Jumping the shark is a slang term used by television critics since the 1990s. The phrase, popularized by Jon Hein on his web site www.jumptheshark.com, is used to describe the moment when a long-running television show or similar episodic media is generally judged to have passed its "peak" and shows a noticeable decline in quality. Hein also uses the "jumping the shark" concept to describe other areas of pop culture, such as music and celebrities, for whom a drastic change was the beginning of the end.

A show in decline is said to have "jumped the shark" when it deploys certain maneuvers (see below) in an attempt to revive flagging audience share or, if that isn't a problem, generate fresh storylines from an exhausted formula. These are usually gimmicks seen as odd and unneccesary. While sometimes this has the desired effect of avoiding commercial decline (Dallas rebounded in the ratings after the death of Patrick Duffy's character was retconned to have been only a dream, and Doctor Who's periodic recasting became an eagerly expected element of the series), usually such a trick marks a point of no return.

The phrase specifically refers to a three-part episode of the American television series Happy Days during which the character Fonzie, wearing swim trunks (but, oddly enough, also his trademark leather jacket), jumps over a tank containing a shark while on water skis. This episode, titled "Hollywood," followed too closely after a very successful 1975 episode in which Fonzie jumps his motorcycle over several barrels in a parking lot, and was the first time the character was ever shown to have known anything about water skiing. The addition of the shark was obviously influenced by the popularity of the 1975 blockbuster film Jaws, which had saturated American pop culture during the previous two years and was already a bit stale by that time. The first two parts of "Hollywood" aired on the ABC Network as a one-hour special on September 13, 1977. Part three, in which the Fonz actually jumps the legendary shark, aired on September 20. On the reunion special which aired on ABC on February 3, 2005, Garry Marshall introduced the notorious clip, and made reference to how the show inspired the term (although he defined it incorrectly, as "a sign the show is going to be cancelled soon", which, while mostly accurate, isn't entirely correct).

Many have noted the shark episode as the moment when they realized the show was no longer worth watching, when it became impossible to maintain a certain suspension of disbelief. Even before "jumping the shark" was employed as a popular culture term, the episode in question was many times cited as an example of what happens to otherwise high quality programs when they stay on the air too long. Producer Garry Marshall later admitted that he knew the show had lost something as the crew prepared to shoot the scene.

The first use of the phrase as a direct metaphor is reported to have been on December 24, 1997, when the jumptheshark.com web site was launched by Jon Hein. According to the site, the phrase was first coined by Hein's college roommate, Sean J. Connolly, in 1985. In print, the term first appeared in the Jerusalem Post newspaper article "It's All Downhill" written by Jeff Abramowitz on May 29, 1998.

The alternative, "quit while you're ahead," was famously taken by the cast of Seinfeld; it is said that shows like this "never jumped". Barney Miller is also often cited as a show which never jumped the shark. An example in print is the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes ending at the height of its popularity.

There is no clearly-preferred term for the reverse situation of a moment that marks a television series starting to improve noticeably, although the phrase "reverse shark jumping" has been suggested. In addition, proponents of certain shows will sometimes assert that the show has "jumped back"; in other words, that an apparent decline was merely a temporary slump.

The computer game Jumpman Zero has a level titled jump the shark, which requires the player to do just that.

List of common jump-the-shark moments

Every item on this list is a recognized cliché of series television. Note that some series have recovered from a jump-the-shark moment, but it usually upsets the chemistry of the show in some way. Just because a moment appears on this list, it does not follow that the series it appears in has necessarily jumped the shark - each series is different, and a lot depends on the execution.

