Jumping the shark

Jumping the shark is a metaphor that has been used by US TV critics and fans to denote the tipping point at which a TV series is deemed to have passed its peak. Once a show has "jumped the shark," fans sense a noticeable decline in quality or feel the show has undergone too many changes to retain its original charm.

The phrase specifically arises from a scene in the hit TV comedy series Happy Days in which the central character, Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli, on water skis, literally jumps over a shark. The scene was written into the show at a point when the viewing ratings were beginning to drop, and it is generally regarded as the creative low-point at which the show finally lost all credibility. A show may continue well after the point when fans feel it has "jumped the shark" but will likely decline in popularity.

Jump-the-shark moments may be scenes like the one described above that finally convince viewers that the show has fundamentally and permanently strayed from its original premise. In those cases, they are viewed as a desperate and futile attempt to keep a series fresh in the face of a decline in ratings. In other cases, the departure or replacement of a main cast member or character or a significant change in setting changes a critical dynamic of the show.

The term has also evolved to describe other areas of pop culture, including movie series, music, or acting celebrities or authors for whom a drastic change was seen as the beginning of the end. These changes are often attempts to attract their fans' waning attention with over-the-top statements or increasingly overt appeals to sex or violence (see circling the drain). Some have broadened its use to simply describe any decline in viewer appeal for the TV series in question, without requiring a significant "jump the shark" moment as justification.

Origin

The phrase refers to a scene in a three-part episode of the American TV series, Happy Days, first broadcast on September 20, 1977. In the "Hollywood" episode, Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swim trunks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a penned-in shark while water skiing.

Many have noted the shark episode as the moment when they realized the show was no longer worth watching, considering the scene to be unrealistic and of poor quality, making it impossible to maintain suspension of disbelief. Even before "jumping the shark" was employed as a pop culture term, the episode in question was cited many times as an example of what can happen to otherwise high-quality shows when they stay on the air too long in the face of waning interest. Producer Garry Marshall later admitted that he knew the show had lost something as the crew prepared to shoot the scene. However, as he pointed out in the reunion special that aired on February 3, 2005, Happy Days went on to produce approximately 100 more episodes after the "jumping the shark" episode. During the same special, in response to an audience member's question, Marshall introduced the notorious clip and noted how the show had inspired the term.

The first verifiable use of the phrase as a direct metaphor was on December 24, 1997, when Jon Hein's website jumptheshark.com was launched. According to the site, the phrase was first coined by Hein's college roommate, Sean J. Connolly, in 1985. On June 20, 2006, Hein (who now works for The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio) sold his company, Jump The Shark, Inc., to Gemstar (owners of TV Guide)."Gemstar-TV Guide Acquires Jump the Shark", press release, Jun. 21, 2006 Officially, the sale price was reported as "over $1 million"."Jon 'The Millionaire' Hein", marksfriggin.com, Jun. 21, 2006 However, there is some speculation that the actual sale price may have been considerably higher.

In print, the term first appeared in the May 29, 1998 Jerusalem Post newspaper article, "It's All Downhill," written by Jeff Abramowitz.

More recently, the phrase has been used outside the realm of popular culture, representing anything that has reached its peak and has turned mediocre. For example, if one thinks a stock or a sports team has reached its peak, one can say that it has "jumped the shark."

On December 22, 1963, the Bonanza episode, "Hoss and the Leprechauns", aired, in which Hoss Cartwright (Dan Blocker) meets a leprechaun. Several viewers have logged on to jumptheshark.com and noted that the phenomenon now known as "jumping the shark" was once called "seeing the leprechaun."

Jumping the shark in episodic media

Prototypical jump-the-shark moments

A "jump-the-shark" moment is usually specific to what makes a series popular, or to a show's original premise. Common scenes or situations listed below only qualify as "shark-jumping" moments when they cross a line that, in retrospect, can be cited as a sign of that show's decline. Series can recover from most examples listed below, and many popular shows negotiate major cast changes and remain successful. However drastic changes alter the chemistry of the show. When this chemistry is upset in some significant way and the series has difficulty recovering from the changes, they become "jump-the-shark" moments.

Just because a moment appears on this list does not necessarily mean that the series it appears in has jumped the shark. Each series is different and a lot depends on the execution. Also relevant are differences in viewer tastes — what may constitute a shark-jumping moment to one viewer will not necessarily be seen that way by another. Sometimes, an episode considered to have "jumped the shark" that is followed by a string of adequate or good episodes may be overlooked as a simple writing slump.

