The worst "jump the shark" moments in TV

[Jenny]

I thought it jumped from the first moment they pretended Laura Prepon was the hottest girl in their universe.

Or possibly when a casting director decided she could act at all and gave her the role.

Or when they decided that someone who looks/acts and sounds like she's 7 years older than the others would fit right in.

[MR-FAN]

Figure skating competitions, when Kwan stopped competing

[judiz]

Slightly off topic, but are there YouTube clips from Little House when Christopher Bowman was on it? I used to watch that show religiously, but can't remember when he was on or the character he played.

.

I've watched those episodes over and over, Christopher played one of the children in the blind school and (if I remember correctly), he had no lines, he was just an extra in the background so it was hard to pick him out.

[judiz]

Reading these posts has convinced me we need a separate thread just to vent about LHOTP!

[lulu]

Reading these posts has convinced me we need a separate thread just to vent about LHOTP!

I'm there!

[victoriajh]

Reading these posts has convinced me we need a separate thread just to vent about LHOTP!

Oh I love that show, I know the words to Mose episodes.....

[Karina1974]

I'm there!

Me too!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

As much as I hate to say this . . .

Cheers in the fourth season. I think the writers and cast's disdain for Shelley Long really affected the way Diane was being written. She became much more insufferable than ever before. At least in the early years, her pseudo-intellectualism was endearing and Diane seriously brought the show to a whole new level. If you watch the early years (especially the first two seasons), Long's comedic timing with the cast was impeccable and Diane really was one of the best written characters on television.

Then something happened around season 4. That is not to say she didn't have her moments, and there were brilliant episodes right before her departure, but overall, you can tell her and Sam lost steam and the show lost steam because of it. As much I greatly prefer the Diane years, I think Long leaving the show was a saving grace as Cheers was revitalized with Kirstie Alley as Rebecca and the show became a true ensemble. Plus, it was wise not to give Sam another true love interest as in my mind, Diane and Sam really did belong together despite what the series finale said.

[Wyliefan]

Unfortunately, the writing for Rebecca deteriorated as well. She got so incredibly whiny.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

True. I heard that the show should've really ended before their final season. I think they wanted Rebecca to be like a Katherine Hepburn type who could spar with Ted Danson's Sam in that way. However, I think they smartly realized that Kirstie Alley's strong suit was really slapstick, physical comedy and played that up. I'm not going to lie, I liked that Rebecca became a transparent gold digger who basically failed at life. How else was she going to fit in at that bar?

[oleada]

I enjoyed the early season 6 of Buffy (after she died and came back) because some of the episodes were really touching and completely but if I had to pick a JTS moment, it was either the entire episode of "Doublemeat Palace" or in "Seeing Red" when Spike attempts to rape Buffy.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I LOVED season 4 of Angel. It might be my favorite season due to the major creep factor and I loved the Wesley/Lilah storyline But IMO getting rid of the hotel and Cordelia and having Spike join killed it.

One thing I always think is interesting is how the two Melissas (Anderson and Gilbert) never really hit it off, whereas Gilbert and Alison Arngrim (Nellie) were besties by the end of their first day on the set. I want to read Arngrim's memoir Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.

It's a hilarious book. I highly recommend it. She goes through some horrific things, which makes me a bit to describe the book as funny and very entertaining. But it is.

That '70's show jumped the shark either when Donna went blonde or when Eric went to teach in Africa.

My rule for That 70s Show reruns is: if Donna is a blonde, then turn the channel.

[Rob]

So hillarious! I loved Arrested Development.

My fave. Didnt get the chance to jump.

[Tak]

Speaking of Whedon shows, even though they had some really good episodes in season 5, Angel jumped the shark when Cordelia left to become a higher power/being/whatever.

I agree that just jarred - it seemed out of character and totally an about face from where they had been going at the time - and it was just so sudden. But in fairness to the writers, I remember reading in several places back then that the actress was having some personal problems/issues [never specified that I could find] in her private life that was spilling over onto the set and was told she either had to fix them or leave.

I dont know what happened exactly, but the writers had to write her out quickly [they didnt have many episodes left to do it before the season ended]. I dont like what they came up with, but maybe it was the best they could do at short notice - and it left open the possibility she could return at some time. Maybe some one else knows better what was going on?

I think the worst idea the writers [intentionally] had was Conor - it seemed like they created the character and then at some point lost all idea of what they were going to do with him - and so wrote him out in a rather lame way. It all seemed rather pointless.

I'm not sure if that's called JTS or not - since it wasnt just one moment - but it was certainly a low point in the series for me.

[Scintillation]

I love love Arrested Development but I'm glad it never got the chance to JTS. I don't have to say "all the episodes are funny except..." Every single episode is great.


