45-minute timeframe. In truth, while not 100% useless, CSI and forensic science are mostly just another tool in law enforcement's tool set.

While some of it can be forgivable for the same reason that The X-Files entry is forgivable, made with the intent of fitting into a 45-minute time slot, some of the methods of coming to a conclusion are downright laughable. Especially since these shows took place in the early 2000s. Sorry, but DNA testing in 2004 was nowhere near as fast as you seem inexplicably convinced it is.

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John Tibbetts is a novelist in theory, a Whatculture contributor in practice, and a nerd all around who loves talking about movies, TV, anime, and video games more than he loves breathing. Which might be a problem in the long term, but eh, who can think that far ahead?