Jumping the Shark

[Flick James]

Although I've always know the phenomenon, I've never known this phrase until recently.

"Jumping the Shark" is a term derived from Happy Days, when, after 5 seasons, the show started stooping to having Fonzie jumps sharks on waterskis when the ratings of the show began to decline. The term has come to mean any major deviation from the formula of a tv show, film franchise, or genre/sub-genre of tv or film that occurs when it is losing momentum to try and jump-start interest, more often than not leading to ridicule and the death of that show/film/genre. A tv example would be "The Cousin Oliver Syndrome" when The Brady Bunch added a child cast member when the rest of the cast were either moving out of or well out of adolescence. Film franchises almost inevitably "jump the shark."  My current favorite "shark jumping" in current events is the vampire sub-genre, that has gotten so far off topic from the founding horror sub-genre as to be nearly unrecognizable except for the fangs.

So, let's hear it, what are some of your favorite "shark jumpings?" T.V., film, whatever. I hope to foster this most apt phrase into the badmovies.org lexicon immediately, and hope to see it used regularly, as it can easily fit into at least 25% of all threads.

[Skull]

hehe I remember seeing the Fonze jumping the sharks (I think it was a 2 part show) although, I'd seen it on a rerun when I was 11, 12 or 13... (between 1981 to 1983)


hehe... I actually thought it was called something like "Give the couple a baby." Best example (the most famous one) Murphy Brown the show was failing and Zoom! Bam! Boom! gess what producers did to jump start it (Murphy Brown becomes a mother) It becomes famous when Dan Quayle attacks the show about family values (Sorry Dan although I do understand your point it was your attack that actually 'double' jump-started the 'dead' show.)


Other examples of baby boomers...

The Flintstones (Pebbles/Bamm-Bamm) oddly I dont recall much of a use of the Flentstones babies besides seeing their dad's alien friend.

Scrappy-Doo... Ok, I'm not sure who was the mastermind of Scrappy-Doo but I actually think the super pup killed the series, I really hated how Hanna-Barbera kept pushing the pup and I made every effort to watch pre-Scrappy-Doo episodes, until Hanna-Barbera tossed in Vincent Price and some Hip Hop Kid (It peeked my interest for 1 show, only to find out that the Hip Hop Kid and Scrappy-Doo are the most annoying cartoon characters I had ever, ever seen.)


Mork and Mindy had a baby too...



Although, I think it was a parody towards the baby boom idea (or jump the sharks)

[Flick James]

Mork and Mindy! That's a great example. And the "baby" was Jonathan Winters. "Jumping the Shark" often employs taking a series into ridiculous directions because the formula has run it's course and the writing has become stagnant. Straying away from the formula is the nail in the coffin. Series rarely survive it. There have been exceptions, though. I mean, how many years did Happy Days remain on the air after that? Quite a few years. Or how about M*A*S*H? Once Alan Alda got behind the camera and the show got all serious and preachy, the show still managed to keep chugging a few more seasons.

Other ways of "jumping the shark:"

Addition of a baby (due to pregnant cast member).
Two cast members finally "doing it," getting rid of the sexual tension that made the show work.
Changing of writers or directors. This is big with film franchises.

[3mnkids]

When an aging actor,not able to pull in the crowds like he/she used to, makes a buddy flick with a much younger actor. They usually suck and all follow the same formula. Grouchy older guy, young know it all in over his head guy and they teach each other about life... or something like that.    

[Flick James]

Very nice, 3mnkids. Just goes to show that "jumping the shark" can certainly apply to an individual actor. How about some examples? I can think of one off the top of my head. Dennis Quaid (In Good Company) comes to mind, but I have a feeling you have better examples.

[Ash]

King of the Hill jumped the shark when they added the awful character Lucky.

The entire last season of Roseanne was one gigantic shark jump.

[Skull]

Addition of a baby (due to pregnant cast member).
Two cast members finally "doing it," getting rid of the sexual tension that made the show work.
Changing of writers or directors. This is big with film franchises.

Sounds like: Moonlighting (I'm not quite sure when it happen because I lost intrest in the series but it seemed that the story all fell apart after the two lead characters scored... or... after Bruce Willis made $$ for Die Hard)



Amazing turn arounds... Roseanne wins the lotto, I think. I'd never like the tv series but I do recall hearing something about this towards the ending series (maybe it was to explain her getting plastic surgery and liposuction)

[Flick James]

Franchise example: Saw

I liked the first one, it was something new in the horror world and worked well. The second one I liked a little less, and the third just a little bit less again, but still thought the franchise was pretty solid. Then, just when the franchise could have died a dignified death and left a good-looking corpse, the franchise jumped seas of great whites.

