# jump the shark

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. Of television program or other narrative, to undergo a storyline development which heralds a fundamental and generally disappointing change in direction.
2. To experience a decline in quality, appeal, popularity, etc.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/jump-the-shark