jump the shark
English
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jump the shark
Where it comes from
From Hollywood (Part 3), an episode in 1977 during the fifth season of the American television series Happy Days, in which the character Fonzie jumped over a shark on waterskis. The expression argues that it was at this point that the show bore no similarity to its original form.
verb jumps the shark · jumping the shark · jumped the shark
- Of television program or other narrative, to undergo a storyline development which heralds a fundamental and generally disappointing change in direction. Happy Days infamously jumped the shark when Fonzie literally jumped a shark on water skis. I Love Lucy jumped the shark when Lucy and Ricky moved to the suburbs. The Brady Bunch jumped the shark when Cousin Oliver moved in.
- To experience a decline in quality, appeal, popularity, etc. Pintsize: Wait, don’t you want to know why I’m tied up and hanging from the ceiling? Faye: Not really. Nighty night! Pintsize: Shit! My wacky antics have jumped the shark!
Translations
Every language
verb To undergo a storyline development which heralds a fundamental and generally disappointing change in direction.
| Français | sauter le requin |
|---|
verb To experience a decline in quality, appeal, popularity, etc.
| Deutsch | auf dem absteigenden Ast sein |
|---|
Talk about this word "jump the shark." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jump%20the%20shark. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. jump the shark. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jump%20the%20shark "jump the shark." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jump%20the%20shark.Cite this
@misc{jump_the_shark_2026,
title = {jump the shark},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jump%20the%20shark},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
