Jump the Shark (Paperback)

by Jon Hein (Author) "The quick pacing, the techno music, the outlined capital letter in white introducing the locale... Alias had everything but the ratings..." (more)
Key Phrases: fifth season, fourth season, third season, Special Guest Star, Happy Days, The Simpsons (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
It's a truism that the entertainment industry can never leave well enough alone. With few exceptions, TV shows, movie series and entertainers all go on producing product well after their prime. The popular Web site jumptheshark.com which takes its name from the ignominious Happy Days episode in which Fonzie jumps over a shark on water skis elaborates on this truism, chronicling the moments when TV series began their slides into embarrassment. Hein, the site's creator, expands the site here, taking aim at not only TV shows, but also musicians, celebrities, athletes and politicians. It's a risky move on Hein's part because, as he himself notes, one of the first signs of a show's doom is the spin-off. The book's television chapter offers some deliciously catty pop criticism. Hein judges Family Ties, Beverly Hills 90210 and ER for fin spottings (Alex Keaton is born, Brenda goes abroad and Dr. Ross leaves, respectively). The writing is at times strangely ambivalent, as Hein's theory of entertainment entropy ensnares just about every show imaginable, even ones he obviously likes (with the exception of The Simpsons, which miraculously escapes his eye). Like a producer with a smash hit sitcom, though, Hein can't leave well enough alone and wades into deeper waters. The celebrities chapter is especially unfocused, swiping at everyone from Cher to Francis Ford Coppola. Still, it's a light and easily digested read. Fins are definitely spotted, but the book never quite jumps the shark itself.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Bitingly funny. -- The Boston Globe

Hilarious -- US Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Plume; Revised edition (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452284104
• ISBN-13: 978-0452284104
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #979,346 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gotta Have It!!!!!!!, December 28, 2002

By	Skip (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jump the Shark: When Good Things Go Bad (Hardcover)

From the first page this book is a non-stop crack-up. I've given over 20 copies to friends...and they love it just as much as I do. This Hein guy knows more about TV then just about anyone. And his stories about celeberities, athletic figures, and politicans jumping the shark are not just funny but really insightful. You deserve a few laughs and this book delivers. Hein has invented a new way of seeing popular culture. He must be an amazing man and I wish I were related to him. I'd give it six stars if I could!!!!!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Jump the Shark" itself jumps the shark, July 26, 2003

By	Felipe (Panama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jump the Shark: When Good Things Go Bad (Hardcover)

The concept "Jumped the Shark" itself jumped the shark with the publication of the book "Jumped the Shark."

The website concept of "Jumped the Shark" was received ecstatically by generations of TV fans who felt betrayed when their favorite shows either become self-conscious, sold out in some way, cheapened themselves, introduced "cute" characters or otherwise became too stupid to tolerate. The application of a term to this phenomenon was well overdue and viewers were grateful to have their observations and gripes validated and recognized through the website.

Well I guess it was inevitable that the Jumped the Shark movement would itself jump the shark. This happened with the publication of the book "Jump the Shark," which aside from being an obvious attempt to cash in on the idea, fell far, far short of the standard set by the website. Why?

1. The website itself has/had an "underground" appeal to clever people who observe culture with some degree cynicism and awareness. Now, the book is available in airports. It has been mainstreamed. Enough said. But I will say more.....

2. A big part of the appeal of the website is that it gave a voice to EVERYONE because the commentaries were reader-submitted. This allowed irreverence, biting humor, dirty comments, sentimentality, subjective opinions. What does the book offer? The MOST repressed, watered-down, careful, edited, appealing-to-the-lowest-common-denominator, flavorless analyses of when shows jumped the shark. Obviously, not all opinions and thoughts could be reflected in the book, but it is clear that the author went way out of his way not to offend and the result is a bland work indeed.

3. The truly fatal flaw was that the concept became "self-conscious, a fatal flaw for many of the shows that are reviewed. Part of this self-consciousness is the overworking of the metaphor, "jump the shark" to the point that it does not even make sense. "Jump the shark" refers to the moment that show begins to fail. But the author, trying desperately to be cute like so many of the shows he covers, extends the metaphor and talks about "shark bait," "the shark swimming off to a new show" (as though the shark had attacked a program) or "seeing fins." None of this really works.

This whole thing was a lot of fun, but I am afraid "Jumped the Shark" has itself taken the lethal jump over the shark.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Jump the Shark" jumped the shark when it became a book, October 17, 2002

By	Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Jump the Shark: When Good Things Go Bad (Hardcover)

The "Jump the Shark" website is one of the most entertaining websites out there, due to its lively discussion forums about TV shows that, at some point, started declining in quality never to return to its former glory. The episode or event in that TV show's history when that happened is when it "jumped the shark". Of course, there are differing opinions on when this may have happened, if it ever did in the case of some shows. The problem with putting this in book form is it becomes one man's opinion that is codified as THE expert opinion on when shows (and baseball teams, politicians, celebrities, and musicians) jumped the shark.

Some opinions, of course, are hard to argue with. There is little argument that, for example, the Andy Griffith Show jumped the shark when Barney left Mayberry, or that the Boston Red Sox jumped the shark when they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Some, however, defy logic, because some of the greatest successes took place after the supposed "shark jump". For example, it states the Mary Tyler Moore show jumped when Mary changed apartments. In my opinion, that's totally wrong. Some of the best shows of the series (including the classic "Chuckles Bites the Dust", which many critics rate as the top TV show episode of all time) happened after Mary moved into her new place. Richard Nixon was said to have jumped the shark with his early-1950's "Checkers" speech. How can someone jump the shark and then later get elected president twice? Nixon obviously jumped the shark at Watergate, but then, the author had to save that one for the whole Republican party.

This book is great as a discussion (and argument) starter, but I think the website is better because there differing opinions are offered. I disagreed with too much in this book to give it more than three stars, and I'd have to say that, when this was made into a book, "Jump the Shark" jumped the shark.