View Full Version : Shows that never "jumped the shark" in your opinion
Superbatboy
06-05-2002, 06:39 PM
(Jumptheshark means when a show starts to go downhill rapidly)
Here are mine:
1.The Golden Girls- Always witty and clever....and the 4 comediennes were flawless in their delivery and timing
2.Mary Tyler Moore- Even major cast changes didn't hurt this show
3.I Love Lucy- I don't any other show I could watch a million times and still laugh
4.Seinfeld- Always funny, and almost always would hit close to home in some form, whether directly or indirectly
5.The Cosby Show- Came very close when they added Pam, but the show was always funny, even though the funniest episodes were in the beginning
6.The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air- Always clever, and ended at the perfect time
The only show I think hasn't jumped the shark is "Frasier."
They have always been consistantly funny, and the characters have always evolved and progressed throughout the years.
FOLrocks1
06-05-2002, 07:12 PM
I would have to say:
The Golden Girls - always funny, I wish it went on longer!
Three's Company - even though there were all of the cast changes, it still was funny.
dawsongirl
06-05-2002, 09:51 PM
In my opinion:
I Love Lucy
Adam-12 (some people don't like the last season, but I do)
Hogan's Heroes (even with the new guy Baker it was still pretty much the same)
I Dream of Jeannie (I didn't mind the marriage)
The first version on Family Feud 1976-85
The Monkees
DarleneIllyria
06-05-2002, 10:54 PM
Hmmm, I think the only show that I like that didn't jump the shark was Batman. Yeah, its kind of cheesy now, but that just makes the show even more funny! Let me do some thinking here.
Leave it to Beaver- Jumped the Shark when Beaver grew older
The Andy Griffith Show- Jumped the Shark when Don Knotts left, Andy got grumpy, and the transistion to color
All in the Family- Jumped when Stephanie climbed aboard and Sally and Rob left
Sanford and Son- This may go with Batman, because I don't think it jumped.
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C- Gomer's singing in almost every episode
There you have it. I only think 2 shows stayed good throughout the whole time on the air.
Edited to Say: The Twilight Zone is another one that never jumped.
Janice
06-05-2002, 11:03 PM
The Dick Van Dyke Show stayed fresh until the end, and went out still a hit.
Seinfeld could do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Just love it.
I enjoyed Family Ties and Three's Company to the end as well.
Will and Grace Fanatic
06-06-2002, 01:11 AM
As far as I'm concerned shows never jumped if there ratings were still good.
Shows like
Seinfeld- was the number one show when it went off
I Dream of Jeannie
06-06-2002, 11:47 AM
I think the following never jumped:
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Golden Girls
Mama's Family
Dallas
Hogans Heroes, Married with children, F Troop, Golden Girls,
James
06-07-2002, 02:04 AM
Shows that never jumped the shark IMHO include the following:
"Coach"
"Leave It To Beaver"
"Perfect Strangers" (although Larry and Balki's marriages were a close call)
"The Brady Bunch"
"The Wonder Years" (although it came close when they introduced all those new characters at the high school like Jeff Billings, Chuck Coleman, and Ricky Holsenbach)
The Brady Bunch jumped theminute they let the kids sing. I mean.....who told them that they were the Partridge Family?
Three's Company never jumped! From March 15, 1977 to September 18, 1984 it was GREAT!
JWood201
06-07-2002, 03:19 PM
Here's my list of shows that never jumped:
Gilligan's Island (coulda lasted longer)
Golden Girls
Mama's Family
Three's Company (it was good 'til the end, but Philip ruined the show for me, personally)
Seinfeld
I Love Lucy
The Munsters (love it)
Will and Grace Fanatic
06-07-2002, 05:06 PM
Heres more shows that I think never jumped
Cheers ( the last episode is still one of the most watched episodes of a television show)
I Love Lucy (remained in the top 3 through its whole run)
APPLEI
06-07-2002, 10:08 PM
IN MY OPINION THESE SHOWS NEVER JUMPED THE SHARK!
WKRP IN CINCINNATI
THE TWLIGHT ZONE
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
I LOVE LUCY
HONEYMOONERS(50'S VERSION)
TAXI
THE ODD COUPLE
THE MARY TLYER MOORE SHOW
CHEERS(ONE OF THE FEW SHOWS IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION THAT GOT BETTER WITH AGE)
dawsongirl
06-07-2002, 11:34 PM
Originally posted by APPLEI
WKRP IN CINCINNATI
THE ODD COUPLE
Yep, those too. :)
LucyFan
06-07-2002, 11:45 PM
In my opinion these shows never jumped the shark:
I Love Lucy
The Brady Bunch
The Munsters
winkwilliams
06-08-2002, 11:04 PM
Never Jumped:
1. The Simpsons, going into it's 14th (!) season has never jumped the shark. It's still fresh and funny with a capital F.
