TV shows that jumped the shark

[Strain42]

Reaper. I was actually really interested in that show in the first season. Fun characters, decent stories, interesting souls with wacky powers. I was really enjoying it.

Then about 3/4ths of the way through it, the main characters "girlfriend" (and that's in quotes because it's more like forced love interest) learns about what he does, and basically every single episode turns into

"Hey, I know your parents sold your soul to the devil and you're forced to be his bounty hunter and all...but what about MY feelings!?"

Then season 2 just made it worse by amplifying that, but also hooking one of the characters up with a demon, which was fine except that that "break up" about 4 times during the one season.

I really liked Reaper through most of season 1, but as I was watching season 2, by the time I got to the end of it, all I could think was "Yeah...I get why this got cancelled."

Real shame, because it had a lot of potential.

 

[shrekfan246]

Happy Days. Hey, someone had to say it.

That was the entire reason I entered this thread, and I don't know if I was actually expecting it to not be ninja'd.

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.

What? There was no ninth season. What horrible alternate universe are you from?

OT: Well, House felt like it was getting closer and closer to the shark as soon as they 'disbanded' the original team. Around season 5 it felt like they finally leaped over the shark and went into crazy-land.

 

[Random Argument Man]

I'll defend the idea that Buffy's season 6 wasn't the point Buffy jumped the shark (or the show jumped the shark in the first place). Whedon did a really good job of bringing us back from the season 5 finale. The pace and quality took a dive mid-season, but it does come back in a great quality near the end. It finishes most the development of the characters.

I'll say How I met your Mother is the series that jumped the shark as much it pains me to say it, but mostly due to the fact that the show took its premise too far. Season 8 hasn't started yet and we still don't know who the mother is. Season 7, while it had some good laughs here and there, ended on a note that pisses me off. It basicly took a love triangle that already run-out its course and decides to still go with it. As a fan, I'm happy that it ends this year.


There's two shows that I'm worried that it will jump the shark: Community and Dexter.

Dan Harmon, the showrunner of Community, has been fired since he couldn't manage to not be an asshole and couldn't keep ratings. I'm worried that we won't see more than a season 4...(I really wanted six seasons and a movie).

Dexter on the other hand depends on season 7. Season 1 was great (except for maybe the first 3 episodes). Season 2 was really good. Season 3 wasted too much potential, but it doesn't matter since season 4 was the greatest thing that I've seen on TV. Season 5 and 6 were "ok, but could've been better". So, the thing that will save the show or spell its doom is Season 7.

 

[Saulkar]

Gargoyles. The first two seasons were the epetamy of how good an animated kids show could be thennnnn... this happened.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I would say Dr. Who, but my experience is very limited in that regard (mostly to the 4th and 5th Doctors, which I watched on WTTW growing up).

But I will say that there is at least one moment from what little new Dr Who I've watched. Namely, in The Last of the Time Lords.

What was the moment?

Spoiler: Obvious Spoilers, you have been warned

When The Master used his Sonic Screwdriver Magic Wand to cause the Doctor to Hyper-Break-Dance so fast, that he got turned into a midget gremlin and put in a bird cage.

The whole sequence of him rapid-break dancing had me laughing uproariously. It was supposed to be a moment of serious tension and despair, but it just looked fucking HILARIOUS.

The whole sequence was The Master aging the Doctor's body without killing him, essentially making him weak and useless. Looked funny, but whatever. Drama.

Then later, The Master does it a second time to the Doctor while he's already old, and it turns him into a bad CGI midget thing.

But the part that makes this all worse is how they reverse the process.
Essentially, they do the Peter Pan method of "Clap your hands and help him out", and it restores the Doctor.

It's as ridiculous as it is stupid. Fucking looney tunes level of bad.
Honestly, it's shit like that that makes me question why Dr. Who is as revered as it is.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Firefly of course. I mean things started to go downhill when they had that ridiculous storyline where they go into the formal ball (like they could have gotten in there without massive coincidence) then things just got silly with the whole 'ooh he fake married a companion who's actually evil' and after the whole psychic thing came out I just couldn't take it seriously again! I felt like the nadir of the show was that godawful episode defending a whorehouse from cowboys. In a fucking sci-fi show! Jesus Christ it ran for far too long.

I kinda think Chuck went a bit wrong somewhere, but I can't put my finger on where. I still enjoyed the fourth series (haven't quite got around to watching the whole fifth series) but it just felt like something was off about the whole thing. Of course, this was a show that got really screwed around by the network. First it was cancelled then it was uncancelled then they extended one of the seasons instead of cancelling it so they had to drag things out.