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

• Same main character played by a different actor.
• Same actor (usually a guest performer) plays a different character (especially when the previous character was written out by killing him or her off. Often the writers attempt to cover this by making the new character a long-lost cousin or other relative).
• An ongoing plotline, character, or group of characters comes to play a disproportionately large role in the stories.
• Death or other removal of a main character.
• Unexplained departure of a character. See Chuck Cunningham syndrome.
• Key character departs and is replaced by almost identical new character.
• Loss of a key prop or location.
• Key writer and/or producer leaves the show.
• Sometimes when a show continues after the death of a key cast member or members.
• A single episode that irreparably strains the credibility or premise of the series or one of its main characters.
• The "clip show" or "retrospective," where the characters reminisce about the past with a collection of short clips from previous episodes.
• Main character or cast member gives birth.
• A theatrical film based on the series runs between seasons.
• Show broadcast in color if previously shown in black-and-white (in the case of shows broadcast during the 1960s, when many series underwent this change).
• Child actors enter puberty.
• Non-musical cast members featured singing.
• Introduction of new characters to revive interest, particularly young, cute children who are clearly intended to replace regulars who once were but have grown up.
• Main characters have sex, after a series-long run of sexual tension between them.
• Main characters marry or divorce
• Change in a character's personality, usually from negative attributes to positive ones.
• When the show is in an academic setting, the main characters graduate.
• The "very special episode," in which a situation comedy or drama addresses a serious social issue in an awkward way (such as drug addiction, child abuse or racism).
• Change in the principal setting of the show, either permanently or as the theme of a series of episodes.
• Change in where the show is produced, usually a move back to southern California by a show produced somewhere else (a sign that the actors and producers are beginning to get tired of doing the show and want to be available for other projects).
• Change in length of episode, usually when a 30-minute show attempts hour-long episodes.
• Change in day and/or time of air, which affects the commercial pressures on a show.
• The producers start to dilute the show's brand with too many spinoffs; or other networks do the same with cheap imitations of the show.
• Likewise, the show gets into merchandising and/or its stars start doing ads.
• Special celebrity guest star, particularly one who doesn't normally do television or even act.
• Crossover episodes with other series.
• A key premise of the series is changed or discarded completely.
• Use of a plot device which is regarded as a cliché, for example, a story involving the evil twin of a main character.
• A cliffhanger season finale with a disappointing resolution.
• More recently, a character who had never shown any previous signs of being gay comes out of the closet.
• Having a literal shark jump on camera.
• Finally, occasionally a show has a season or episode so good that nothing afterwards can come close to it.

For a list of examples of shows that have Jumped the Shark, see Examples of shows said to have jumped the shark; Pleased be careful when you go to this link because the article is in inherently subjective in nature. Tastes differ, and it is unlikely that any one person would agree with every item on this list.

"Jump the Shark" references

Sometimes, a show refers to Jump the Shark directly or indirectly. Here are some examples:

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sixth season could be viewed as an extended reference to various Shark Jumping moments (including a musical episode, a wedding episode, a major character leaving, and a character being killed off); it has also been suggested that the writers really were running out of ideas.
• Clerks (the animated series) featured a clip show episode consisting almost entirely of its four main characters reminiscing previous incidents from the series. This was the second of the six produced episodes, and most of the incidents were in fact entirely new. At one point, the characters reminisce about their favourite Happy Days episodes - the Shark Jumping episode is among them.
• Dora the Explorer began its 2003 season with an episode in which the title character literally jumped a shark. Changes to the show that ensued made fans wonder if the writers were trying to tell them something.
• Sealab 2021 featured a shark jumping over a pool of Fonzies.
• The Simpsons has referenced jumping the shark on several occasions:
  • The show built an entire episode around the ill-fated attempt of The Itchy & Scratchy Show to reinvigorate the show by introducing a new character, Poochie, voiced by Homer but so unpopular with the show's fans (the Comic Book Guy introduced the catchphrase "Worst. Episode. Ever.") that he was killed off in his second appearance. The episode abounded with knowing references to how this affects television shows. In one scene, Lisa complains that it's a sign of TV shows going stale when they suddenly add new characters, and immediately we see a new child, Roy, (who looks suspiciously like Poochie) sitting at the Simpsons' breakfast table and saying "Morning, Mr. S." He does nothing during the show and disappears after the episode claiming that he's moving into an apartment with two foxy ladies.
  • Several episodes have made fun of shows that reuse plot devices. These include:
    • Comic Book Guy once showed up in an episode where Marge was developing a gambling problem to remind the family that Marge had a gambling problem already in another episode.
    • In another episode, he reminds the family that they once had a horse, but it led to Homer working at a second job.
    • Bart said that he wanted a elephant after seeing one. Lisa reminds about him about Stampy & how much he loved him.
    • Another episode featured Smithers running out to tell the family that Maggie had shot Mr. Burns again.
  • In addition, the Simpson family has been shown jumping over a shark in the opening credits.
• That '70s Show had an episode where Fez jumped over a shark.

External links

• Wordspy article (http://www.wordspy.com/words/jumptheshark.asp)
• jumptheshark.com (http://www.jumptheshark.com)