Soap operas will often use several of these ploys repeatedly, yet (perhaps by their very nature) manage to maintain their loyal viewers.

Typical moments may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Format

Changing the format of the series' episodes, such as moving from stand-alone episodes to arc storytelling, or vice-versa. Examples include the final season of Batman when the series shifted from two-episode stories to single-episode stories.
A game show making a significant change to the show's rules, or airing more celebrity episodes and fewer "real people" episodes (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Weakest Link).

Premise

When the key premise of the series is altered (e.g., the shift of M*A*S*H from pure comedy to politically oriented drama).
A female character becomes pregnant and eventually gives birth (e.g., Friends, Murphy Brown).
Main characters have sex after an extended period of sexual tension between them (e.g., Moonlighting, Northern Exposure).
Main characters marry after a tempestuous relationship (e.g., I Dream of Jeannie, The Nanny).
Main characters divorce after a tempestuous marriage (e.g., Lionel Jefferson and Jenny Willis on The Jeffersons).
A running gag popular with fans has ended (e.g., when the adults met Big Bird's "imaginary friend" Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street).
When the detective hero has to investigate an old friend/member of his family.
When characters who were written out of the show somehow make an unexpected return (Rita Repulsa in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Season 2).

Setting

Change in the principal setting of the show, either permanently or as the theme of a series of episodes (e.g., on The Drew Carey Show, when Drew changes jobs and is inexplicably accompanied by his hated assistant Mimi and boss Mr. Wick; on Laverne & Shirley when all the main characters move from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, Coach moving from Minnesota to Florida)
Loss of a key prop or location or extensive remodeling of one of the main locations (e.g., the fire at Arnold's in Happy Days).
When the show is in an academic setting, the main characters graduate and the setting changes from high school to a university (e.g., Beverly Hills 90210, Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World).

Individual episodes

The "very special episode", in which a sitcom or drama addresses a social issue in a forced or awkward way, such as drug addiction, child abuse, or racism (e.g. Nancy Reagan's appearance on Diff'rent Strokes).
Uncharacteristic use of surrealism.
The crossover episode with other series (e.g. ER and Third Watch, Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens).
Use of a plot device which is regarded as a cliché, such as a stories involving the evil twin of a main character, amnesia, or the characters producing a film with a camera.
Poor use of retroactive continuity (e.g., the "shower scene" involving Patrick Duffy's return to Dallas or Roseanne's winning of the lottery retconned as her novel).
The resolution of a story arc or cliffhanger with a disappointing resolution. Examples include the "shower scene" on Dallas, and the Moldavian Wedding Massacre on Dynasty.
The "Vacation" episode(s) (e.g., Family Ties in London; the Barones' in Italy on Everybody Loves Raymond). The original "shark jumping" episode of Happy Days was a vacation episode set in Hollywood.
The "live" episode, in which a show diverges from its normal format and is shot to resemble ersatz documentary footage (e.g., "Ambush" on ER; "Access" on The West Wing, the entire 2nd Season of Roc).
The episode, or part thereof, filmed live as a last-ditch effort at piquing audience interest (e.g. Blue Heelers).
Excessive use of the clip show, which provides a retrospective of clips from earlier episodes, usually presented in the form of the lead characters reminiscing (e.g., Family Ties and more than once on Friends).
The "sweeps" episode, in which something such as gratuitous sexuality, controversial topics, or guest stars, is added in a clumsy or obvious way to temporarily boost a show's audience during Nielsen ratings "sweeps" periods.

Actors

The same main character played by a different actor (e.g., Dick York replaced by Dick Sargent on Bewitched; Janet Hubert-Whitten replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.)
A show continues after the death of a primary cast member (e.g., Chico and the Man after the death of Freddie Prinze; 8 Simple Rules after the death of John Ritter; News Radio after the death of Phil Hartman).
The departure/replacement of a primary cast member (e.g., X-Files after David Duchovny; Three's Company after Suzanne Somers; Charmed after Shannen Doherty.).
Child actors enter puberty (e.g., Jerry Mathers on Leave It to Beaver; Fred Savage on The Wonder Years).
Off the set, a key cast member is charged with a crime, is a defendant in a major lawsuit, has well-publicized marital problems, or is involved with some other scandal (e.g., Mackenzie Phillips' drug problems during the run of One Day at a Time, Jan-Michael Vincent of Airwolf arrested near the end of the series).
Increased frequency of gimmicky guest stars or those unsuited to the series they are appearing in (e.g., Violent Femmes' on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy George on The A-Team).
On a game show, a returning champion wins for a very long, continuous, period of time (e.g., Ken Jennings' 74-game winning streak on Jeopardy!, Herb Stempel on Twenty One)