I really (really really) hope Castle isn't going this way. Some of the 'big conspiracy' storylines are starting to feel really over the top. It can still work, but the fourth season had a bit in the middle where I got really worried about the direction the show was going. And the fourth season ending was (aside from one or two great moments) a bit weak. It was really well acted and all, but the writing, the pacing, the direction all just felt a little poor.

 

[Proeliator]

Firefly of course. I mean things started to go downhill when they had that ridiculous storyline where they go into the formal ball (like they could have gotten in there without massive coincidence) then things just got silly with the whole 'ooh he fake married a companion who's actually evil' and after the whole psychic thing came out I just couldn't take it seriously again! I felt like the nadir of the show was that godawful episode defending a whorehouse from cowboys. In a fucking sci-fi show! Jesus Christ it ran for far too long.

Not sure if serious or intentially inducing fan ire... just like to mention a lot of people thought it didn't go on long enough.

*twitch* must repress urges to defend... *twitch* show...
Plenty of sci-fi uses psychic themes! just look at- *WHUMP*

 

[Mike Richards]

I would say Dr. Who, but my experience is very limited in that regard (mostly to the 4th and 5th Doctors, which I watched on WTTW growing up).

But I will say that there is at least one moment from what little new Dr Who I've watched. Namely, in The Last of the Time Lords.

What was the moment?

Spoiler: Obvious Spoilers, you have been warned

When The Master used his Sonic Screwdriver Magic Wand to cause the Doctor to Hyper-Break-Dance so fast, that he got turned into a midget gremlin and put in a bird cage.

The whole sequence of him rapid-break dancing had me laughing uproariously. It was supposed to be a moment of serious tension and despair, but it just looked fucking HILARIOUS.

The whole sequence was The Master aging the Doctor's body without killing him, essentially making him weak and useless. Looked funny, but whatever. Drama.

Then later, The Master does it a second time to the Doctor while he's already old, and it turns him into a bad CGI midget thing.

But the part that makes this all worse is how they reverse the process.
Essentially, they do the Peter Pan method of "Clap your hands and help him out", and it restores the Doctor.

It's as ridiculous as it is stupid. Fucking looney tunes level of bad.
Honestly, it's shit like that that makes me question why Dr. Who is as revered as it is.

The effects for transforming him were pretty silly looking, but then again, this is Doctor Who we're talking about. Expecting us to be threatened by things that honestly look kinda dumb is sort of a tradition, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. As far as fixing him goes, it makes perfect sense and doesn't actually feel that cheap if you understand how psychic energy works. I know that sounds like a pretty lame defense, and they certainly could have explained it better in the episode, but it is an established thing (Most notably in The Shakespeare Code).

In any case, I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard someone suggest this, but watch Blink, or Silence in the Library. Then you'll get why the new series is such a big deal.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Firefly of course. I mean things started to go downhill when they had that ridiculous storyline where they go into the formal ball (like they could have gotten in there without massive coincidence) then things just got silly with the whole 'ooh he fake married a companion who's actually evil' and after the whole psychic thing came out I just couldn't take it seriously again! I felt like the nadir of the show was that godawful episode defending a whorehouse from cowboys. In a fucking sci-fi show! Jesus Christ it ran for far too long.

Not sure if serious or intentially inducing fan ire... just like to mention a lot of people thought it didn't go on long enough.

*twitch* must repress urges to defend... *twitch* show...
Plenty of sci-fi uses psychic themes! just look at- *WHUMP*

So SO not serious.

Firefly was and is the best show ever made, it did more with 13 episodes than most shows can do with 100. There isn't a single word of dialogue out of place in the entire run, and every character can be remembered easily while still retaining more depth than a stream.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The effects for transforming him were pretty silly looking, but then again, this is Doctor Who we're talking about. Expecting us to be threatened by things that honestly look kinda dumb is sort of a tradition, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I get that. I just finished watching the DVD for the Brain of Morbius, and that's camp-central. It's basically Frankenstein combined with a Dr. Who plot, but the tone of it is much more consistent with how I see the Doctor; as an eccentric clever alien placed in bizarre circumstances who out-thinks his opposition.

The "turning the Doctor into a Gremlin via breakdancing" crossed the line from "playfully eccentric" into full-blown camp hilarity simply because the Doctor was being stone-cold serious during the entire confrontation.

I understand why he was being serious, but that effect just...it just broke the goofy-meter for me.

As far as fixing him goes, it makes perfect sense and doesn't actually feel that cheap if you understand how psychic energy works. I know that sounds like a pretty lame defense, and they certainly could have explained it better in the episode, but it is an established thing (Most notably in The Shakespeare Code).

Well, I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt since I didn't know if it was established, but watching that episode without knowing that, it really came across as Deus Ex Machina bad writing.

In any case, I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard someone suggest this, but watch Blink, or Silence in the Library. Then you'll get why the new series is such a big deal.

