Definition of jump the shark
jump the shark 
intransitive verb
- when a TV series passes its peak. Once a show has "jumped the shark," the viewer senses a noticeable decline in quality or feels the show has undergone too many changes to retain its original charm.
When Sanjaya was on American Idol, ticket sales went way down. I think the show has jumped the shark.
The TV show jumped the shark once they got married.
by dave p., Chicago, IL, USA, Jan 21 2002.
notes
- The origin of this term is an episode of the television series Happy Days in which a character jumps over a shark while on water skis.
by dave p., Chicago, IL, USA, Jan 21 2002.
Discover slang words with the same meaning:
Slang terms with the same root words:
- shark: card shark – land shark – (show 3 more)
- jump: get the jump on (one) – Jesus jumped up Christ – (show 13 more)
- the: 3 sheets to the wind – 411, the – (show 871 more)
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