Breaking Bad.

sidenote: Why do so many people uses asterisks (*****) when they post a TV show topic? If every one does it, it becomes meaningless. And everyone pretty much does it.

Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark, and it was the best one.

Isn't it commonly known where the phrase originated?

Firefly.

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Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark, and it was the best one.

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I'm guessing you are under 35, or you would have said "The Fonz" instead of "a guy". I thought that was the episode where the series started the downhill slide instead of being the best episode. I remember watching that episode. Back then, that epsode was a big deal.

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Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark, and it was the best one.

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The model of cable TV makes it hard to jump the shark. Network TV with 26 episodes and continuing on and on makes it easy.

And they finish the show when they are ready , not when the network demands it.

And actually, when Fonz became the main character is when the show declined.

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Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark, and it was the best one.

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And actually, when Fonz became the main character is when the show declined.

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You take that back!!!

Many might disagree, but I don't believe Lost ever jumped the shark. Some people may point to time-travelling as jumping the shark, but the show's supernatural/sci-fi aspects were made clear on day one.

Lost jumped the shark when the jet engine was revving up and down on the beach and some retard walked up to it and got sucked in.

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Lost jumped the shark when the jet engine was revving up and down on the beach and some retard walked up to it and got sucked in.

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Methinks you dont understand what Shark Jumping means c

According to wiki:

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Jumping the shark is an idiom created by Jon Hein that was used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality

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Seems to me that the nano second prior to the engine scene Lost was pretty ok. But when that happened it suddenly declined. I turned it off at that point, so I don't know what happened from there.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

A lot of Brit shows too. But that's probably because they only last 3-4 seasons. I can't think of an American network show that hasn't taken the jump.

TWD, it can't jump the shark because it can't decline.

It usually means that when a show goes from good to not good.

Cop Rock never jumped the shark.

Lost jumped the shark with Nikki and Paolo.

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Lost jumped the shark with Nikki and Paolo.

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They were dealt with fairly quickly.

Breaking Bad walked up right up to edge of sharkjumpery with that plane crash finale.

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Breaking Bad walked up right up to edge of sharkjumpery with that plane crash finale.

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Machine gun in the truck is the correct answer

HNIC, you shut your ******* mouth.

But I will agree that if any moment came closest, it was that one.

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HNIC, you shut your ******* mouth.

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What I wanted to say...

What i mean about nikki and paolo is that lindeloff, etc. have admitted, they introduced them, fans hated them, so they killed them off super quick.

it's your show - do what your creative instincts tell you - dont kowtow to the viewers.

If not then, it definitely jumped in the episode when they used the giant pendulum from the Houston Museum of Natural Science to figure out how to get back on the island.

Deadwood. The last episode contained four uses of f that I had never heard or considered. I'd say they had at least another season in the tank.

[This message has been edited by MJ20/20 (edited 3/17/2014 3:21p).]

So, if a show rebounds does it negate any shark jumping?

If there is a point where quality declines, but then comes back (maybe not to the highest point, but to an "acceptable" level of quality) does that mean it didn't jump the shark?

No. Once it jumps, it's gone.

It may have redeeming episodes, but the show is never the same.

NYPD Blue

Gig 'Em

I think the only show I've ever watched that maintained a high quality throughout the entire run is the British version of The Office, and it was on for only 14 episodes, so that may not count. Breaking Bad did something that is very hard to pull off in that each season was better than the one previous. My problem with Breaking Bad is that it took me till season 3 before I thought it really became great. So maybe Breaking Bad jumped the shark backwards. Even shows that I think are among the greatest of all time, like the Wire, the Sopranos, BSG and Lost had runs where there was a drop in quality. As far as current shows that I love, Game of Thrones has maintained a high quality, but we'll see what happens in later seasons when they will have to start making things up. Justified seems to be on cruise control now and I'm starting to notice a dip in Sherlock.

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Sopranos

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Good gosh...the coma dream episodes.

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Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark, and it was the best one.

I'm guessing you are under 35, or you would have said "The Fonz" instead of "a guy". I thought that was the episode where the series started the downhill slide instead of being the best episode. I remember watching that episode. Back then, that epsode was a big deal.

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So much unintentional comedy in both of these posts. Sweet Jesus.

fun fact- John Hein created Jump the Sharkwebsite sold it for millions and hosts the Howard Stern Wrap up

he loves him some Ted McGinley

Freaks and Geeks
Mystery Science Theater 3000
IT Crowd