TV shows that jumped the shark

That is, not TV shows that were good but then went bad. TV show which jumped the shark can still be awesome. I'm just referring to shows which started out with a credible storyline, only to end up going weird/unbelievable/ridiculous.

For me:

1) Prison Break. Awesome show. But it started out as a story about a guy who, using months of planning and insider knowledge as a structural engineer, attempts to break his brother out of prison. By the end it became a story about a guy who has some god-given superpower to break people out of prisons. Any prison. Any circumstance. He can just do it, somehow. Also, what begins as a story about two everyday guys; one dude in jail, and his brother trying to get him out, turns into a story about two guys with the professionalism and skill of CIA operatives taking down a government conspiracy single-handedly.

It basically should have ended at the second season, but FOX had to get greedy and ruin it with two more and a mini-movie.

2) 24. It started out as a small government agency of counter-terrorist operatives attempting to prevent an assassination attempt on a US senator. Subsequent seasons turned into the 'Jack Bauer averts the apocalypse' Show.

3) LOST. Started out as a plane crashing on a mysterious island with some strange goings on. It now features time-travel, smoke monsters and nuclear bombs.

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they got the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they god the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

Pirate700

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they got the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they got the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

aaronmullan

[QUOTE="aaronmullan"][QUOTE="Pirate700"]

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they got the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

Pirate700

Prison Break also

[spoiler] cut off a character's head, put it in a box, showed it to the viewer and then brought the character back to life. [/spoiler]

Prison Break also

RobbieH1234

[QUOTE="RobbieH1234"]

Prison Break also

aaronmullan

I'm in the middle of the fourth season of Lost. I don't think it has "jumped the shark" at all. Season 3 wasn't very good, but Season 4 is great so far. I think Prison Break is the show that screams "I should have ended after season one!".sammyjenkis898

[QUOTE="aaronmullan"]

[QUOTE="RobbieH1234"]

Prison Break also

Doctor-McNinja

I think The Office (US) jumped the shark after season 3. It used to be my favorite show on TV but for the last couple seasons I feel bored more often than not when I watch it.

I agree with 24. I actually love the first 5 seasons, even though the TC was right when he said it turned into "Jack Bauer prevents the apocalypse". Each season they made the threat more and more dangerous (assassination of a presidential candidate -> nuclear bomb -> huge megavirus, etc). But after season 5 it seems like they don't know where else to go.
And I hated the way they handled Tony this last season. First they bring him back from the dead when he was obviously dead before. Then they had him change sides 30 times throughout the season. It was like the writers ran out of ideas for what to do on an episode and just said "Hey let's put Tony on the other side again!"

Roseanne's last season.

I'm not sure it's fair to say Lost jumped the shark at any point since that's the type of show it is. That's like saying Star Trek jumped the shark since it has space ships.

Heroes has a tendancy to jump the shark often

when ... dies and Matt... Sylar...

When Nikki comes back as her sister... though to be fair they mentioned her sisters in the first season, and she's also got another sister so it's going to happen again.

Saresh, and Ando getting powers.

Prison Break also

RobbieH1234

when i saw that i was like

WTF *head asplodes*

that was just stupid and i stopped watching around there cause the show just got to stale for me

Heroes has a tendancy to jump the shark often

when ... dies and Matt... Sylar...

Every time Ali Larter's character comes back.

Random ppl getting powers.

Recycling abilities.

Hiro (or Peter) do something random to the main time line which usually results in chaos. It was interesting how the last twist didn't really affect things much though.

jrhawk42

Fixed some of them and added :p

I'm in the middle of the fourth season of Lost. I don't think it has "jumped the shark" at all. Season 3 wasn't very good, but Season 4 is great so far.sammyjenkis898

[QUOTE="sammyjenkis898"]I'm in the middle of the fourth season of Lost. I don't think it has "jumped the shark" at all. Season 3 wasn't very good, but Season 4 is great so far.xaos

I think The Office (US) jumped the shark after season 3. It used to be my favorite show on TV but for the last couple seasons I feel bored more often than not when I watch it.JML897

Not The Office! :o I can't believe you said that...

I've watched the seasons after 3 at least 2 or 3 times and I still laugh

[QUOTE="sammyjenkis898"]I'm in the middle of the fourth season of Lost. I don't think it has "jumped the shark" at all. Season 3 wasn't very good, but Season 4 is great so far.xaos

House MD has not jumped the shark, but I bet it will happen soon. The writers seems to have no idea anymore, so they alway make 1 step foward and 2 step back. Tobs and 13th left, bring back the old team!, cameron left? bring back tobs and 13th!

Also x-files with the whole supersoldier plot. This is my favorite tv show ever, but it should have ended after season 8, when Duchovny really left the show. Season 9 was garbage.

Of course the Simpson. They should really bring new writers or just kill Homer, I dunno. This series is now worst than x-files season 9 and on-par with The Griffin... Once it reach American Dad level, it will be sad

[QUOTE="xaos"][QUOTE="sammyjenkis898"]I'm in the middle of the fourth season of Lost. I don't think it has "jumped the shark" at all. Season 3 wasn't very good, but Season 4 is great so far.sammyjenkis898

Heroes did it a couple of times. But I think maybe it isn't so bad right now. Leagues better than the last couple of seasons. I still love season 1, started re-watching it a while ago and it was nice.

That '70s Show after season 4. the characters became too one dimensional and the storylines just werent funny anymore. seasons 1 -4 were brilliant though.

Family Guy after season 3. some good epsidoes in 4 but most of 4 and especially 5 and on are damn near unwatchable for me

im afraid chuck may be about to, with what happened at the end of last season =/starwarsjunky

Lies! Stop talking about my two favorite shows guys. :(

[QUOTE="starwarsjunky"]im afraid chuck may be about to, with what happened at the end of last season =/brandojones

Lies! Stop talking about my two favorite shows guys. :(

I'm not sure it's fair to say Lost jumped the shark at any point since that's the type of show it is. That's like saying Star Trek jumped the shark since it has space ships.

.

jrhawk42

I'm in the middle of the fourth season of Lost. I don't think it has "jumped the shark" at all. Season 3 wasn't very good, but Season 4 is great so far. .sammyjenkis898

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they god the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

sammyjenkis898

twas good tv, pity it just died like that

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

The Simpsons jumped the shark after season 11 when they god the new writers and completely changed the show. Now it's idiotic at best. :(

sammyjenkis898

I agree. up to season 9 it waspossibly the best programme on TV, afterwards it was watchable till season 13, whereupon it became painfully idiotic thereafter.

Futurama could go the same way, considering the quality of the films.

Lost maintained its standards in terms of entertainment, but the story spiralled out of control long ago.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the show that coined the phrase.

The Simpsons have been going downhill but i still find it better than family guy. How can you beat homer`s quotes. My favorite it `First you get the sugar, then you get the power then you get the women.`

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Don't all shows do that? X360PS3AMD05

The Wire and Arrested Development say no.

Disagree with TC on LOST. LOST is still my favorite show of all-time, no matter what people think.Chiddaling

I disagree on Lost. Sure there was a bad season there in the middle, but the show still remained essentially the same, if not corrected previous mistakes. But, on 24 and Prison Break, you're on the money -- textbook 'jumping the shark'.