When "The Fonz" on television's Happy Days performed a stunt involving jumping a shark, many people felt that the television show was doomed, that the writing had sunk to a new low. From this sitcom stunt came the phrase "Jumping the Shark", which means that a television show's writing is no longer the quality it once was.

Appropriately named, the website "Jump the Shark" at http://www.jumptheshark.com/ claims it coined the phrase. This site lets people comment on when their favorite (or not so favorite) TV shows have finally reached the pinnacle of success and are now barely worth watching. Sites mentioned include long-lasting shows such as The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order, and more. Plus, there are many Shark categories such as when TV shows perform graduation shows, when a different actor plays a certain character, when TV shows constantly resort to guest stars, when a series movies to a new location, and more.

Chronicling a not-so-well-documented part of television history, you may find this site interesting, entertaining, and fodder for many debates on the quality of TV shows then and now.

Print This Tip

Get E-Mail When New Tips are Online

Return to the Sites to Browse - Television page.