jump the shark-related stories
Posted Oct 20th 2009 3:51AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, Dexter, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E04) - "You're the one who wanted a challenge ... and now you've batted the beehive." - Harry to Dexter
That quote sums up this season in a blood spattered nutshell and really all of good television, for that matter. How do you reinvent a show that works without completely reinventing the wheel on which it got there?
In
Dexter's case, it's giving America's most squeezably soft serial killer an opponent truly worthy of his skills and talent without boring the audience or completely overpowering or outing him. In other words, keep the shark in the cage so you don't even have the inkling of an opportunity to jump over it.
Continue reading Review: Dexter - Dexter Takes a Holiday
Posted May 12th 2008 9:39AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, CSI, Reality-Free
The
CSI/Two and a Half Men writers switch was a very clever promotion for CBS. Fortunately, the writers saw the opportunity to change places as more than just a publicity stunt. They really took the scripting seriously and came up with inventive episodes for each program. If this were a competition to see which team would deliver the better show, who would take on the task of writing winning TV in a genre not their own and succeed beyond expectations, the comedy scribes take the gold. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn's
CSI was pure genius, and if it were up to me,
CSI should submit it for an Emmy.
But first there was
Two and a Half Men. In an episode called "Fish in a Drawer" (and if somebody could explain what that title means, I'd be most appreciative), the story picked up after Evelyn married Teddy. In the teleplay by
CSI regular writers Evan Dunsky and Sarah Goldfinger, Charlie and Courtney check out of the reception for a little romp in his room upstairs only to find Teddy's dead bod on the bed. Talk about spoiling the mood. Teddy wasn't only a corpse, he was a corpse with his pants pulled down around his ankles and lipstick stains on his hoo-ha. The cops were called in, a detective who was a dead ringer for Marg Helgenberger -- played by redhead Jamie Rose -- had the vaguely Bondian name of Jagov, Sloane Jagov. Naturally, Charlie had to make a move on her. He couldn't keep his eyes off her cleavage.
Continue reading The CSI/Two and a Half Men writer switcheroo -- loved it!
Posted Apr 14th 2008 3:12PM by Jay Black
Filed under: Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free
As I sit in a converted dorm room at a college in Castine, Maine, waiting for either the start of my stand-up show or the sweet embrace of death to break up the monotony of my day, I find myself with gobs of time to explore some of the less-traveled corners of Wikipedia. After reading
a 500 word analysis of what state Benson may have taken place in (really!), I moved on to the entry for "Jump the Shark." Gary Marshall
is quoted there as admitting that even he felt a little weird watching Fonzie, leather jacket and all, jumping over that now mythic shark. He points out, however, that
Happy Days remained a top-twenty hit for seven more years and produced more than 100 more episodes after it aired.
It occurred to me that had the internet existed in the 1970s, the backlash to the jumping the shark episode would have been immediate and crushing....
Continue reading Watercooler Talk: Should a show continue waterskiing after it jumps the shark?
Posted Sep 27th 2007 6:22PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, TV Royalty, Video, Web
This very important anniversary was actually a week ago today but I just realized it this morning as I was eating my Happy Days cereal and wearing my Fonz pajamas and Ralph Malph slippers.
September 20th marked the 30th Anniversary of the day Arthur Fonzarelli (aka "Fonzie," aka "The Fonz") put on his leather jacket and a pair of water skis and jumped over a cage filled with stock footage of a man eating shark. Of course, we know that the famous episode launched a very successful catch phrase and web site called "What choo talkin' bout Willis?"
After the jump, a video of that classic TV moment. I haven't seen an episode of Happy Days in years, but it was probably well on its way to getting away from the original intent of the show before this. But yeah, this scene is even more ridiculous than you remember it.
[via LAObserved.com]
Continue reading Happy 30th anniversary to Fonzie and the shark! - VIDEO
Posted Dec 1st 2006 4:42PM by Julia Ward
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, The CW, America's Next Top Model
According to insider's on the production, this week marked the first episode of
America's Next Top Model without the involvement of its
formerly striking, now fired, writing staff. Media-watchers are calling the episode
the first real shark-jumper in the series with the dismissal of the only chick left who looked like a model and the cold water torture the girls suffered at mommy Tyra's hands. I was miffed last week when they chose Amanda over Michelle in a desire vs. talent match-up. In the real world, no one gives a crap how you feel about your work if you do it well.
