The phrase specifically refers to a three part episode of the American series Happy Days during which the character Fonzie jumps over a shark while on water skiss. Many have noted the episode as the moment when they realized the show was no longer worth watching, and even before "jumping the shark" was employed as a popular culture term, the episode in question was many times cited as an example of what happens to otherwise high quality programs when they stay on the air too long.

The first uses of the phrase as a direct metaphor is reported to have been made popular starting from December 24, 1997 when the site was posted by Jon Hein. In print, it was in the Jerusalem Post newspaper written by Jeff Abramowitz on May 29, 1998, entitled, It's all down hill. According to the jumptheshark.com Web site, the phrase was first coined by Hein's college roommate, Sean J. Connolly, in 1985.

Table of contents

1 List of common jump the shark moments 2 List of moments when famous shows are popularly considered to have "jumped" 3 External links

List of common jump the shark moments

• Bewitched, when Dick Sargent replaced Dick York as the actor playing main character Darren Stevens.
• The Brady Bunch, with the introduction of new character Oliver.
• Moonlighting, when main characters David and Maddie have sex.