When Shows Jumped The Shark

[New Damage]

Regarding Heroes, the season was excellent. Second series was good but nothing really wrong with it. But the third series, they added way too many characters without really explaining any of them. I struggled my way through to the end. Season 4... I meant to watch, but never did.

[GoGo Yubari]

Only because of your crush on Kathy Bates.

...or was that Sousa?

That's Sousa. Sousa loves him some Kathy Bates.

I don't hate the SABRE stuff or anything, I think it's produced some good stuff (especially the fate of David Wallace). I just think you can cut it from an abridged series and not lose anything important for any of the main characters.

[Apollo]

Though I agree on the distaste for Season 3 and some of 2, I really liked Season 4 of Heroes. Samuel was great (as was that actor in Prison Break as T-Bag), and overall I felt it was a return to form in a lot of ways. The implications of the finale with Claire basically revealing to the world that superheroes exist got me really excited for a follow-up.

The main thing that annoyed me about that show was how they kept coming up with ways to nerf Hiro's powers, with that sword he needed to find, then... I think somehow his consciousness became that of an 11 year old or something? After a while I began to wonder why they even made him so powerful in the first place, it's been a while since I watched but I feel like there were only a handful of episodes with him being as awesome as someone who can manipulate time and space should be.

[Skummy]

Regarding Heroes, the season was excellent. Second series was good but nothing really wrong with it. But the third series, they added way too many characters without really explaining any of them. I struggled my way through to the end. Season 4... I meant to watch, but never did.

I'm probably over-exagerrating it in my memory, but all I remember about season 2 of Heroes was a disproportionate amount of Dramatic Reveals on the opposite side of a hug.

[Mick]

Regarding Heroes, the season was excellent. Second series was good but nothing really wrong with it. But the third series, they added way too many characters without really explaining any of them. I struggled my way through to the end. Season 4... I meant to watch, but never did.

I'm probably over-exagerrating it in my memory, but all I remember about season 2 of Heroes was a disproportionate amount of Dramatic Reveals on the opposite side of a hug.

All I remember is that damn girl crying, killing everyone around her, then her brother grabbing her hands and suddenly everything is back to normal.

[YI]

The OC when Marissa died. Though to be fair, the first season was the best by a long shot anyway.

I'd argue it went totally to shit post 2nd season lesbianisms, when Ryan's brother showed up and they constantly teased breaking up Sandy and Kirsten for the next 3 years. The soundtrack went horrendously downhill too.

Was it season 2 of Heroes where Noah was being fucking awesome? If so, I enjoyed those parts. But never really got into it after the 1st season.

I'm not sure what the general feeling is but I feel series 4 of Peep Show is both the best and where the show declined after, being nowhere near as good since. A little over the top, but the opening episode just flat out kills me still. Plus the series had Nancy in it.

[LUKIE]

Oz never jumped the shark, but it still ended

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Short is best.

Fawlty Towers - 12 episodes but EVERY episode fantastic.

I guess the difference is that a standard US series is 20-odd episodes while a standard UK series is SIX episodes. Get it done, say what you have to say, make a perfect little package and then finish while everyone wants more. Perfect.

[Hobo]

Scrubs circa season five. 8 Simple Rules post John Ritter. Two and a Half Men as soon as Jake stopped being a cute tubby kid.

The Big Bang Theory entered jumping the shark territory when they all got their own chippettes.

How I Met Your Mother was shakey around the time Sarah Chalke's character came in. Once she was gone the show got better again. It's still a good show. Season six was great. It's evolved beyond the premise and become how these people grew up and settled down.

[Pizza]

Oz never jumped the shark, but it still ended

Cyril's magical aging drug?

[LUKIE]

That lasted like... 2 eps? Not even. As if that was a Shark Jumping.

If anything, it was all of the Aryans dying in the last episode from anthrax. But that was at the end of the show!

[Benjamin]

Thought this might be a fun brain-tingler: When do you guys think 24 jumped the shark? The possibilities are endless, and I'm sure everyone would have a different answer.

Also, I'm a humongous Friends geek and personally would say that it never jumped the shark , but I understand why some people hated the last 5 seasons. Chandler and Monica fell in love a little too quickly. However, barring that relationship, I thought almost everything else was brilliant. Especially Ross. And Jack. Jack is god.

[GhostMachine]

Thought this might be a fun brain-tingler: When do you guys think 24 jumped the shark? The possibilities are endless, and I'm sure everyone would have a different answer.

Also, I'm a humongous Friends geek and personally would say that it never jumped the shark , but I understand why some people hated the last 5 seasons. Chandler and Monica fell in love a little too quickly. However, barring that relationship, I thought almost everything else was brilliant. Especially Ross. And Jack. Jack is god.

24 jumped the shark when they go rid of President Pedro Cerano. He really should have had Jobu with him.

Friends should have ended a season or two earlier than it did. But to me if kinda jumped the shark a bit once Ross and Rachael got together. Them finally doing that should have been saved for the last season.

[Matt]

I wouldn't say 24 ever jumped the shark, the only weak season for me would be season 6, I thought 7 and 8 were fun.

[Jack_Attack]

Skins (UK version) jumped somewhere in Season 2, but it was still tolerable. The bigger or real jump came right at the start of Season 3/Generation 2, and from there on it's been absolutely horrendous. Horrendous I say!

Edited September 17, 2011 by Jack_Attack

[C-MIL]

"We were on a break!"

Killed Friends dead.

[LittleDaniel]

Skins was wonderful (in an incredibly trashy way) all throughout the first two seasons. Then, yeah, it turned to shit and I gave up three episodes into the third series.

[Hobo]

I can pinpoint the exact moment when Arrested Development jumped the shark.

[Daniel Bryan]

For the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a dude literally jumped over a shark, and it was the best one.

[TMM]

Heroes could well have been the best series of television if it ended after it's first year. It had a perfect beginning, middle and end but the 2nd year was absolutely atrocious.