jumps the shark
Loses its way
Jumps the shark describes the moment when something—usually a TV show, franchise, or creative endeavor—passes its peak and begins a decline in quality, often marked by a desperate or absurd attempt to maintain interest.
From a 1977 *Happy Days* episode where Fonzie literally jumped over a shark on water skis, widely seen as the show's creative low point.
The series jumped the shark when they introduced the talking dog.
- gimmickyRelying on shallow novelty
- overusedEmployed too frequently
- overexposureExcessive amount of something
- overreachingExceeding proper limits
- outdatedNo longer in use
turning point · going downhill · decline · past its prime · happy days · water ski · fade · lost the plot · deus ex machina · sellout · gimmickry · desperate · pandering · metaphor · leap · vault · gimmick · gimmick