There's nothing more annoying than watching an episode of your favorite TV show, only to find that there's a major plot hole. More often than not, most TV shows play fast and loose with their own continuity: Characters forget skills they learned just a few episodes prior or go missing altogether.
That's why the few shows on TV that excel at maintaining their own continuity should be applauded. The following shows pay astonishing attention to even the smallest detail, much to the delight of their long-term fans.
"Psych"
Surprisingly for a comedy series, "Psych" is one of the most detail-oriented shows on TV today. Nearly every single plot point, no matter how minor, has been referenced in a later episode. Even minor things like props get brought back in later episodes, creating the appearance of a thoughtfully crafted show.
There are dozens of examples, from the lady who keeps a framed photo of Chad in her home (Chad being the character Shawn played on a telenovela in the previous season), to the museum episode, where Shawn references the cat he gave McNab two seasons ago. And in "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark," Henry pulls out a newspaper clipping that was first seen all the way back in Season 1's "Spellingg Bee."
Has there been a more perfectly constructed sitcom in recent memory? The attention to detail in "AD" is obsessive, with nearly every single character, location, and plot point becoming of paramount importance by the end of the series. The attention to detail is even more impressive when you consider that in its original run, "Arrested Development" received shortened episode orders for both the second and third seasons, throwing off the plans of the show's creators.
Sadly, what made the show great was also what made it fail: So much of the enjoyability of watching the show came from the continuity-based in-jokes, so new viewers often found it hard to follow the story.
Everything that happens in "Breaking Bad" happens for a reason. Whether it's Walt's habit of making sandwiches with the crusts cut off or a discussion about vomiting, everything always comes back full circle on "Breaking Bad." So that vial of ricin Walt's been holding on to for so long… expect for it to be deployed when the show returns in 2013.
