Thursday Thirteen #19: TV Shows That "Jumped the Shark"

Thirteen TV Shows That I Think "Jumped the Shark"

Back in the mid 1980s, a term was coined that has become one of the most used in the pop culture lexicon: Jump the Shark. It refers to a defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. The term was derived from an infamous 1977 episode of "Happy Days" when the Fonz (on water skis) literally jumps over a shark. There is even a website (Jump the Shark) that serves as a forum where people can comment on when a show did or didn't go downhill. Below are 13 instances when I knew that a favorite program of mine strapped on the skis and therefore would never be the same.

All In the Family- When Mike and Gloria moved into the house next door (which had been vacated by The Jeffersons) during the 1974-75 season. I realize that the change was plausible (given that Mike had graduated from college and got a job as a professor). But the show was at its best when the 4 main characters were all living under the same roof.

The Andy Griffith Show- The exit of deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) after season 5. One of the funniest characters in TV history, Barney made the show come alive. The producers clumsily tried to make up for his absence by introducing the character of deputy Warren Ferguson in season 6. They realized their mistake and dropped him before the season ended. Although Barney did return for 5 guest appearances over the last 3 seasons, the series as a whole never recovered.

Chico and the Man- The death of Freddie Prinze (who played Chico). The producers tried to fill the void by bringing in a new "Chico" (in the form of 12 year old Raul), but they would have been better off if they had just ended the series.

Dallas- The "death" of Bobby Ewing (played by Patrick Duffy). With the departure of Duffy, "Dallas" lost one of its best elements (the conflict between brothers J.R. and Bobby). Larry Hagman saw the writing on the wall and pleaded with Duffy to rejoin the show. Although Duffy returning was a must in my opinion, I wish there could have been some other way to accomplish this instead of the "dream season" that the writers devised.

The Dukes of Hazzard- Actors Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) and John Schneider (Bo Duke) temporarily leave the series from 1982-83. Because of a dispute over their salaries and merchandising royalties, the pair understandably walked away from the show. This forced the producers to bring in two other Duke cousins (Coy and Vance). When the ratings took a nosedive, the producers quickly patched up their differences with Wopat and Schneider. Even with their return, the show never recovered.

The Facts of Life- The departure of Mrs. Garrett. The loss of Mrs. G (coupled with the fact of life that Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie were outgrowing their roles) was the beginning of the end.

Get Smart- Would you believe that having Max and 99 become the parents of twins during the 5th and final season of the show was the greatest plot development in TV history? Would you believe the 2nd greatest? How about a lousy idea that effectively killed one of the most original sitcoms on TV?

Good Times- When they killed off James Evans in 1976, the series not only lost a strong black male who was the head of the family, but a fine actor as well (John Amos). "Good Times" continued its decline in 1977 when Esther Rolle (who played the mother Florida Evans) left the series for a season. Although Rolle did return to "Good Times" in the fall of 1978, it was a case of too little too late and the show was cancelled at the end of the season.

Happy Days- The increasing prominence of the Fonzie character. Don't get me wrong, the Fonz is one of the all-time great TV characters. But I think he was most effective in the early years when he was just a supporting character. As the series went on, he not only became the focus, but was almost superhuman. I could handle Fonzie banging on the jukebox to get it to play or stop. But some of the feats they had him performing (defeating a world class fencer, riding a killer bull, and getting the wildlife to be quiet by yelling "Cool It!" just to name a few) were downright silly.

Laverne and Shirley- The relocation of the setting from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Burbank, California at the beginning of the 1980-81 season. One of the charms of "Laverne and Shirley" is that its Milwaukee setting gave it a blue-collar feel, which was lost when the show moved out West. To have the characters of Laverne and Shirley move would have been bad enough, but having the entire cast relocate made absolutely no sense.

Melrose Place- "Special Guest Star" Heather Locklear joins the cast as Amanda Woodward at the end of the 1st season. I know that I am in the minority, but I prefer the pre-Amanda era of "Melrose Place" when it was a similar in tone to "Party of Five". After Heather joined the show, "Melrose Place" morphed into "Dynasty" on acid (the unexplained personality changes of characters such as Michael and Kimberly being one of its main offenses). Also, anyone who stays with a show for 6 years is no longer a "Special Guest Star" in my book.

Moonlighting- For the 1st few seasons, "Moonlighting" was one of the best shows on TV. However, when David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) hit the sheets, the show hit the skids.

Scooby Doo- The addition of Scrappy Doo in 1979. Luckily, his addition to "Scooby Doo" came shortly before I reached the age when I thought I was too old to watch cartoons. Therefore, his presence didn't scar me too badly. "Puppy Power" my ass!

If a TV show didn't make my list, it's due to one of the following:

a. There are only 13 slots.
b. I'm not very familiar with the show and therefore have no opinion on whether or not it jumped the shark
c. I don't think the show did jump the shark

With that being said, did a series that you watch ever "jump the shark"? If so, at what moment do you think it happened?


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