jump the shark
Lose creative credibility
Jump the shark describes the moment when something—usually a TV show or franchise—begins an irreversible decline in quality, often by resorting to desperate or absurd gimmicks.
The phrase comes from a 1977 episode of *Happy Days* in which the Fonz literally jumps over a shark on water skis, widely regarded as the show's creative nadir.
The series jumped the shark when they introduced time travel in season five.
Now applied broadly to any creative work, trend, or institution that has peaked and begun deteriorating.
- clichéOverused, unoriginal expression
- implausibilityState of seeming unlikely
- declineDecrease or refuse
- stuntDangerous feat for spectacle
- nadirLowest possible point
Fonzie · waterski · over-the-top · washed up · running on fumes · far-fetched · idiom · coined · failure · deterioration · gimmick · downfall · unrealistic · ratings · cringe · peaked · past its prime · happy days
- televisionTV, television, broadcast, TV shows, TV series
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- slangslang, jargon, lingo, argot, cant
- TV lingoon air, off air, showrunner, cliffhanger, cue
- TV talkreview, recap, ratings, spoilers, plot holes
jump the sharkcome into its own
Achieve deserved recognition
peak · renaissance · breakthrough · golden age · age like fine wine
jump the sharkquit while ahead
Leave during success
graceful exit · stick the landing · mic drop · ride off into the sunset
jump, shark, jumping, jumper, jumps, sharks, jumped, sharked, sharking