The Weeping Angels and the episode where shadows (or members of The Silence) kill you that had River in it, I think?
Assuming I'm remembering those correctly, they were good. Not worship-levels of good, but plenty well written and acted.

 

[flakmagnet]

***** Snippy Snippy *****

In any case, I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard someone suggest this, but watch Blink, or Silence in the Library. Then you'll get why the new series is such a big deal.

See also: Midnight, and IMO, everything from Season 5+6. I never watched a lot of old Who, and I'll happily admit that some episodes of new Who have terrible moments (the scene to which you refer) and even some entire episodes I flat out refuse to watch (Love and Monsters and Fear Her, anyone?) But some of the episodes have been an absolute triumph of television. Blink, Midnight and IMO many episodes (and certainly scenes) from seasons 5+6 are outstanding.

On topic:

The premise of How I Met Your Mother is stretching beyond tenuous. Show us the mother, move on and if you want to continue the series with the mother as a character so you can drag the show on, that will be far better than presuming we actually care who the mother is any more.

Also, Heroes, Season 2 of the Walking Dead (though it picked up near the end and I will be watching season 3) and I'm gonna say it:

The Simpsons. Circa, Season 9? 10? Somewhere around there. Still somewhat watchable (the episodes are hit and miss for me) but it really lost some magic along the way.

Additionally, I know we said TV, but I'm worried Pixar have jumped the shark. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Gizmo1990]

I would say Dr. Who, but my experience is very limited in that regard (mostly to the 4th and 5th Doctors, which I watched on WTTW growing up).

But I will say that there is at least one moment from what little new Dr Who I've watched. Namely, in The Last of the Time Lords.

What was the moment?

Spoiler: Obvious Spoilers, you have been warned

When The Master used his Sonic Screwdriver Magic Wand to cause the Doctor to Hyper-Break-Dance so fast, that he got turned into a midget gremlin and put in a bird cage.

The whole sequence of him rapid-break dancing had me laughing uproariously. It was supposed to be a moment of serious tension and despair, but it just looked fucking HILARIOUS.

The whole sequence was The Master aging the Doctor's body without killing him, essentially making him weak and useless. Looked funny, but whatever. Drama.

Then later, The Master does it a second time to the Doctor while he's already old, and it turns him into a bad CGI midget thing.

But the part that makes this all worse is how they reverse the process.
Essentially, they do the Peter Pan method of "Clap your hands and help him out", and it restores the Doctor.

It's as ridiculous as it is stupid. Fucking looney tunes level of bad.
Honestly, it's shit like that that makes me question why Dr. Who is as revered as it is.

The effects for transforming him were pretty silly looking, but then again, this is Doctor Who we're talking about. Expecting us to be threatened by things that honestly look kinda dumb is sort of a tradition, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. As far as fixing him goes, it makes perfect sense and doesn't actually feel that cheap if you understand how psychic energy works. I know that sounds like a pretty lame defense, and they certainly could have explained it better in the episode, but it is an established thing (Most notably in The Shakespeare Code).

In any case, I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard someone suggest this, but watch Blink, or Silence in the Library. Then you'll get why the new series is such a big deal.

I will give you Blink but I found Silence in the Libary a boring/irritating hybrid. Plus it was the episode that Moffat used to inflict River Song on the world, and I have yet to forgive hime for doing such a evil thing.

 

[The_Waspman]

Wouldn't it be easier (or shorter at least) to name shows that didn't jump the shark?

All my favourite shows have done this. I was actually really sad at the end of season 4 of 24, because I thought to myself 'no more 24!? Damn.' but then they dragged it back. For four more seasons. Don't get me wrong, I still watched it and enjoyed it, but...

Well, it was the same thing with Lost. They both became slaves to their structure. Lost should have quit with the frigging flashbacks after the first season. We dont need half a dozen episodes exploring the really really boring shit that Kate did in her past. Nobody cares. Not when its cutting into Island time.

I also agree with heroes, though that was hardly the shows fault, that was because of the writers strike. House did it as soon as Cuddy wanted a kid. In fact, any show that has a strong female character wanting a kid is the exact moment said show jumps the shark.

 

[Woodsey]

oh god, so many...

The main one for me is Twin Peaks. First series = One of the best things ever put to film. Second series = So mediocre it hurts.

I think any TV show that goes on for a significant length of time is going to dip in quality. Especially so when the writers don't have the whole storyline planned out already. Quality over quantity please!

I watched it for the first time not too long ago. I remember looking at the episode list after watching the one which reveals the killer, and just wondering how in the fuck it was going to go on for another 6 or so episodes.

Oh, and LOST was the fucking dog's bollocks people - come on!

The Office.

The EXACT moment when Steve Carrell left the show.

