Fonzie during his attempt to jump the shark. This still photo from a 1977 episode of the TV series Happy Days depicts actor Henry Winkler on water skis and wearing a leather jacket and bathing suit.
15 March 2021
Jumping the shark is a moment of peak popularity or quality, after which there is an inevitable decline. Originally applied to television series, the concept has since extended into other realms. The phrase refers to an episode of the television show Happy Days that aired on 20 September 1977 in which the character Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, on water skis jumps over a shark. The series continued for another seven years, but many consider this to be the show’s high point.
But the Fonz was not the first to literally jump a shark. The Happy Days episode was inspired by an attempt by daredevil motorcyclist Evel Knievel to jump a tank filled with twelve sharks. The attempt was scheduled for 31 January 1977, and on 8 December 1976 Variety ran the following:
Jump The Shark
Hollywood, Dec. 7
Producer-director Marty Pasetta has signed Evel Knievel to a five-year contract for exclusive daredevilling on tv specials.
Initial project will be 90-minute “Evel Knievel’s Death Defiers” to air Jan. 31 on CBS from the Chicago Amphitheatre. Knievel promises to jump his motorcycle over an indoor pool stocked with 12 killer sharks.
Mike Seligman coproduces.
Advertisement for the 31 January 1977 TV special Evel Knieval’s Death Defiers. Sensationalist drawing of a motorcyclist leaping over two sharks; in the background are a man on an exploding chair and a man making a high dive off a platform.
And a TV listing in the Calgary Herald on the air date read as follows:
(12)—Special: Evel Knievel’s Death Defiers: Telly Savalas and Jill St. John host a variety of daredevils. 1. Evel attempts to jump the shark pool. 2. 72-year-old Karl Wallenda will walk the tight rope. 3. Orville Kisselberg will blow himself up. 4. Joe Gerlach will dive 90 feet into a sponge.
But the stunt was not aired. On a practice run, Knievel easily cleared the shark tank but crashed on landing, severely injuring himself. He gave up stunt riding after that.
Jumping the shark would have remained a literal co-location of three words and a fading tidbit of 70s nostalgia if it were not for Jon Hein, who in December 1997 launched the web site jumptheshark.com. The site, which no longer exists (the URL redirects to the TV Guide site), defined jumping the shark as:
It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it jumping the shark. From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.
And Hein said of the inspiration for the site:
The term "jump the shark" was coined by my college roommate for 4 years, Sean J. Connolly, in Ann Arbor, Michigan back in 1985. This web site, book, film, and all other material surrounding shark jumping, are hereby dedicated to "the Colonel."
The aforementioned expression refers to the telltale sign of the demise of Happy Days, our favorite example, when Fonzie actually "jumped the shark." The rest is history.
Jumping the shark applies not only to TV, but also music, film, even everyday life. "Did you see her boyfriend? She definitely jumped the shark." You get the idea.
There is no independent evidence to validate the 1985 date, but there is no reason to doubt Hein’s account.
The phrase jump the shark made its mainstream media debut in the Los Angeles Times on 9 April 1998 in an article about the television show South Park:
If you think the show’s already passed its peak, be sure to vote for it at “Jump the Shark” (http://www.jumptheshark.com), a site that pinpoints the moment of each TV show’s decline. The name comes from the “Happy Days” show where Fonzie jumped a shark tank. Other such points of no return include Farrah leaving “Charlie’s Angels,” and the stars of “Blossom” and “Wonder Years” reaching puberty.
Has “SP” “jumped the shark” with its April Fools’ episode? Only time and ratings will tell.
The phrase has generalized to other genres and aspects of life. For instance, the Financial Times ran this in an article on Formula One racing on 14 July 2001:
Formula One has jumped the shark and consequently I will not be going near the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend. Since last year when I kicked the habit and no longer spent Sunday afternoons watching grands prix, I have regressed a little; the internecine fighting of the Schumacher brothers has dragged me off the wagon.
Despite the duelling Germans, I’m still largely ambivalent about F1. It’s not just the stultifying nature of most races. It is the inherent tackiness of the sport and its reluctance to say no to anything that might hinder the chances of getting the sponsors’ message in front of as many people as possible that turns me off.
Sources:
Glaser, Mark. “Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em, ‘South Park’ and Its Antics Set the Web Abuzz.” Los Angeles Times, 9 April 1998, 48. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
Harvey, Michael. “Why F1 Is Not Up to Speed.” Financial Times (London), 14 July 2001, 18. Gale Primary Sources: Financial Times.
Internet Archive. jumptheshark.com (5 December 1998).
“Jump the Shark.” Variety, 8 December 1976. ProQuest Magazines.
Oxford English Dictionary, draft additions March 2006, s.v. jump v.
TV Listings. Calgary Herald (Alberta), 28 January 1977, 27. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
Photo credit: Happy Days: Henderson Productions, 1977, fair use of a still from the television show Happy Days to illustrate the topic under discussion. Evel Knieval’s Death Defiers: imdb.com.