Guy who wrote 'Jump the Shark' episode finally speaks out

Blastr ^ | Sep 7, 2010 | Thomas Mill

[paudio]

Fred Fox Jr. inadvertently helped create one of the most infamous TV phrases of all time when he wrote the Happy Days episode "Hollywood 3." That phrase, since used thousands of times to describe dozens of TV shows that went from good to bad, is "jump the shark."

Wikipedia has this to say about it: "Jumping the shark is an idiom used to describe the moment of downturn for a previously successful enterprise. The phrase was originally used to denote the point in a television program's history where the plot spins off into absurd storylines or unlikely characterizations. These changes were often the result of efforts to revive interest in a show whose audience had begun to decline, usually through the employment of different actors, writers or producers."

It comes from the episode in which Fonzie went to Hollywood and had to jump a shark -- on water skis, not his motorcycle -- in order to defeat a local rival for, well, some important reason at the time. It's generally considered the point when Happy Days went from a must-watch show to a can't-watch show.

[SamAdams76]

The “jump the shark” moment for the 1970s era show “What’s Happening” has to be when the main characters went to a Doobie Brothers concert and Re-Run was caught by the band taping the show (on some really cheesy Radio Shack cassette recorder). The Doobie Brothers then proceeded to lecture the entire cast on the evils of taping a concert - as if there was this huge black market out there for bootleg live versions of such dreck as “Taking It To The Streets.”

[coaltrain]

“Or when “they did it” after major characters actually hooked up, thus eliminating sexual tension in a show.”

Like Mr. C and Joanie. Or Bert & Ernie.

[The Duke]

“Lost in Space” is a perfect example of early shark-jumping.

[BallyBill]

Ironically, Henry Winkler is more popular than ever. I think he is on 3 different shows I watch as recurring characters.

HEY!

[mikey_hates_everything]

"Another sign a show has “jumped the shark” - when a new character is suddenly added or when an unlikely pairing occurs."

Brady Bunch

Partridge Family

Any show

[bert]

We know, you don’t like TV. There was a we hate Frantzie show and that was too much to bear.

[Tainan]

Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy ... (166 episodes, 1989-1997)

Point well made.

[Tainan]

And, coincidentally, from the IMDB web sute, it also attributes this to Mr. Ted:

"Patron saint" of the website "Jump the Shark" (a phrase describing an event in a TV show that marks the start of the show's decline) because of his frequent roles as a fresh or a replacement character shortly before the termination of many shows.

Before taking the role of Jefferson D'Arcy on "Married with Children" (1987), he played Peggy's husband in a Christmas fantasy episode in which Al wonders what life would have been like if he had never been born.

So...he's got that going for him also.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

The show really jumped the hark when Fonzie stopped wearing white T-shirts and started wearing black T-shirts instead.

[Cowboy Bob]

The show really jumped the shark when Fonzie stopped wearing white T-shirts and started wearing black T-shirts instead.

I don't know why...but that really sounds Racist to me!

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

Boy, you nailed it. Poor old Jonathan Harris started off playing Dr. Smith as a mysterious, evil, maybe-straight, Clifton Webb type, only to devolve into a prancing, quivering, Frank Pangborn type of buffoon.

Harris was capable of so much more. Shame we got to see so little of it.

[reagan_fanatic]

The show was stupid and eventually we went from the 1050s in Happy Days to some weird time in between 1950s to 1970s

I understand in 1050 the Fonzie character rode around town on an Ox.

[The Duke]

Harris was capable of so much more. Shame we got to see so little of it.

Well, at least we'll always have (the original) Battlestar Gallactica! :)

[Right Brigade]

BLOW IT OUT YOUR NOSE WITH A RUBBER HOSE!
Welcome back to the 70’s

[Cowboy Bob]

BLOW IT OUT YOUR NOSE WITH A RUBBER HOSE!
Welcome back to the 70’s

Are you a Sweathog? ;0)