# What long running tv shows did NOT jump the shark? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260 "2012-07-24T17:04:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/121 "2012-07-30T09:41:55Z")
What about _House_? My girlfriend is on a re-watch kick and we’re into season 6; while the medical mysteries obviously aren’t going to change from one show to another, the plot arcs with the team never got too absurd or unbelievable - and the resolution of the sexual tension between House and Cuddy was, I gotta admit, pretty damned spectacular. Any takers? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/122 "2012-07-30T12:40:31Z")
I don’t think **The Larry Sanders Show** ever really ‘Jumped’. I think it’s last season was it’s best. I miss the show so much. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/123 "2012-07-30T12:41:18Z")
Actually it does-in the case of Happy Days the shark-jumping in question merely served to confirm the show’s already-in-progress decline. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/124 "2012-07-30T15:47:05Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > er FYI “Jump the Shark” doesn’t mean “went downhill.” > > “Jump the Shark” means using some kind of “gimmick” to boost declining ratings, the phrase made famous by Happy Days where Fonzie literally jumped over a shark tank as they visited Hollywood. gag. > > Anyway, what came to mind for me, including many already mentioned - just trying to sum up IMO: > > MASH > Mary Tyler Moore > Simpsons > Bonanza > Gunsmoke > Dick Van Dyke > Andy Griffith > (Really almost anything from about 1970 on down as I don’t think such a concept entered their minds back then.) > > Frasier is the one series I think that did this and it made it work. And the show kept its quality for the most part IMO, although I agree it took a slight dip after that and I never liked the idea of those 2 finally getting together. Not believable. > > And I agree Friends is the all-time winner on this one, though I had already started losing interest as it catered more and more to a teeny bopper crowd with all the “relationship drama” :double gag: This is what I was thinking. AFAIK, Jumping the Shark doesn’t mean the show started sucking, it means they changed things up in a horrible way to improve ratings. Like, if Seinfeld adopted a smart mouthed kid who was always getting into trouble. A show can be lousy and not jump the shark. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/125 "2012-07-30T15:52:47Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > “Jump the Shark” means using some kind of “gimmick” to boost declining ratings, the phrase made famous by Happy Days where Fonzie literally jumped over a shark tank as they visited Hollywood. gag. According to the dearly departed [jumptheshark.com](http://jumptheshark.com), it’s an umbrella term that marks the point when a series changes on an unfixable downhill course - not necessarily caused by a gimmick, and not necessarily caused by declining ratings. > [@](#): > > (Really almost anything from about 1970 on down as I don’t think such a concept entered their minds back then.) Admittedly Ted McGinley was too young to go around spreading his magic, but off the top of my head: _Andy Griffith_ jumped hard when Barney left. _The Flintstones_ trotted out the Great Gazoo. Lucy and Desi moved to the suburbs. _Mr. Ed_ and Wilbur became spies. \*Batman \*brought out Batgirl. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/126 "2012-07-30T18:06:04Z")
> [@bup](#): > > \*Batman \*brought out Batgirl. I don’t see this as a jump the shark moment. ---
**Author:** ![Greekfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@Greekfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greekfreak)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/127 "2012-12-01T21:50:40Z")
Cheers was consistently excellent until the end. Not so its contemporaries like The Cosby Show or Roseanne, which was awful in the last two or three seasons it ran. Frasier _almost_ jumped the shark when Niles and Daphne got married–there’s definitely a dip in quality in the last two seasons, but not so much that I’d say it ruined the show. Six Feet Under was as close to seamless television as I think I’ll ever see. Cold Case was consistently great. Ditto for NYPD Blue, a show that weathered MANY cast changes. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/128 "2012-12-01T22:42:20Z")
The Shield never jumped the shark, and the final 4 or 5 episodes rank with the best that television drama has ever offered. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/129 "2012-12-01T22:53:02Z")
> [@Greekfreak](#): > > Six Feet Under was as close to seamless television as I think I’ll ever see. How’s life in 2002? ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/130 "2012-12-01T23:24:17Z")
I Love Lucy _never_ jumped, NYC or Connecticut. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/131 "2012-12-02T00:16:20Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Deadwood and The Wire would also have my vote. Season three of Deadwood was one long shark jump. IMVHO. Thirteen eps to nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/132 "2012-12-02T00:30:32Z")
Everybody Loves Raymond? I’ve only caught a handful of episodes via rerun but it has always seemed consistent. The only thing different was Robert getting married. Can anyone comment on Leave It To Beaver? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/133 "2012-12-02T01:51:56Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Can anyone comment on Leave It To Beaver? Season 5, Episode 16 [Beaver the Bunny](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0630227/). In real life, Jerry Mathers was 13 when the episode was filmed – too old to put any kid in a bunny suit. (Before anyone asks, Peter Billingsley was 11 when he did _A Christmas Story_.) ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/134 "2012-12-02T02:22:34Z")
Ally McBeal? I agree with NYPD Blue. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/135 "2012-12-02T02:53:08Z")
I think that Reba’s show could have stuck around for about two and a half more seasons. God bless you and her always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/136 "2012-12-02T05:47:30Z")
Gunsmoke And is shave the head the same as grew a beard? I’m thinking DS9. I would say Star Trek, the entire thing, jumped the shark with 7 of 9. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/137 "2012-12-02T06:11:15Z")
Kids in the Hall never jumped. > [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > This is IMO one of the most difficult pieces of long running show. The romantic tension is a main subject line of the show, but leaving it unresolved for too long frustrates some viewers. I think that the tension should never be resolved. Every time a show resolves it, it goes down hill. I don’t think That 70’s Show went downhill when the sexual tension between Eric and Donna was resolved. It still jumped the shark, but not until much later. ---
**Author:** ![Gerald\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Gerald\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerald_II)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/138 "2012-12-02T12:14:09Z")
Never Jumped the Shark: ST:TNG: I was never a big fan of SF or even Star Trek but I always enjoyed watching new episodes of this show. Cheers: Yeah, I guess the Diane era was better because everything was newer back then, for example I had no idea that Frasier was originally Diane’s fiancee. But I always like the reruns, even when Woody was running for political office. Nightcourt [?]: Haven’t seen all the episodes, but I’ve seen the different seasons and they all seem pretty insane in a good way. Southpark: love this show. DID jump the shark: Seinfeld: Seinfeld said he wanted to end on a good note but the show started getting bad when the main writer left. All of a sudden the characters became less and less likable and the social faux pas begin to feel forced. There was still some great stuff here and there but I only enjoy the Larry David written reruns. Frasier: For me it started going downhill when the radio station got bought out but the final nail was when Daphne was engaged to that really short guy only to make Niles look like a more believable love interest. Once they got together both characters lost something. When Daphne’s family moved in that was worse. Simpsons: When Guest-Starring-Celebrities as themselves kept happening. I liked it better when celebrities voiced new characters. Like Michael Jackson voicing an obese mental patient who THINKS he’s Michael Jackson, or Niles voicing Sideshow Bob’s younger brother. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/139 "2012-12-02T13:24:45Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I don’t think That 70’s Show went downhill when the sexual tension between Eric and Donna was resolved. It still jumped the shark, but not until much later. When Red had a heart attack. Not necessarily because of the heart attack, but at about the same time, all the story lines went piriform. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260/140 "2012-12-02T14:00:33Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Ally McBeal? A canonical case of shark jumping. She suddenly has a teenage daughter she didn’t know about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-running-tv-shows-did-not-jump-the-shark/629260.md?page=8)