Continue reading America's Next Top Model sans writers
Posted Jul 14th 2006 1:23PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Talent, Web, Celebrities
A few weeks ago,
I mentioned that Jon Hein sold his Jump The Shark web site to Gemstar-TVGuide for an undisclosed sum (psst... it was in the millions. Pass it on). Well, he made his debut on TVGuide.com yesterday, in a new "Expert Blog" called
"Hein Sight". Right now, he doesn't mention what his contribution to the site is going to be. I mean, I can't imagine what TVG is going to do with Hein and JTS other than slap their name all over the JTS
web site. But, whatever. I like Jon and think he might actually contribute something to the site if they let him. But I'm sure all he cares about is a) making sure Howard Stern still thinks he's a genius, and b) counting his money. The TVG blog is gravy to him.
Posted Jul 10th 2006 11:10AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Talent, Web, Celebrities, Obituaries, Game Show
Smith hosted (for the final year, after long-running host Art Baker leff) the classic 1950s game show/variety show You Asked For It, where people would write in and ask to see unusual things or certain performers. The show came back in the early 80s for a short-lived version, but Smith might actually be better known for a guest appearance he made on another show in the 70s and the net craze that ensued from that episode.
Smith guest starred on the "Fearless Fonzarelli" episode of Happy Days, the one where Fonzie "jumped the shark" on water skis and unknowingly causing a catch phrase that would spawn a popular web site. Smith played himself in the episode, though they changed the name of the show Fonzie was on from You Asked For It to You Wanted To See It.
Smith died of leukemia on July 3 in California. He started out as a singer, and also guest starred in several TV shows, including Leave It To Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, I Dream of Jeannie, and Charlie's Angels.
Update: As reader Brent points out in the comments, Smith wasn't in the "jump the shark" episode, he was in the "jump the garbage" episode. I got my jumping mixed up.
Posted Jun 21st 2006 12:35PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Talent, Industry, OpEd, Web, Celebrities
It looks like ranks of millionaires on the Howard Stern show are growing. Fans already knew that Howard, Robin Quivers, Artie Lange, Fred Norris, and likely Gary Dell'Abate were all swimming in dough. But to those names you can add... Jon Hein?
Yes, Jon Hein. Hein, the creator of the ingenious web site
Jump The Shark, and also an on-air staffer for Sirius' Howard 100 and 101 channels, announced this morning that he sold his web site to
TV Guide for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, he will also be a contributor to the TVG web site.
I'm guessing that Jon finally decided to sell the site, in which users chronicle when their favorite shows started slipping creatively (like when Fonzie jumped the shark on
Happy Days), to concentrate on his work with Howard. I'm surprised, actually, that the site went as long as it did after Jon joined Howard's crew. But I'm happy for the guy; he seems like a nice guy and a hard worker, and if anyone deserves to profit from one of those "why didn't I think of that?" ideas, it's Jon.
Now I wonder what our friends over at "The Guide" are going to do with the site. Hope they don't ruin it.
Posted May 29th 2006 6:09PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, ABC, Grey's Anatomy
Is it possible for a TV show to jump the shark before its first season is even over? TV writer
Lee Goldberg thinks that it may have. The L.A. Times
has a story about how a lot of people in the medical profession think that the popular ABC medical drama has already gone way over the top. Specifically, they're talking about the season finale and the plot about an intern getting involved with a patient.
I've never seen the show, so I can't say that it has jumped the shark or not. But I guess my first question is: people are actually still using the term "jumping the shark?" That's soooo 2001.
Posted Apr 3rd 2006 3:12PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Talent, Industry, Programming, Web, Celebrities
TV Barn's Aaron Barnhart thinks that product placements
on television have jumped the shark.- Every year, TeeVee.org creates an elaborate April Fool's web site. This year it's the TeeVeePedia!
- Ken Levine describes his first directing gig,
on a Wings episode in the mid 90s. (Side note: I was an extra on a Wings episode several episodes
before this and I probably met Ken. Life is funny.)
- Did you know that Survivor's Shane is an actor?
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
