Jumping the shark is crossing the point at which something
that was once popular no longer warrants the attention it previously received,
particularly when attempts at publicity only serve to highlight its irrelevance.
The idiom "jumping the shark" is pejorative, most
commonly used in reference to unsuccessful gimmicks for promoting something.
It is similar to "past its peak" but more
specifically suggests an unwillingness to acknowledge the failing.
Originally the phrase was used to describe an episode of a
television comedy with a gimmick or unlikely occurrence desperately attempting
to keep viewers' interest.
Moments labelled as "jumping the shark" are
considered indications that writers have exhausted their focus;
...that the show has strayed irretrievably from an older and
better formula; or that the series as a whole is declining in quality.
This page was last edited on 14 July 2018, at 17:02 (UTC).
