Jumping the shark

[jdrueke]

Has a show ever "Jump the Shark" twice? I haven't watched Frasier since Niles & Daphne got married, which for me was when that show jumped the shark. Now it looks like they are going to cast someone to play Maris! If that's true, then I think that they've definetly jumped again. We never saw Vera on Cheers, we don't need to see Maris. Can anyone think of another show that's jumped twice. I'm curious.

[Dave D]

Originally posted by jdrueke
Has a show ever "Jump the Shark" twice? I haven't watched Frasier since Niles & Daphne got married, which for me was when that show jumped the shark. Now it looks like they are going to cast someone to play Maris! If that's true, then I think that they've definetly jumped again. We never saw Vera on Cheers, we don't need to see Maris. Can anyone think of another show that's jumped twice. I'm curious.
Maybe 3's Company with the different Chrissy replacements....or Charlie's Angels come to think of it.....Happy Days jumped the shark so many times after the original jump the shark....turning Fonzie into some superhero rather than just a cool guy really killed that show.

[guy incognito]

"Happy Days" jumped in about as many ways as it's possible for a show to jump. How a gently nostalgic, "Wonder Years"-type coming-of-age comedy with believable characters and impeccable period detail could morph into a...well, a kitschy sitcom monstrosity in so short a time never ceases to confound me.

[Dave D]

Originally posted by guy incognito
"Happy Days" jumped in about as many ways as it's possible for a show to jump. How a gently nostalgic, "Wonder Years"-type coming-of-age comedy with believable characters and impeccable period detail could morph into a...well, a kitschy sitcom monstrosity in so short a time never ceases to confound me.
Anytime Potsy sang was a "jump the shark"! I'll never forget him singing on The Dinah Shore show....it was mind numbing!

[Matt]

The Simpsons feel like they did just that, though it's hard to pinpoint the exact episode. They definitely got a lot worse during the 1997-1998 season, but since then they've had some really, REALLY bad episodes, and almost every single one ends in a very weak way.

[jdrueke]

Originally posted by daved64

Anytime Potsy sang was a "jump the shark"! I'll never forget him singing on The Dinah Shore show....it was mind numbing!

I wish we could all incorporate more Potsy references in ALL posts to this site!:laugh:

[Peter D]

Originally posted by jdrueke
I wish we could all incorporate more Potsy references in ALL posts to this site!:laugh:

Indeed. I've always found the concept of Potsy strangely and indescribably funny and try to mention him in casual conversation at least once a year.

[guy incognito]

Guys, I think it's actually supposed to be spelled "Potsie".

Agreed on "The Simpsons". It seems to be all about the gags on that show now, with no regard to niceties like character, plot, continuity, etc. It's become too cartoony for my taste.

[Dave D]

Originally posted by guy incognito
Guys, I think it's actually supposed to be spelled "Potsie".


It's a sad day when you get corrected for mis-spelling Potsie!!!!!!

:D

[MITBeta]

Friends...

[bartels76]

I agree that the Simpsons is not as good as it once was but how many comedies that are currently on network television is better than the Simpsons? A half decent Simpsons blows away about 99% of current sitcom television.

[Mike B]

Ugh, definitely agree about Frasier. I hate sitcoms, but loved Seinfeld and enjoyed Frasier at its best. I watched some Frasier after Daphne & Niles hooked up and up to the wedding, but have since abandoned it.

IMO, a show shouldn't be on for more than 7 years, and even that may be stretching it a bit.

My biggest jump-the-shark TV moment was on the X-Files, when they had the conspiracy guys all in one room, and they were all killed or disappeared. I knew, right there, that the show would turn to crap and it did.

X-Files then jumped the shark again when Moulder, the heart of the series, was replaced by the T-1000.

[Dave D]

Originally posted by Mike B
Ugh, definitely agree about Frasier. I hate sitcoms, but loved Seinfeld and enjoyed Frasier at its best. I watched some Frasier after Daphne & Niles hooked up and up to the wedding, but have since abandoned it.

IMO, a show shouldn't be on for more than 7 years, and even that may be stretching it a bit.

My biggest jump-the-shark TV moment was on the X-Files, when they had the conspiracy guys all in one room, and they were all killed or disappeared. I knew, right there, that the show would turn to crap and it did.

X-Files then jumped the shark again when Moulder, the heart of the series, was replaced by the T-1000.
No one was a bigger X-Files fan than me, and you're right....when the "syndicate" was killed off......that was it, the show sucked.
I liked Doggitt (Mulder's replacement), but the writing really stunk.

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by Matt
The Simpsons feel like they did just that, though it's hard to pinpoint the exact episode. They definitely got a lot worse during the 1997-1998 season, but since then they've had some really, REALLY bad episodes, and almost every single one ends in a very weak way.

I'm amazed when I sometimes see critics say the Simpsons still is a quality show. I think it gets good reviews based on its past and its reputation. I stopped watching it a couple of years ago, and at that time the writing was about on a par with Married with Children. Gone for the most part are the intelligent and obscure pop culture references and the characters with depth and sensitivity. Instead we get scatology and slapstick.

My picks for three jump the shark moments for the Simpsons:
1. The episode where Principal Skinner is revealed to be an impostor: They'd had some uneven or mediocre episodes before this, but this one was the first that was really awful all the way through.
2. The episode where Maude Flanders dies: Highlights the cruel streak that has appeared in the writing in recent years. Homer used to be a thoughtless jerk with occasional brief moments of insight that gave his character depth. Now he's just 100% jerk all the time.
3. The episode where Homer (while wearing a Panda suit) is apparently raped by a real Panda in the zoo. Highlights the lowbrow scatological bent of much of the "humor" in the present show.