2. Despite the loss of Rhoda, and to a lesser extent Phyllis, Mary Tyler Moore never jumped.
(Mary and Rhoda wins the Wink award for worst reunion movie ever and a vow never to watch another one.)
3. I don't think Friends has jumped either. It's consistently well written, clever and fresh. No easy task when some of those fun loving kids are pushing 40!
Shows that jumped and when:
All in the Family- when Meathead and Gloria left and it degenerated into the dreadful Archie's Place.
Facts of Life-When Mrs. Garret departs and the Jo and Blair get big, bad hair. The format changes and seemingly endless cheap hidden pilots didn't help.
Bewitched-When Darren number two enters the picture and Elizabeth Montgomery seems tired of the whole thing. The loss of Endora was a fatal blow too.
Roseanne-The most dramatic jumping of all series. It's when they win the lottery and become rich. The show was painfully awful after and thankfully axed after one gruesome year of this plot playing out.
SoftballPlayer198
06-09-2002, 01:56 PM
Three`s Company, Facts of life, and Cheers.
Will and Grace Fanatic
06-09-2002, 04:42 PM
Originally posted by SoftballPlayer198
Three`s Company, Facts of life, and Cheers.
Well in my opion shows jumped if the ratings got bad which was the case for Threes company and The Facts of Life which were both cancel by the networks. Cheers however never jumped Cheers left the air because Ted wanted to leave the show and because it was his show the producers ended it.
Czas na Zywiec
06-09-2002, 05:31 PM
Originally posted by LucyFan
In my opinion these shows never jumped the shark:
I Love Lucy
The Brady Bunch
The Munsters
I agree with you on two of them, but not on Brady Bunch. I think it jumped the shark when they all started to sing and Robert Reed was in less and less episodes. He wasn't even in the series finale! He had a real problem with the producers and there was no way he would have done another season. Just Expressing my thoughts!
mamamiasweetpeaches
06-11-2002, 04:27 PM
DEGRASSI HIGH.....I never wanted it to end!!!!!
Taxi's another one.
Brian Damage
06-11-2002, 04:48 PM
mamamiasweetpeaches you are a woman after my own heart!
Not only do I have a little one running around myself, but I also love Courage the Cowardly Dog and Taxi. You're the perfect woman!!! lol
Shows that never jumped:
Taxi
Honeymooners
Odd Couple
Seinfeld
Cheers
Kristina
06-12-2002, 05:55 PM
Originally posted by Jenny
Hmmm, I think the only show that I like that didn't jump the shark was Batman. Yeah, its kind of cheesy now, but that just makes the show even more funny! Let me do some thinking here.
Leave it to Beaver- Jumped the Shark when Beaver grew older
Well it sort of did, but I think it kind of brought out a new Beaver, since he started getting into girls. The show was still great to the end in my opinion and it didn't last very long considering it was like the best show! But I did like the Beaver in the earlier seasons when he was so cute and little rather than when he was getting ready to be a man, he had too mature of lines.
Kristina
06-12-2002, 05:56 PM
Originally posted by Ricky Ricardo
I agree with you on two of them, but not on Brady Bunch. I think it jumped the shark when they all started to sing and Robert Reed was in less and less episodes. He wasn't even in the series finale! He had a real problem with the producers and there was no way he would have done another season. Just Expressing my thoughts!
I loved it when they sang, they sounded soooo good!
Kristina
06-12-2002, 05:58 PM
Originally posted by SoftballPlayer198
Three`s Company, Facts of life, and Cheers.
Facts of Life maaaajor jumped the shark when Mrs. Garett left. I thought it got pretty bad after that, they were all grown up and not teens anymore. That should should have ended when Mrs. G left. IMO
APPLEI
06-12-2002, 08:06 PM
Originally posted by Lucille Ball Forever
Facts of Life maaaajor jumped the shark when Mrs. Garett left. I thought it got pretty bad after that, they were all grown up and not teens anymore. That should should have ended when Mrs. G left. IMO
IN MY OPINION FACTS OF LIFE JUMPED THE SHARK WHEN EDNAS EDIBLES BURN DOWN!
