If I say a show has "jumped the shark" do you know the reference and what it means?

[Kennywood]

 

[ftbaker1313]

aayyy! have enough grey in my hair to have seen the originals before reruns.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Remember the episode but not the phrase.

 

[RedAngie]

I think the phrase itself sort of jumped the shark at some point. People use it all the time without having any idea where it came from.

And I’ve heard it used in situations that are nowhere similar to what it originally referred to.

I was never a Happy Days fan. The Fonzie character was the antithesis of cool to me. In fact, he made me want to puke.

Nevertheless I was aware of the phrase and knew where it came from.

DH says in that episode, the entire gang went on vacation together. Everyone. When sitcoms do that, it’s REALLY jumping the shark.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

I knew the phrase but only just recently learned the origin

 

[AppleDumpling]

Fonzie jumped the shark in season 5. It finished that season #2 having finished the 4th season #1. It's rank in the ratings for subsequent seasons are 4, 17,15, 18, 28.63

But jumped the shark doesn't necessarily refer to ratings. For many Spongebob fans, that show jumped the shark after season 3. It went on well enough, but it just wasn't the same. All series go into ratings decline at some point. But not all of them jump the shark. There's a thread on this front page about losing the magic. Worded differently, it could be titled jumping the shark. Another phrase Indiana Jones fans can relate to is nuking the fridge.

Ok so I was off by a year, but I was responding to a pp who said the shark episode was the low point and from what I can recall, I don’t believe that’s true. YMMV. Whatever the ratings, a sitcom that lasts for 11 seasons is pretty remarkable.

It started out centered on teenager Richie, his family, and his pals Potsie and Ralph, with Fonzie as a minor character. As Henry Winkler became the breakout star, the focus shifted and Winkler became a pop culture icon. I watched the show; my friends all watched the show. We were kids; we liked it; it was very popular (and we didn’t have 150+ channels/shows to choose from, like we do now). Is it a masterpiece of comedy? Probably not, but it was fairly funny and entertaining, with likable characters. There were other silly episodes too, like the one about a space alien named Mork, which made Robin Williams a star.

 

[Donald Duck Family]

i was talking to my DD about a show we both watch. I told her I thought the story line was going south and the show has "jumped the shark" she said "what? what are you talking about? what shark?"

My age is showing.....

Happy Days was already in reruns when I was a kid and I still know what the reference is.

 

[gharter]

Sadly still relevant today. And still many shows/movie franchises still "jump the shark".

 

[mrodgers]

Another phrase Indiana Jones fans can relate to is nuking the fridge.

I don't know that and don't remember it from Indiana Jones.

Nuking to me is microwaving your food. You nuke it in the microwave. I don't know if that was a family thing, regional thing, or common everywhere. We've always nuked our leftovers in the microwave.

And I never was much into Happy Days. I thought it was a bit older than it was. I was 2 when it came and 12 when it ended. I thought I watched it in reruns like the Brady Bunch and so many other shows that were just before my time.

 

[BrianL]

I don't know that and don't remember it from Indiana Jones.

It's from the fourth movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where Indy finds himself at an A-Bomb test site and has to hide in an old-style refrigerator for protection. Many cite the scene as ridiculous and a reason that the movie is bad, but it's not really any mor e ridiculous than Indy riding on the outside of a submarine to Gibralter in Raiders, or having Mola Ram's fingers halfway into his chest in Temple of Doom. Crystal Skull is overly criticized for the most part and thought he movie has some flaws, the fridge nuking scene isn't that big of a deal. Now, the CGI gophers - that's one I'll give ya!

 

[_19disnA]

Was never really that much into the show when it was first on. Watched every so often and as someone else mentioned the focus of the show changed as certain characters got more/less popular over time. Never heard that phrase until it was mentioned here. Didn't have any idea what it meant so I had to look around online to find out it means some gimmick used in a declining show to increase popularity. Many sitcoms fade as the younger characters get older after a few years and outgrow the parts their were originally cast to play. Can name several other shows where that happened as well.

 

[tzolkin]

I had no idea people used that phrase without knowing its origin. How on earth did jump the shark mean "done/bad/over" to them without knowing where it came from?

I think there are loads of phrases that we use today without knowing their origin. Some things have a literal origin (like actually jumping a shark), but we also use idioms all the time that have no basis in the literal meaning of the words. You just learn by context what things mean.

I think that the phrase was so widely used in media criticism that you don't really have to know anything about the penultimate season of "Happy Days" to know that it means a program has sunk to the depths of cheap gimmicry to try to stop bleeding viewership; and that it is clear that its days are now numbered.

I'm betting you could find a whole lot of younger folks working in media that know that "jumped the shark" is bad, without knowing where the reference actually came from.

I fall into this category. I knew what the phrase meant and that it had an originated from a TV show, but I could not have told you specifically that it came from an episode of Happy Days. I saw Happy Days reruns on TV when I was a kid flipping through the channels, but it was never something that interested me so I have never watched.

 

[Alicefan]

Awww. Y'all remember metal lunchboxes? I get an instant nostalgic memory of the smell of PB&J and Kool-Aid.

I had The Waltons LOL! NERD!!!!

 

[Mysterian]

I had The Waltons LOL! NERD!!!!

A right neighborly lunch box!

I couldn't remember mine until I saw the Mr.T Thermos itself. Mine was definitely The A-Team, but had to be my second one. I believe my earliest had cartoon characters on it:

 

[Alicefan]

A right neighborly lunch box!

I couldn't remember mine until I saw the Mr.T Thermos itself. Mine was definitely The A-Team, but had to be my second one. I believe my earliest had cartoon characters on it:

That's the one!!! My Grandmother got it for me to start 1st grade because I had a crush on John Boy. LOL

 

[RedAngie]

My lunchbox as a kid.



Another indication a show has jumped the shark is when a new character, usually a kid, is introduced in later years.

Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, anyone?

Growing Pains had a kid appear in later years too. There are probably others also.

 

[elgerber]

My lunchbox as a kid.

View attachment 657073

Another indication a show has jumped the shark is when a new character, usually a kid, is introduced in later years.

Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, anyone?

Growing Pains had a kid appear in later years too. There are probably others also.

Yes, that is always my indicator, is the extra kid. They all do it. Family Ties, Brady Bunch, Growing Pains (heck they did it twice)

 

[Mysterian]

My lunchbox as a kid.

View attachment 657073

Another indication a show has jumped the shark is when a new character, usually a kid, is introduced in later years.

Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, anyone?

Growing Pains had a kid appear in later years too. There are probably others also.

Speaking of!

Cousin Oliver, Robbie Rist, would later star in the 80's cartoon Kidd Video, which was pure mindless fun. Rist is a real musician, and they were supposed to be a legitimate band, but they never moved on past the TV show.

Here's their fairy sidekick, Glitter, which was basically a brunette Tinkerbell in leg warmers and typical 80's gym wear.

The show is more 80's than most anything 80's. Often featured real hit songs from major musicians of the time too.

 

[JaxDad]

Yes, that is always my indicator, is the extra kid. They all do it. Family Ties, Brady Bunch, Growing Pains (heck they did it twice)

Scrappy-Doo

 

[Babs Johnson]

It was totally uncool to like Happy Days at my high school.

Yes, I recognize where the phrase came from.