"Jump the Shark" Thread

[Mo Frackle]

I think "Happy Days" (the trope namer) still had great deal of solid episodes after the "jump the shark" one.

The departure of Ron Howard and Donny Most after the seventh season definitely brought a change to the series.

But even after that point, I think there were a lot of good episodes. Were there bad episodes? Sure, what good series doesn't have its share of bad episodes?

I haven't seen this one in full, but it looks pretty awful.

Anybody remember the episode where Richie and Ralph came back home? Very well-made episode.

 

[snichols1973]

It appears that Welcome Back, Kotter "jumped the shark" with their fourth (and ultimately final) season, when Mr. Kotter became vice-principal; for some, it felt like Mr. Kotter had sold out by leaving the classroom for an office job, while Kaplan and Travolta would make fewer appearances, and the Sweathogs found themselves in more serious situations.

As soon as John Travolta began starring in big-name films such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever, his 4th season appearances would be billed as a "special guest star" and they would add other characters such as Beau de la Barre, Carvelli and Murray (respectively played by Stephen Shortridge, Charles Fleischer, and Bob Harcum.

Sadly, some of the writers would be replaced in the fourth season with older comedy writers, and Norman Abbott, who had worked with such sitcoms as The Munsters, Alice, Leave it to Beaver, The Jack Benny Show, Sanford and Son et al., would direct the 4th season.

Unfortunately, Gabe Kaplan and John Travolta initially walked out after the third season due to creative difference with executive producer James Komack.

The ratings began to decline in the middle of the third season, and showed no improvement in the fourth season, and from there, the show's days were numbered.....

 

[D'Snowth]

On that note, it's interesting that the season where Redd Foxx walked away from Sanford and Son and Grady substituted for Fred ended up being the highest rated season of the series. Go figure.

 

[snichols1973]

Another "JTS" moment (in my opinion, at least) was in the middle of the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, when Thuy Trang, Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones (Trini, Jason, and Zack, the original yellow, red and black rangers) were replaced in the middle of the second season and their replacements took over; when the MMPR movie was released in 1995, they decided to go with the updated lineup, instead of the original five PR's.

At that time, I ultimately washed my hands of the franchise and its follow-ups, and have never watched any further incarnations to this day, whether movies or TV series.....

 

[charlietheowl]

On that note, it's interesting that the season where Redd Foxx walked away from Sanford and Son and Grady substituted for Fred ended up being the highest rated season of the series. Go figure.

I always found that weird, but I wonder if the media attention of Redd Foxx's holdout helped make the show even more popular for a short time. In the end, those kinds of contract squabbles really hurt the careers of both Foxx and Demond Wilson, since their solo ventures were very short-lived and unsuccessful.

 

[D'Snowth]

Yes, I saw an interview with Redd Foxx once, and he was asked if he ever considered returning to television, and he said his problem with television was that nobody really wanted anything to do with him unless it was reprising the role of Fred Sanford.

Demond Wilson seemed to make a nice career for himself as a minister once he retired from acting; I recently found this interesting video on YouTube:

 

[charlietheowl]

Yes, I saw an interview with Redd Foxx once, and he was asked if he ever considered returning to television, and he said his problem with television was that nobody really wanted anything to do with him unless it was reprising the role of Fred Sanford.

He did try to bring Fred Sanford back in the early eighties with Sanford, but it was a bust in the ratings because they apparently kept changing the cast members every few episodes. But I guess his tax and drug problems were enough to keep him trying to break back into TV every few years.

 

[D'Snowth]

Matter of fact, that actually became something of an urban legend that he faked his death because he was constantly in trouble with the IRS. Wasn't aware he was also having drug problems, but I do know at one point Demond turned to cocaine, which is kind of evident in later episodes of S&S, where he stumbles with his lines a little, or starts giggling for no reason.

Gosh, all this talk of S&S and drugs and everything, I'm sorry, I HAVE to shameless plug a YTP:

 

[Dominicboo1]

I didn't like Janice at all. Her voice really threw me. But I prefer her to Statler and Waldorf. IMO, they just aren't themselves if they're not heckling the Muppets, and heckling the babies would just be mean. Plus, exactly why are they parking their carcasses in the nursery anyway? Feh, let the babies have their own adventures based on their imaginations, not be weighed down by the presence of adults.

Well Statler's pretty good with his grandson, so maybe they have a soft spot for kids!

 

[muppet maniac]

Shows that I think jumped the shark:

* Monty Python's Flying Circus: When John Cleese left the show, but then again, it also happened to be the final season.

* Two and a Half Men: The 9th season when they killed off Charlie Sheen's character and replaced him with Ashton whatshisface.