Ted McGinley

Ted McGinley has been dubbed the "patron saint" of shark jumping by Jon Hein because of the number of series which jumped the shark after he joined the cast. This is a controversial shark jumping category since several of McGinley's shows continued for many more seasons after he joined the cast, most notably Married ... with Children, The Love Boat and Happy Days (which had already had the shark-jumping episode by the time he joined). Though McGinley himself is not regarded as responsible for a show jumping the shark, he is notable because he frequently served as a replacement actor (itself a jump the shark category) on several successful shows, joining late in their runs and continuing with the series as it went into decline.

Main characters

A character that had started out in the supporting cast becomes the focus of the show (e.g., Steve Urkel from Family Matters, Jack MacFarlane and Karen Walker from Will & Grace; often called Fonzie Syndrome). Alternatively, a show becomes increasingly dominated by a single character, e.g., "Hawkeye" Pierce on M*A*S*H.
The loss of key character(s) from a series (e.g., Mike and Gloria from All in the Family, Eric Forman and Michael Kelso from That '70s Show). Often the characters are replaced by similar characters (e.g., Coy and Vance replacing Bo and Luke on The Dukes of Hazzard) which are unpopular with viewers.
The death of key characters (e.g., James Evans, Sr. in Good Times, Edith Bunker from Archie Bunker's Place, Casualties of Optimus Prime and original Autobots in The Movie).
Introducing new characters to revive interest (introducing new Autobots and Decepticons since The Movie); especially criticized on sitcoms (e.g., King of the Hill introducing the redneck Lucky; Voyager introducing Seven of Nine; Charmed introducing Billie.) This has been lampooned in several episodes of The Simpsons, most notably in the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show".
Introducing cute children to replace child stars who have aged (e.g., Cousin Oliver in The Brady Bunch; Denise's step-daughter Olivia replacing Rudy in The Cosby Show).
A character presented by the series as a heterosexual comes out of the closet as gay (e.g., Ellen Morgan in Ellen; Willow Rosenberg in Buffy).
A main character undergoes a substantial change in appearance, e.g., Felicity Porter cutting her hair short on Felicity or Donna Pinciotti going from being a redhead to a blonde on That '70s Show.
Also this occurred when Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) left That '70s Show to pursue other career options. The two characters were replaced by Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers).

Production

For long-running series of the 1960s, a show that begins producing color episodes after several years of airing in black and white (e.g., The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies).
The creator of the series departs (e.g., Aaron Sorkin's departure from The West Wing, David E. Kelley leaving Picket Fences, Reinhold Weege leaving Night Court).
Change in where the show is produced (e.g., X-Files moving its production location from Vancouver to LA). This is often seen as a sign that the actors and producers are beginning to tire of a current show, because the move is often intended to place these people closer to other opportunities in the industry.
Change in length of episode, usually when a 30-minute show attempts hour-long episodes or vice-versa (e.g., Soap, The Twilight Zone).
When a show's star assumes creative control, (e.g. Alan Alda taking control of M*A*S*H, Michael Landon taking control of Little House on the Prairie).
After several cast members of a show take leave, making the producers cast new actors. (Ultimate Force, Beverly Hills 90210)

Other

A movie based on the series runs between seasons (e.g., the film version of The X-Files, itself a commercial flop).
A central plot line of the show is resolved (e.g., the solving of Laura Palmer's murder on Twin Peaks, the solving of Fox Mulder's sister's diappearance in The X-Files).
The producers start to dilute the show's brand with too many spinoffs (e.g., Happy Days).
A substantial reduction in the show's budget in a way that is noticeable on screen (e.g., the final season of Airwolf recyling used footage, the final season of Charmed never featuring scenes outside the Manor), Quantum Leap no longer using the mirror effect with Scott Bakula in the same shot.)
The show airs at a new day and/or time slot (e.g., Bonanza in its final season, when it moved from Sundays to Tuesdays). Related: A series switches networks (e.g., Taxi, moving from ABC to NBC). Often, a show is either moved into a new timeslot where it is hoped to do better; or else it is moved into a less-desirable timeslot, when it is perceived to be circling the drain, to make room for programming with a wider audience (e.g., the final season of the original Star Trek being shifted to the Friday night death slot to make room for Laugh-In on Mondays).
Plot elements and concepts begin to be recycled, or else conflicts thought previously resolved are revived in an unbelievable way (e.g., Three's Company - In the first season, the roommates try to hide a kitten from the landlords while during a much later season the roommates try it again but this time a puppy instead).
Series which are strongly character driven such as The Simpsons become increasingly more plot driven, as The Simpsons did around Season 10. The creators run out of ways of unforcedly developing and exploring the characters, and instead resort to forcing same into plot situations which are not representative of their established characteristics. Similarly, writers may resort of obvious jokes in the scripts, rather than allowing the humour to flow naturally out of the situation.

