# Is there a name for the opposite of "Jumping the shark" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174 "2012-02-27T19:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/1 "2012-02-27T19:07:39Z")
You know, the moment when, after the few first episodes or even seasons, the show makes a sudden jump in quality. Like the “fuck fuckity fuck” scene in \*\*The Wire \*\*or the introduction of Spike and Drusilla in **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/2 "2012-02-27T19:09:02Z")
I’ve always heard it was [Growing a Beard](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GrowingTheBeard) in reference to TNG. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/3 "2012-02-27T19:09:07Z")
Did 30 Rock or Parks and Rec have a specific episode that changed things? I remember they they both sucked for a least a bit before finding a stride. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/4 "2012-02-27T19:14:33Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > I’ve always heard it was [Growing a Beard](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GrowingTheBeard) in reference to TNG. Yep. It’s not quite as ubiquitous as Jumping the Shark, and there may be niche variations, but Growing the Beard is generally accepted among trope-savvy people. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/5 "2012-02-27T19:14:39Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Did 30 Rock or Parks and Rec have a specific episode that changed things? I remember they they both sucked for a least a bit before finding a stride. Apparently the second season of P&R is a lot better than the first. I’ll have to watch it some day. 30 Rock did change and became more surreal and the characters more of a caricature, whether that made it funnier or crappier is up to discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/6 "2012-02-27T19:18:40Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > I’ve always heard it was [Growing a Beard](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GrowingTheBeard) in reference to TNG. Awesome. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/7 "2012-02-27T20:13:54Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > …finding a stride. I guess I figured this was it. As in “It took _insert show here_ a few episodes (or seasons) before it finally hit its stride and took off.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/8 "2012-02-27T20:25:49Z")
“Growing a beard” is a lot more eloquent than “It got Larry, Darryl, and Darryled.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/9 "2012-02-27T21:16:26Z")
The _Garfield_ strip managed to pull a successful shark-jump a few years ago, when Jon and Liz finally started dating. It’s starting to stale again, but for a while there, the strip was actually interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/10 "2012-02-27T22:51:57Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Did 30 Rock or Parks and Rec have a specific episode that changed things? I remember they they both sucked for a least a bit before finding a stride. Not sure with 30 rock but with parks and Rec I would recommend starting with the Season 1 finale or just begin with Season 2. I gave up on the show after the first couple episodes and then tried it again in Season 2 after it ended up on so many Best of the year lists and found I loved it. Went back and rewatched everything and above is my recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/11 "2012-02-28T00:12:07Z")
I asked this same question some time ago. It was agreed that “ **Mastering One’s Domain** ” was the best antithesis to “Jumping the Shark”. Mileage varies and all that though. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/12 "2012-02-28T00:36:03Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Like the “fuck fuckity fuck” scene in \*\*The Wire \*\* But to me, **The Wire** was fantastic from the get go (although of course you may just disagree)… but I think there needs to be a similar concept, not “it was bad, and then found its stride” but “I was not really hooked, and was kind of unsure what was going on and whether I would enjoy it or not, until there was a moment when suddenly it became clear how awesome it had been all along”. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-jumping-the-shark/614174/13 "2012-02-28T01:40:18Z")
Finding it’s groove.