DarleneIllyria
06-12-2002, 08:25 PM
Originally posted by Lucille Ball Forever
Well it sort of did, but I think it kind of brought out a new Beaver, since he started getting into girls. The show was still great to the end in my opinion and it didn't last very long considering it was like the best show! But I did like the Beaver in the earlier seasons when he was so cute and little rather than when he was getting ready to be a man, he had too mature of lines.
The thing about Beaver is they tried to keep him in kid like plots. I always point out the most likely example of Beaver in the bunny suit episode. That was a big jump to me. I don't want it to sound like I hate all of the episodes of Beaver when he got older, because that isn't true. I was glad when the writers wrote stories that leaned toward Wally and his friends.
But you know, I've just been thinking about something that never happened in Beaver that happened in countless other shows. They could've added some other younger kid to bring in the cuteness factor when Beav was in the teenage years. (See Diff'rent Strokes and The Brady Bunch for prime examples) I'm glad they didn't add some pointless character to milk the show. The writers knew the time to close the books on the show, and I'm glad that it did end with a bang. I never could imagine Wally and Eddie in college, or Beav at high school. They closed it at the right time, with only a few minor shark jumpers.
Kristina
06-13-2002, 02:45 PM
Originally posted by Jenny
The thing about Beaver is they tried to keep him in kid like plots. I always point out the most likely example of Beaver in the bunny suit episode. That was a big jump to me. I don't want it to sound like I hate all of the episodes of Beaver when he got older, because that isn't true. I was glad when the writers wrote stories that leaned toward Wally and his friends.
But you know, I've just been thinking about something that never happened in Beaver that happened in countless other shows. They could've added some other younger kid to bring in the cuteness factor when Beav was in the teenage years. (See Diff'rent Strokes and The Brady Bunch for prime examples) I'm glad they didn't add some pointless character to milk the show. The writers knew the time to close the books on the show, and I'm glad that it did end with a bang. I never could imagine Wally and Eddie in college, or Beav at high school. They closed it at the right time, with only a few minor shark jumpers.
You have a point, I would never wanna see Eddie and Wally in college, and Beaver at high school with his friends?? That wouldn't have been very good. I think just about every episode was great I've seen almost every episode except three of them. They did stop it at a great time because the show was still great in my opinion when it ended, but I'm sure the writers thought about when they got older and how that just couldn't really work. I hope they bring this classic to video one day, I'm surprised with all the "one hit wonder" sitcoms are getting released on video and for some reason LITB hasn't. It's one of the most popular classics...
Kristina
06-13-2002, 02:47 PM
Originally posted by APPLEI
IN MY OPINION FACTS OF LIFE JUMPED THE SHARK WHEN EDNAS EDIBLES BURN DOWN!
I thought that was a better step for the show because thos fire and rebuilding episodes were really good, something you couldn't imagine on FOL. And I think it was time for a new setting, but Over Our Heads didn't work for them. The show was crashing down in those seasons, that's probably why Charlotte Rae left the show.
Brian Damage
06-13-2002, 06:06 PM
The 80's killed FOL! What I mean by that is the writers tried to keep their young audience by turning to the over the top fashions of the 80's. Mrs G and the girls never looked right or comfortable in the glitzy clothes and high hair.
mamamiasweetpeaches
06-16-2002, 03:38 PM
After reading some of the great choices out there I would like to add
CHEERS
WKRP IN CINCINATI
and ODD COUPLE to my list as well.(Degrassi and Taxi)
Brian Damage
06-17-2002, 04:42 PM
Originally posted by mamamiasweetpeaches
After reading some of the great choices out there I would like to add
CHEERS
WKRP IN CINCINATI
and ODD COUPLE to my list as well.(Degrassi and Taxi)
Cheers should have jumped when Diane left, but the writers seemed to find a new enthusiasm
WKRP sadly never had a chance to jump because the network was hellbent on destroying it!
The Odd Couple I think actually got better as it got older
I don't think The Jeffersons or Night Court jumped either
Sitcomwriter
06-17-2002, 05:09 PM
Three's Company never jumped infact it was better later on! FOL too,Another show that never jumped.Friends lost some of it's pizazz after season 4.Zoe had a minor shark jump when they went to college and Seinfeld jumped during the final episode.
Brian Damage
06-17-2002, 06:20 PM
Facts of Life Jumped in 3 words:
Over Our Heads!
APPLEI
06-17-2002, 11:51 PM
Originally posted by briandamage
Facts of Life Jumped in 3 words:
Over Our Heads!
I AGREE!
WHEN EDNAS EDIBLES BURN DOWN OVER OUR HEADS WAS BUILT IN ITS PLACE.
FACTS OF LIFE WAS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN
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