TV shows that jumped the shark
- Thread starter Sean Hollyman
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Scrubs. Scrubs had an amazing ending in Season 8. Then they tried to ruin it with another season where we lost many important cast members.
I thin ka lot of people would name MASH on their list of jumping the shark. Even before the internet, I was inundated with people telling me how the series became preachy and was worse in the later years.Wolverine18 said:
But anyway, I think the 7 season model has worked pretty well for most shows. Well, most shows I watch, but then, it's hard for a show I don't like to jump the shark in my eyes. I can only think of a few that were really good examples (Star Trek: Voyager, Cheers, the obvious Simpsons, my previously mentioned Stargate), but my list of shows I love that lasted that long is pretty long.
The odds of a bad season do go up with the length of the show, though.
I don't think that's what "jumping the shark" means.Sean Hollyman said:
I always thought that the phrase is used when something totally ridiculous happens that you weren't expecting.
So, the show that really jumped the shark for me was (here I am going old school on you people) Dynasty.
Anyone remembers that?
It was about the lives of 2 rich families. Kind of soap opera-ish but not exactly. Romance, betrayal, business, back stabbing etc, you know the drill.
Anyway, the first few seasons were just that - lives of rich people. Then, in one of the later seasons, one of the main characters gets abducted by aliens. BY ALIENS!!! IN A SOAP OPERA ABOUT RICH PEOPLE!!!
Arrested Development.
But seriously, Prison Break. The first season was incredible, but... it sort of trailed off.
But seriously, Prison Break. The first season was incredible, but... it sort of trailed off.
So very very many...
Buffy - Season 6... other then the singing episode God that was depressing.
NCIS - Around season 7 I think, just go soooo dull.
Criminal Minds - About season 2...
Supernatural - Season 6, should have ended in at Season 5, would have been perfect... I mean where do you go after you BEAT SATAN?
Smallville - err God... season 4/5?
Dark Angel - Once they started bringing mutants into the show (hello you can make super-soliders that look just like normal people so why are you making mermaids?)
Bones - When it stopped being about an expect flying around the country helping out law enforcement and started being about the crime of the week... so Season 2?
I'll stop here I think, but I could go on all day.
Buffy - Season 6... other then the singing episode God that was depressing.
NCIS - Around season 7 I think, just go soooo dull.
Criminal Minds - About season 2...
Supernatural - Season 6, should have ended in at Season 5, would have been perfect... I mean where do you go after you BEAT SATAN?
Smallville - err God... season 4/5?
Dark Angel - Once they started bringing mutants into the show (hello you can make super-soliders that look just like normal people so why are you making mermaids?)
Bones - When it stopped being about an expect flying around the country helping out law enforcement and started being about the crime of the week... so Season 2?
I'll stop here I think, but I could go on all day.
Well, when season 5 ended, the show had been officially canceled at that point. Although, I'm frankly kind of shocked at how many people really just hate season 7. I for one really enjoyed the desperation and dark atmosphere of actually losing the war at nearly every turn straining the scooby relationship to the point of breaking. It was honestly one of my favorite seasons.nikki191 said:
I do understand why people don't like 6 though. There are some great episodes(Once More with Feeling, Seeing Red, Tabula Rasa) in it, but the overall season was weak. Especially if someone can't stomach the Spuffy.
Misfits. I found the first series hilarious. Then I don't know what the hell happened in season two. A Milk Magneto ? Seriously ? Haven't bothered to watch the third series.
Well, I can't think of any shows that jumped the shark, but there are a lot of shows that just declined badly.
Family Guy: I maintain to this very day that the first three seasons of Family Guy is some of the funniest stuff ever put on TV. When it was reborn it was still kinda good, but nowhere near the earlier seasons in quality. But the decline was extremely rapid and today I can't even watch it. It still has some funny jokes, hell, it still has some BRILLIANT jokes, but there's so much shit and rushed storytelling in every episode that I just can't be bothered to watch it.
American Dad: This one pains me, 'cause I used to absolutely love AD. It was almost like watching the old Family Guy, but with a lot of political jokes. Unfortunately AD has started to look a lot more like FG with random/weird jokes and poor storytelling. I'll give it a shot when it starts again in a few weeks, but if it doesn't pick up I'll probably stop watching.
Heroes: I gave up about 8 episodes into season 2. Loved the first season, but the second one felt like it was just dragging on forever.
My Name Is Earl: First two seasons were great. Season 3 started out pretty good, but it went downhill fast when Earl ended up in a coma. Season 4 was kinda good but suffered from making too many 'wink wink nudge nudge'-jokes to the audience. The show started feeling a lot less real and more like the characters knew they were just characters in a sitcom.
Family Guy: I maintain to this very day that the first three seasons of Family Guy is some of the funniest stuff ever put on TV. When it was reborn it was still kinda good, but nowhere near the earlier seasons in quality. But the decline was extremely rapid and today I can't even watch it. It still has some funny jokes, hell, it still has some BRILLIANT jokes, but there's so much shit and rushed storytelling in every episode that I just can't be bothered to watch it.
American Dad: This one pains me, 'cause I used to absolutely love AD. It was almost like watching the old Family Guy, but with a lot of political jokes. Unfortunately AD has started to look a lot more like FG with random/weird jokes and poor storytelling. I'll give it a shot when it starts again in a few weeks, but if it doesn't pick up I'll probably stop watching.
Heroes: I gave up about 8 episodes into season 2. Loved the first season, but the second one felt like it was just dragging on forever.
My Name Is Earl: First two seasons were great. Season 3 started out pretty good, but it went downhill fast when Earl ended up in a coma. Season 4 was kinda good but suffered from making too many 'wink wink nudge nudge'-jokes to the audience. The show started feeling a lot less real and more like the characters knew they were just characters in a sitcom.
It's a kid show, but heck, it's true.
Spongebob. The older seasons had a lot of funny jokes, and Spongebob was just some loveable idiot who tended to annoy everyone. Now, he's a spastic awkward creep who is at the least flamboyant. He still annoys people though. Squidward isn't enjoyable either. He acts like a little drama queen. Well, to be fair, he's always been kind of a drama queen. But now it's like that's all he is.
Spongebob. The older seasons had a lot of funny jokes, and Spongebob was just some loveable idiot who tended to annoy everyone. Now, he's a spastic awkward creep who is at the least flamboyant. He still annoys people though. Squidward isn't enjoyable either. He acts like a little drama queen. Well, to be fair, he's always been kind of a drama queen. But now it's like that's all he is.
The second season was still good... up untill the point where Laura Palmer's "true" killer gets revealed. After that it became mediocre, the moment Billy Zane and David Duchovny came around it was embarrassing, and when they decided to suddenly split up Dale Cooper and Audrey Horn for no reason it was fucking dead.Hollyday said:
Seth MacFarlane has given up on Family Guy. Check out his logic.Trucken said:
He wants to cancel the show because he belives that it has had it's day and he wants it to go out on a high note. However Fox would not let him cancel the show so he has been puting no effot into the show in order to get Fox to cancel it, making the shows quality drop, meaning that if the show is canceled now it will be going out on a low note. He is trying to get the show canceled by doing the very thing he wants to avoide by canceling the show? It is not just me, is it? That makes no fucking sense right?
