# What are some shows that, in your opinion, never jumped the shark? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897 "2017-10-15T03:58:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/81 "2017-10-20T13:09:20Z")
> [@D.E.S.K.Top668](#): > > Some shows, like **Gilligan’s Island,** **The Beverly Hillbillies,** or **Leave it to Beaver** weren’t _good_ shows but never had a “Jump The Shark” moment. Of those, I’d say **The Beverly Hillbillies** was a very funny show for the first two or three seasons, was OK for a couple more, and pretty lame for the end of its run. I would say their shark moment was when the family went to England in Season 6. But I’ll say again, the show was very good for the first few seasons. It walked a fine line in showing that the main characters were unsophisticated and under-educated, but they were honest, open-minded, generous and clever. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/82 "2017-10-20T13:15:03Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > All mentioned already but hey, I just got here: > Justified > The Shield > Fringe > > Also, > > Person of Interest I agree with The Shield and Justified, and never watched Fringe. But Person of Interest? Wow, I thought that show jumped the shark big-time when it stopped being about protecting people and got into the weird storyline with the British guy. I kept watching, but I thought the last two seasons were a train wreck. Other than watching Amy Acker every week. She was worth the price of admission even when the rest of the show was crappy. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/83 "2017-10-20T13:29:01Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > I agree with The Shield and Justified, and never watched Fringe. But Person of Interest? Wow, I thought that show jumped the shark big-time when it stopped being about protecting people and got into the weird storyline with the British guy. I kept watching, but I thought the last two seasons were a train wreck. > > Other than watching Amy Acker every week. She was worth the price of admission even when the rest of the show was crappy. I thought it had to change. It was getting stagnant with the number of the week. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/84 "2017-10-20T14:21:54Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Really? I’d say the shark was jumped on the Walking Dead in season 1. When they asked the producer to make 15 episodes for the price of 5, and he left. Second season was appallingly slow, and a number of seasons since have been too slow. I’m considering watching episode 1, 7+8 and 15 next season… Because nothing happens in the rest of them… When the met the heapsters aka the garbage pail kids, who for some reason spoke only in short phrases, they definitely jumped the shark, as well as the whole Tara at Seaside episode. No way we’re those episodes remotely on par with the best of them, especially episode 1 of season 1. Gimple is no Darabont. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/85 "2017-10-20T14:26:13Z")
Though it had some bizarre twists and turns, like Nate’s death, I don’t think Six Feet Under ever jumped the shark. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/86 "2017-10-22T23:21:41Z")
The show “The Strain” probably isn’t for everybody, but the last season was as good as the first 3. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/87 "2017-10-23T00:43:58Z")
The fourth and final season of _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_ had only six episodes and was Cleese-less. I thought the first episode of that season, “Golden Age of Ballooning”, was their absolute nadir, if one can be found among their body of work. (Can anyone name anything weaker they did?) However that season also had its highlights, like the Most Awful Family in Britain Contest, the Toupee Dept. in the “Micheal Ellis” episode, the RAF banter/Woody-Tinny gathering, Mr. Neutron, and the Batsmen of the Kalahari, but I often watched all that wondering what Cleese could have brought to the mix. I’m sure if the exemplary, sublimely acted _Get a Life_ had a third season it would’ve walked off with all the Emmys. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/88 "2017-10-23T20:00:39Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > The Wire. > [@chargerrich](#): > > The Wire - best drama series EVER? definitely did not jump any water predators So you guys didn’t see season 5? I agree that _The Wire_ was probably the best TV show ever made, but the last season was, well, perhaps not _horrible_, as I was about to write, but far, far below the standards set by the previous four. And even if it was still better than 90% of the rest of TV drama, it was a significant enough drop to be called JTS, as much as it pains me to say so. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/89 "2017-10-23T23:01:21Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Oh it definitely jumped the shark in Season 8, it had a slow decline in Season 7 when Mike Tully took control. He did some initial decent episodes, but got in new writers. > > The episode is homer’s enemy, and in effect the introduction of a\*\*hole homer. Before this homer as an oaf, unthinking, but not actually uncaring, there was a heart to him. > > This one episode sowed the seeds that homer was an idiot who went around and did a\*\*hole things and everybody laughed and said “that’s homer”. Before this, people explained to homer why he was wrong and he usually got it… > > It’s a strange one, because it is regarded as a classic episode. It might have decent and interesting points, but it swings the whole base of the simpsons onto a simpler comic vein. > > With that happening, you can have your pick of the worst episodes, and whole seasons without a single laugh. Singing jockeys? Constant guest stars for no reasons? Killing Flanders wife? Skinner being a fake? Focus on the throwaway characters, Comic Book Guy? Basically the script is : “Homer does something stupid. Everyone laughs” > > Even got a link for that, though I was of this opinion about ten years before this: [Simpsons jumps the shark: Homers Enemy](https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/22/6056915/frank-grimes-the-simpsons-jump-the-shark) Homer vs Dignity, the infamous episode where he gets raped by a panda, was the one that sealed it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/90 "2017-10-24T05:09:58Z")
Ah, I loved **The Office** but they should have pulled the pin on it when Steve Carell left. Same with **That 70s Show** after Topher Grace left. One rule should be when the actors playing high school students in a TV series reach their 30s, call it quits. ---
**Author:** ![Real\_Iggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Real\_Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Real_Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897/91 "2017-10-30T05:01:46Z")
I would go with: Boston Legal Person of Interest Shameless And as already mentioned, WKRP [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-shows-that-in-your-opinion-never-jumped-the-shark/798897.md?page=4)