[3mnkids]

Very nice, 3mnkids. Just goes to show that "jumping the shark" can certainly apply to an individual actor. How about some examples? I can think of one off the top of my head. Dennis Quaid (In Good Company) comes to mind, but I have a feeling you have better examples.

Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Hollywood homicide
Ford has jumped the shark a couple of times..

Men In black

48 hours

Live free die hard  
I know there are more but Im drawing a blank right now..  

[lester1/2jr]

law and order when they started focusing exclusively on ripped from the headlines plots.  and general wear and tear on the scooby doo nature of the big reveals at the end

[Flick James]

Very nice, 3mnkids. Just goes to show that "jumping the shark" can certainly apply to an individual actor. How about some examples? I can think of one off the top of my head. Dennis Quaid (In Good Company) comes to mind, but I have a feeling you have better examples.

Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Hollywood homicide
Ford has jumped the shark a couple of times..

Men In black

48 hours

Live free die hard  
I know there are more but Im drawing a blank right now..  

Thanks. Roger that on Harrison Ford. Hear you loud and clear. All the more reason to applaud those that have resisted the urge to jump the shark, like Clint Eastwood. And don't you bring up Every Which Way But Loose, or Clint will personally shoot you in the face with a vintage M1.

To expand on that, it's not just old guy with younger guy protege, but pairing an established stereotyped actor with their diametric opposite, as in Arnold Swarzenegger and Danny DeVito (Twins). That's a gag that works for about ten minutes, then the movie needs some serious writing to take it any further. In that case, it didn't.

[D-Man]

I've been a big fan of The Simpsons, but ever since I got into college years ago, in the early 00's, I just stopped watching.  They jumped the shark by simply refusing to end when they ran out of ideas.  Is it even still on the air?  That's how much I've lost touch with it. I mostly watch Family Guy now, because for all of its juvenile silliness, they still manage to win me over with some original thinking smooshed in.  

From what I see, The Simpsons today has none of the originality of the older episodes, the characters don't evolve anymore, Homer is always at the center of everything, and they seem to rely completely on celebrity guest voices, and plots that always end with everything back the way it was by the end of the episode.  

And the movie...don't even get me started about the movie.  

[Ash]

Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

They created a new phrase for that one...
"Nuking the Fridge" or "Nuke the Fridge"
From the scene when Indiana Jones saves himself from a thermonuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator.

That phrase is used whenever a movie or TV show goes WAAAAAY overboard.

[Flick James]

I've been a big fan of The Simpsons, but ever since I got into college years ago, in the early 00's, I just stopped watching.  They jumped the shark by simply refusing to end when they ran out of ideas.  Is it even still on the air?  That's how much I've lost touch with it. I mostly watch Family Guy now, because for all of its juvenile silliness, they still manage to win me over with some original thinking smooshed in.  

From what I see, The Simpsons today has none of the originality of the older episodes, the characters don't evolve anymore, Homer is always at the center of everything, and they seem to rely completely on celebrity guest voices, and plots that always end with everything back the way it was by the end of the episode.  

And the movie...don't even get me started about the movie.  

That's true. I haven't watched the Simpsons in years, and I too am a big fan of Family Guy. That's a show that sticks to the staples that make it work, yet the characters have also evolved. Cleveland got divorced. Peter has gone from working at a toy factory assembly line to being a self-employed fisherman to, doesn't he work for a beer company now? The show has flirted with jumping the shark from time to time, but always seems to pull back at the last minute. I just picked up Volume 7 recently and the show still rocks.

[Skull]

I've been a big fan of The Simpsons, but ever since I got into college years ago, in the early 00's, I just stopped watching.  They jumped the shark by simply refusing to end when they ran out of ideas.  Is it even still on the air?  That's how much I've lost touch with it. I mostly watch Family Guy now, because for all of its juvenile silliness, they still manage to win me over with some original thinking smooshed in.  

From what I see, The Simpsons today has none of the originality of the older episodes, the characters don't evolve anymore, Homer is always at the center of everything, and they seem to rely completely on celebrity guest voices, and plots that always end with everything back the way it was by the end of the episode.  

And the movie...don't even get me started about the movie.  

That's true. I haven't watched the Simpsons in years, and I too am a big fan of Family Guy. That's a show that sticks to the staples that make it work, yet the characters have also evolved. Cleveland got divorced. Peter has gone from working at a toy factory assembly line to being a self-employed fisherman to, doesn't he work for a beer company now? The show has flirted with jumping the shark from time to time, but always seems to pull back at the last minute. I just picked up Volume 7 recently and the show still rocks.

I could be wrong... but I remember hearing that Michael Jackson co-owned the Simpsons for years and kept it around to milk its success (that and the Beatles) if thats true then I dont expect the Simpsons to end anytime (since the Jackson family is milking Michael's death)