"Jump the shark" references

Sitcom or dramatic series references

That '70s Show had an episode in which Fez imagines jumping over a shark, thinking how cool it would be to be the Fonz, then commenting on how he never really watched the show after that episode.
The X-Files episode "Jump the Shark" in the last season (season 9) concluded the roles of The Lone Gunmen in the series by killing them off.
The Canadian black comedy Made in Canada (titled The Industry elsewhere) had an episode entitled "Beaver Creek Jumps the Shark", where it becomes obvious to the characters that the lead show that they produce (Beaver Creek) has jumped the shark, and several of the main characters reminisce about how their own lives did the same. It would be the fifth-to-last episode of the series to air.
In the episode "Motherboy XXX" in the second season of Arrested Development, Barry Zuckerkorn (played by "The Fonz" actor Henry Winkler) jumps over a dead shark lying on a pier.
In the episode of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide episode " Dares" Cookie and Loomer want to be the king of dares. The dare to settle this is to jump over a Nurse shark on a bike. Neither of them do it.

Cartoon references

The Animated Series featured false "clip show" as its second episode. At one point, the characters reminisce about their favorite Happy Days episodes, the shark-jumping episode among them.
In What's New, Scooby-Doo?, Scooby water-skis over a shark, following which Velma says, "I never thought Scooby-Doo would jump the shark."
In an episode of Bonus Stage, Joel Dawson says, "Phil, come look, we're about to travel over Sharkworld, I'm surprised we haven't done this already." In a later episode, Joel repeats the gag by saying "There are some sharks I refuse to jump."
At the beginning of the South Park episode "Probably", there is a flashback section continuing from the previous episode, during which is a random Fonzie scene parodying a Happy Days episode where he jumps over a pool of sharks, except he doesn't quite make it.
The Simpsons has referenced jumping the shark in its opening credits, as well as in the clip show "Gump Roast" which ends with many jumping-the-shark allusions, including a shot of Homer water skiing over a shark.
In The Fairly OddParents Direct-to-TV film "Channel Chasers" a deleted scene features a song "If I lived in TV" which had Timmy singing how his life would be if he lived in TV. One of the clips included Timmy and some TV extras jumping over a Shark on water skis, the shark then popped up throughout the video including eating a bad singer in a parody of Pop Idol.
The webtoon Happy Tree Friends features an episode called Happy Trails Pt. 2: Jumping the Shark.
In the first episode of Dora the Explorer, Dora jumps a shark with a special jumping star.

Term used in other contexts

Evel Knievel retired after his attempt to literally jump the shark in the winter of 1976; hence the Fonzie stunt.
The band Tabula Rasa has a song entitled "Jumping The Shark" on their album, The Role Of Smith.
Punk band The Lawrence Arms have a song on their album Oh! Calcutta! named "Jumping The Shark."
The reverse of the term is known as Jumping Back or sometimes Growing the Beard (referring to Commander Riker on The Next Generation). They refer to a point in a television show when a marked increase of quality is noted (e.g. the replacement of Josh Weinstein with Frank Conniff on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Jon Stewart replacing Craig Kilborn on The Daily Show.)
The computer game Jumpman Zero has a level titled jump the shark, which requires the player to do just that.
The 2004 book, a Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, by Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show, features a caption regarding the 2000 elections, in which the entire news media was said to "jump the shark" by prematurely predicting George W. Bush the winner.
In the skateboard video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, the player is required to jump over a shark named Fonzie.
In the game Hallrunner at Videlectrix.com (a fake video game company set up by the creators of Homestar Runner), jumping over a shark results in the message "You jump the shark. Just like Homestarrunner.com. *0 points*
In an op-ed on August 27, 2005, Maureen Dowd stated that George W. Bush "jumped the shark by landing on that 'Mission Accomplished' carrier."
In his weekly columns, Mark Rosewater has often commented that the addition of a sixth color would be the "jump the shark" event for the The Gathering trading card game.

References

External links

Television programming | Metaphors | Television terminology | Pop-culture neologisms | Happy Days

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