Saturday, September 4, 2010

Jump the Shark...

Somehow in class the other day, we ended up talking about where the phrase "Jump the Shark" originated...  Since I'm old as dirt, I was actually watching TV when the exact moment happened.... But some people weren't aware of its glorious moment of inception.    Here's a little article in the LA Times to capture the magic:  http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/03/entertainment/la-et-jump-the-shark-20100903
To that list of "Jump the Shark" moments I'd probably add any time a show adds a cute kid to the cast in hopes to resuscitate a dying show.    First one I can remember was when Cousin Oliver showed up on the Brady Bunch.   They didn't have enough kids on that show already?   After Cousin Oliver showed up, that show sucked balls.     Do I need to mention Scrappy Doo?   I didn't think so.  Also, any time a show tries to swap out a character with a new actor and get away with it....I'm done.     When they swapped Darren's on Bewitched?   Forget it.   Its the whole "New Coke" problem...kiss of death.   What?   Never heard of "New Coke"?    Maybe I'll talk about that in next week's class....

2 comments:

  1. What about when Mr. Drummond remarries and they bring in that new kid on Different Strokes? Poor Arnold!

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  2. Bringing in a new kid on *any* show is the kiss of death. Remember 'Cousin Oliver' on the Brady Bunch?

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