Now the Simpsons on the other hand is a show I love, but midway through season 9 things started to decline. There were still gems every so often after that but they've never recaptured the consistent brilliance they had in seasons 3-8.
Oh and 30 Rock definitely lost some quality around season 5. I think they lost a bunch of writers to Community around that time.

[lulu]

I love love Arrested Development but I'm glad it never got the chance to JTS. I don't have to say "all the episodes are funny except..." Every single episode is great.


Now the Simpsons on the other hand is a show I love, but midway through season 9 things started to decline. There were still gems every so often after that but they've never recaptured the consistent brilliance they had in seasons 3-8.
Oh and 30 Rock definitely lost some quality around season 5. I think they lost a bunch of writers to Community around that time.

Agree about The Simpsons. I love the show, and if possible, I still watch the new episodes on T.V., but the moments are few & far moments where the show has been able to recapture its former brilliance.

[my little pony]

30 rock needs to dump hazel, she is a scene killer

[Amy L]

I agree that just jarred - it seemed out of character and totally an about face from where they had been going at the time - and it was just so sudden. But in fairness to the writers, I remember reading in several places back then that the actress was having some personal problems/issues [never specified that I could find] in her private life that was spilling over onto the set and was told she either had to fix them or leave.

I dont know what happened exactly, but the writers had to write her out quickly [they didnt have many episodes left to do it before the season ended]. I dont like what they came up with, but maybe it was the best they could do at short notice - and it left open the possibility she could return at some time. Maybe some one else knows better what was going on?

I'm not exactly sure what happened either, but Charisma Carpenter's fiance-turned-husband was having some problems, she was having problems with him, etc. and she needed to take a break and/or quit. She took a vacation from the show and they had Cordelia go on vacation with Groo. They wrote her out of the show with the ascension when she strongly hinted that she wasn't coming back. Then at the last possible moment she decided that she would come back for season 4, and, by the way, she's pregnant. The icky semi-incestuous sex/Jasmine stuff was hastily put together due to Charisma's irl pregnancy, and IMO they assassinated Cordy's character because they were pissed off at Charisma. The producers nearly killed that show (even more) prematurely over petty stuff. Charisma and her husband were together for several more years after the Angel kerfuffle, though they did eventually get divorced. She just said that he had stuff to deal with, but she's been pretty classy about everything and hasn't yet called anyone out on the whole event.

And I loved season 5 because I loved Spike and Angel(us) together in Buffy season 2 and it was just more fabulous HoYay (was that a Television Without Pity thing? I just remember the phrase HoYay being thrown around a lot that year).

[Amy L]

I love love Arrested Development but I'm glad it never got the chance to JTS. I don't have to say "all the episodes are funny except..." Every single episode is great.

All of the AD episodes are either perfect or "pretty okay" with some perfect moments, but I thought Charlize Theron's storyline was completely useless.

[Alex Forrest]

Anyone remember Dynasty/The Colbys when Fallon went up in the UFO? Now that is the defintion of a JTS moment. A show can never recover from such ridiculousness.

I was a huge fan of Nip/Tuck, and the whole Carver arc. Ryan Murphy assured his loyal viewers that when the Carver is revealed it will be shocking, not just some random character who didn't have much longevity on the show anyway. So I totally got into it, trusting Murphy and his writing to see something different. I truly thought it was going to be Erika, Julia's Mom played by Vanessa Redgrave. It would have been brilliant. But nope, it was the outside character who could just as easily been written off. That was the JTS moment for Nip/Tuck. I sorta watched it after that, but it was dead in my book. Then Gina was dropped off the roof of a skyscraper during sex, and I was finito.

Of course there was 90210, and "ON-drea" I absolutedly hated her, and the actress Gabrielle Carteris was on a trip too. When On-drea ditched an Ivy League education to go to California Univ to be with the gang of losers it was annoying. (California Univ was 90210's JTS moment). And then you get preachy Carteris who bragged how she wrote much of her dialogue. The end result is she's like 50 years old playing a brainy college freshman and ends up getting knocked up. In pure Carteris dialogue, never one to not put out a public service announcement or be preachy "But doctor, I cannot possibly be pregnant. I only had unprotected sexual intercourse once!" I mean who talks that way? Subtlety was not Gaby's strong suit. If she wanted to drive the message home why not have her crying to Kelly saying "This is just my luck, the one time we didn't use protection, and now I'm preggers". Something like that, more realistic. God I hated On-drea.

Melrose Place when Kimberly totally went off the deep end and tried to blow up the complex.

[Marlowe]

I think Gray's Anatomy may have just jumped the shark this season as a result of that stupid plane crash - killing off Matt and Lexie and cutting off Arizona's leg, and ruining the hand of the brilliant surgeon Dr. McDreamy. It's all so miserable - throwing the lives of the majority of the cast into free fall - I'm not sure I want to continue watching. As a matter of fact, I skipped it last week.