# The Simpsons Just Jumped the Shark **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209 "2002-11-11T01:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/1 "2002-11-11T01:07:25Z")
No, really … they did! ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/2 "2002-11-11T01:09:31Z")
Didn’t Lance Murdoch (?) already do that like 8 seasons ago? ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/3 "2002-11-11T01:16:58Z")
Best. Couch. Gag. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dark\_Canuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Dark\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dark_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/4 "2002-11-11T01:18:40Z")
Damn Eutychus!! You beat me to it! Possibily the greatest shot at itself the show has ever made! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dark\_Canuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Dark\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dark_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/5 "2002-11-11T01:27:31Z")
Damn Eutychus!! You beat me to it! Possibily the greatest shot at itself the show has ever made! ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/6 "2002-11-11T01:28:15Z")
I didn’t see it. Did Ted McGinley make an appearance? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/7 "2002-11-11T02:08:58Z")
What shot at itself did it make? Are we talking about the “Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp” episode? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/8 "2002-11-11T02:08:58Z")
Did they jump over a shark to get to the couch? I didn’t tune in until 8 minutes in, at the “Marriage is like a coffin…and each kid is like another nail in the coffin…” which was a little too true to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/9 "2002-11-11T02:16:12Z")
I hope Keith got his storm windows up. Wintah’s comin’! ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/10 "2002-11-11T02:35:00Z")
Sigh. It would have been funny if it weren’t true. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/11 "2002-11-11T03:39:40Z")
Yes, the openning had them ski jump over two sharks. They all land on the couch, and the “camera” pans back to see the sharks eating Homer’s legs. As for the show bieng bad, I don’t agree with that entirely. It wasn’t the best, but it was enjoyable, adn there have definitely been worse episodes out there. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/12 "2002-11-11T04:42:04Z")
This is the second “jump the shark” reference the show has made. A shot of Homer doing the Fonzie thing showed up in a hilarious parody of _We Didn’t Start the Fire_ in an otherwise mediocre Dan C.-written clip show last year. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/13 "2002-11-11T13:20:12Z")
I enjoyed last nights show. Homers new car was pretty damned funny. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/14 "2002-11-11T13:32:42Z")
:o Can some one please explain the phrase ‘Jumped the shark’? Thanks :o ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/15 "2002-11-11T13:41:46Z")
**Beelzebubba** , point your browser over to [www.jumptheshark.com](http://www.jumptheshark.com) and check it out. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/16 "2002-11-11T13:48:05Z")
Its a lame cliche used to indicate that a show has past its prime-- and the time it did so is marked by a particularly bad event or show or casting. On Happy Days, legend states that it was when the Fonz jumped a pool with a shark in it on his motorcycle. (Actually when Chachi came on board imho-- but I digress) I believe the cliche was popularized by a web site of the same name. Often used by those attempting to be clever, but lacking the ability to be original. See i.e. “Talk to the hand!” and “Don’t go there!” After years of bitter nerds on the Internet claiming the show had jumped the shark, the Simpsons have twice incorporated this gag into the show. That is why the Simpsons is still cool. Plus they had Tom Petty jokes-- you can’t go wrong with that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/17 "2002-11-11T14:10:26Z")
Why elf6c, I never knew you were one of the Simpsons’ writers! 🙂 The actual jumpage occured long ago. That being said, this was one of the better “let’s cram the show full of guest stars for sweeps” episodes. It sure beat the heck out of that one with the Who. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/18 "2002-11-11T14:36:00Z")
My favorite line from last night’s episode was delivered by Elvis Costello: “My image!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/19 "2002-11-11T14:37:56Z")
Actually, he used waterskis to jump a shark in a pen. The motorcycle jump was much earlier and involved trash cans, I think. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209/20 "2002-11-11T14:48:17Z")
Thanks on the Fonz shark jump info-- I was young at the time. Wait-- he wore his stupid leather jacket though-- right? I do recall that much. And **Wumpus** - don’t forget the harshest joke on the “internet critic” type- Comic Book Guy. Between the Zena halloween episode and having a romance with Skinner’s mom they have consistantly put a thumb in the eye of all the would be CBG’s. Not to mention all the riffs on Worst. Episode. Ever. And the Poochy episode too. Heh. Of course, if I made any mistakes in _this_ post- a wizard did it. 😉 Of course, this is not to say that they have not put out more then a few stinkers in their time. . . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-just-jumped-the-shark/136209.md?page=2)