Worst case of Shark Jumping

[jayn_j]

This is kind of a spinoff of the If You Could Bring One Show Back:

Most of us have heard the phrase "Jump the Shark" about when a show does something that turns into its own death spiral.

The phrase comes from an episode of Happy Days when Fonzie actually jumped a shark tank with his motorcycle. From that point on, the show was about Fonzie, and they lost sight of thew ensemble that had made it successful.

So here is the question: What show do you think had the biggest case of shark jumping?

My vote is for St Elsewhere. In its last two seasons, it stopped being about the doctors, and started doing surrealistic stuff about delusions and fantasies, culminating when the final episode revealed that the whole series was about the fantasies of an autistic boy.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

MASH when it went from being a Comedy into a serious show that taught a valuable life lesson with each episode.

It all went down hill when Clinger stopped wearing dresses, and Hawkeye stopped trying to nail every nurse on base and turned into a non religious preacher of sorts.

 

[Skyhi]

Weeds - - Last season when Nancy Botwin moved out of suburbia and opened a maternity store with an underground tunnel into Mexico.

 

[NightRyder]

Has to be Dallas with the whole season that was a dream.


NightRyder

 

[dfergie]

Battlestar Galactica TOS to Galactica 1980... was one...

 

[televisionarchives]

A couple of things. Fonzie did jump with his motorcycle. But it wasn't over a shark tank. Fonzie jumped over Garbage Cans in a brilliant two part episode. Evel Knievel did jump a pool of sharks with his motorcycle and that was his "Jump the Shark" because he didn't jump again after that. Fonzie jumped over sharks on the water on Water skis . I thought Happy Days jumped the shark way before that show . I loved the first 3 seasons.

Shows that jumped the shark?

Andy Griffith show when Don Knotts left the show.
All in the Family when Archie bought the bar.
The Simpsons after Season 10
The last Season of King of Queens
The last Season of Seinfeld.

 

[riffjim4069]

The last Season of King of Queens

Are you refering to when Leah Remini went from a Babe to a Blimp? I'll be the first to admit that I enjoyed the dynamics between a funny fat-guy and his bitchy hot wife...but there was nothing amusing about watching a fat-guy with a bitchy fat-wife. It pretty much became the new Roseanne show.

 

[lakebum431]

Prison Break after they, um broke out of prison...

 

[televisionarchives]

Are you refering to when Leah Remini went from a Babe to a Blimp? I'll be the first to admit that I enjoyed the dynamics between a funny fat-guy and his bitchy hot wife...but there was nothing amusing about watching a fat-guy with a bitchy fat-wife. It pretty much became the new Roseanne show.

She was back in shape for the last season but before that she was a mess. Now my wife is in terrific shape but she still didn't like it when I made jokes about Leah. I used many of the jokes she used about him. Sir Eats a lot. Captain Neckfat etc. What's funny is during Season 6 7 or 8 Kevin James was in Great shape. He lost about 50 pounds . But he gained it again. The last season (Season 9)of King of Queens was like 13 episodes and most of them were really bad. They knew it was the last season but they all just phoned it in. It's a shame because Season 8 was great.

 

[yourbeliefs]

Season 4 of Nip/Tuck in general, with the leap being truly marked by the lip-syncing singing montage at the end of the season.

 

[Peter Parker]

Battlestar Galactica TOS to Galactica 1980... was one...

They were two separate series. But Galactica 1980 was one of the worst ideas ever.


I vote for life On mars with the ending. i know that it is hard to really jump the shark in the last episode but i think they accomplished it.

 

[yourbeliefs]

They were two separate series. But Galactica 1980 was one of the worst ideas ever.


I vote for life On mars with the ending. i know that it is hard to really jump the shark in the last episode but i think they accomplished it.

Can a show really jump the shark on a series finale? Jumping the shark means a show just goes downhill from there. But if the show ends, there's no "down" to go...

 

[Brewer4]

Drew Carey show. After Kate left and when they went to the dot com company it was all over.

I think Heroes has jumped. I am actually getting annoyed by the plot lines and I am done with it. This pseudo government witch hunt thing just annoys me.

 

[digiblur]

Weeds - - Last season when Nancy Botwin moved out of suburbia and opened a maternity store with an underground tunnel into Mexico.

The tunnel was a little far fetched but I still love that show. Can't wait till the new season starts. Just caught up on the episodes of Californication too.

 

[jayn_j]

Quantum Leap when the evil leaper showed up in season 4. It just became about that tension, and ignored the succesful "making right, what went wrong".

Tru Calling was on its way there after Luke Perry showed up, but it got cancelled before we had a chance to see if they would handle it well.

 

[Peter Parker]

Can a show really jump the shark on a series finale? Jumping the shark means a show just goes downhill from there. But if the show ends, there's no "down" to go...

I actually indicated that in my post. I think it deserves at least dishonorable mention as the show to not only head down---but hit bottom ----the fastest. But just as I indicated in my original post if we can include a spinoff series why not mention this as well.

 

[Derwin0]

Buck Rogers, when they moved off Earth onto the Searcher.

 

[Pepper]

Buck Rogers, when they moved off Earth onto the Searcher.

I thought that show jumped the shark about 1/3 through the first episode?

I vote for cable news shows in general, when they became more about entertainers and "we must discuss ad nauseum the good looking missing person while ignoring every other missing person on the planet"

 

[televisionarchives]

If you want to talk about jumping the shark how about television in general? What happened to the great comedies? Variety Shows? The Networks don't give shows much of a chance to grow.I miss the old UHF Independent Stations. Are the best shows behinds us? I think so. Thanks to my dvd collection I can show my kids the old stuff and they love it. And I don't have to worry about the language. They love the Brady Bunch, Star Trek, Gilligan's Island , The Flintstones. Laugh if you must but those classics and still great fun . With all the problems in the world it's a great way to get lost for a few hours. I deal with reality every day and the last thing I want to see it a reality show.

 

[Ramy]

Sliders - When Jerry O'Connell left the show.