Actually it was more like the EXACT moment America tried, once again, to remake a British comedy. America really just ruins original T.V shows with crappy remakes

No, it was a good show. Hell, better than the british version, even if they had Ricky Gervais.

It was better when it wasn't trying to do the same thing (which in a way makes it better purely by default)- when it was actually just The Office in America, it didn't top the British one at all.

Although I prefer the American version, I'm acutely aware of the fact that it's because it went on for longer and we got more time with the characters, not because it was better when they were in direct 'competition'.

But yeah, now that Carrell's gone it's completely pissing in the wind.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

I was going to say Andromeda, since I'm actually in the middle of watching that right now. The shark jumping happened near the end of season 2/start of season 3.

Heroes jumped after season 1. In fact, in my own headcanon, Heroes is still only a 1 season show.

Buffy never jumped the shark. Anyone who says it did is a filthy liar. Neither did Angel for that matter either.

I also don't think Lost ever really did jump the shark. People in this thread have been saying the first season was great and it got worse in season 2, but I found season 1 to be the slowest paced and most boring season on subsequent viewings. I think the problem a lot of people have with Lost is that they went into it expecting a mystery story of people stranded on an island, when in actual fact it was a sci-fi, but the actual sci-fi elements just weren't apparant until a couple of seasons later, so when they started to appear people claimed they couldn't follow what was going on for some reason.

Prison Break is also an odd case. It certainly SHOULD have ended after the second season, as it was intended until some executive meddling, but I still found myself hooked all the way through the next 2 seasons as well. Any show that can leave EVERY commercial break on a massive cliffhanger that is still genuinely suspenseful, and which throw a spanner into the works of every plan the protagonists come up with at least twice an episode is enoguh to keep me interested it seems.

Fringe almost jumped the shark at the start of season 4, what with retconning a shit load of the plot and much of the universes backstory, but, I got over it.

 

[CManator]

So what are some TV shows that you watched, and maybe enjoyed that at one point really began to descend into a lesser quality than it once was?

I don't think that's what "jumping the shark" means.
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!!!

Close. It's a reference to happy days where everyone was losing interest so Fonzie tried to out-cool himself by jumping a shark. Instead of being cool it just came across as cheesy and over the top ridiculous, and basically sealed the show's fate. So yeah it's a combination of your definition and the OP's, which your example seems to fit anyway. (Never saw it though)

OT I'd say Friends. It stayed funny for its entire run, but it became too much like a daytime soap opera towards the end. Ross and Rachel's on again off again again and again relationship just stopped being interesting and got even more ridicuous when they had a kid. It was really just a case of running out of ideas but it was too popular to just quit while it was ahead. The series finale was actually a relief, if completely unsurprising.

 

[Proeliator]

Firefly of course. I mean things started to go downhill when they had that ridiculous storyline where they go into the formal ball (like they could have gotten in there without massive coincidence) then things just got silly with the whole 'ooh he fake married a companion who's actually evil' and after the whole psychic thing came out I just couldn't take it seriously again! I felt like the nadir of the show was that godawful episode defending a whorehouse from cowboys. In a fucking sci-fi show! Jesus Christ it ran for far too long.

Not sure if serious or intentially inducing fan ire... just like to mention a lot of people thought it didn't go on long enough.

*twitch* must repress urges to defend... *twitch* show...
Plenty of sci-fi uses psychic themes! just look at- *WHUMP*

So SO not serious.

Firefly was and is the best show ever made, it did more with 13 episodes than most shows can do with 100. There isn't a single word of dialogue out of place in the entire run, and every character can be remembered easily while still retaining more depth than a stream.

not sure if baiting me or...
JK. I should have guessed you were making intelligent sarcasm, and not bashing, based on your remarks on the other shows. And the fact you like castle.
Have to make sure sometimes, one of my friends said, and I kid you not, "It looks like a show about cowboys in space. Which is stupid." D: my face was stuck like that for a few minutes while I tried blabbering about how the cast had great chemistry and it was incredibly enjoyable to watch.

 

[DJjaffacake]

If you consider 'Ashes to Ashes' a continuation from the great Brit show 'Life on Mars', then I'd say 'Ashes to Ashes'. It felt more like fan service.

This. Life on Mars was awesome, Ashes to Ashes was spectacularly mediocre.

Doctor Who as well, although I'd say it's more tripped over the shark, since it's been gradually declining in quality since Stephen Moffat took over.

 

[Goofguy]

Going to have to go with Heroes, too. The show could have stayed amazing if it had just stopped focusing on the same people all the time. Why does the normal guy need to gain powers after a few seasons of not having them? The superpowered guy lost his abilities? Fine, leave it that way and move on. The show got stale when they created nonsense for the same characters over and over.

 

[NeoShinGundam]

From Batman: The Brave and the Bold
^_^