Jumping the shark??

Years ago, I was surfing the internet and came across a site called jumptheshark.com. Before you go looking, it is no longer there. The person credited with inventing the term "jump the shark" is Jon Hein. The term is used to define a television show that has been successful but starts to lose importance, relevance, and viewers. It is based on a later Happy Days episode where the Fonz jumped a shark while water skiing. It was all downhill from there for Happy Days.

So why I am mentioning this? It was rainy today, so I watched a few different shows and thought of "jumping the shark".

I loved the show "Night Court" and thought that I had seen every episode. I watched a few episodes recently and realized that there were several that I had never seen. Then I realized that I had stopped watching a couple of years before they stopped producing shows. Somewhere in Season 7 or Season 8, they jumped the shark. I jumped ship then, I didn't wait to the gavel to fall..

I used to enjoy "Last Man Standing". A couple of weeks ago, I watched a new episode made after they moved to Fox. They have not just "jumped the shark", they have taken it dancing on the wavetops. The new "Mandy" looks tall enough to be playing in the WNBA. She doesn't do dingy nearly as well as the old Mandy. And Kyle? He looks like he got a haircut and an MBA from a correspondence school during the show's hiatus. Now they have some Asian kid living with the Baxters and I just couldn't figure out how or why that happened. This is worse than the little girl who moved into Archie Bunker's house. Plus the old guy who plays Ed, is now doing a commercial about suing Purdue Pharma. I always thought that he was the backbone of the show. Looks like I was wrong again. It's time for the Last Man Standing to take a seat.

Pawn Stars? Where do I start? To be blunt, the show jumped the shark when the "Old Man", Richard Harrison died. With the senior Harrison gone, so is the last scrap of credibility. Now it's Rick pontificating about some drivel, while Chumlee and his palm-sized dog wander aimlessly around the store. The younger Harrison, "Big Hoss" shows up long enough to display his need for antidepressants.  One of tonight's shows was about Rick and Chumlee going to Italy on a vacation. Why take an idiot to Italy?  I implore the History Channel to let this ship sink.

American Pickers? Since I am a vendor of quality collectables or "junk salesman", I considered watching American Pickers to be a continuing education experience. It has not only jumped the shark, the shark was appraised and sold. It just doesn't have the novelty of a few years ago. Also, who wants to see outtakes?  I want to see junk sold. Also, about one more mention from Mike about his personal grooming techniques and I am going to vomit. I don't want to know about him using natural deodorant and about how everyone has there own scent. Franks has lost a lot of weight and has even more tattoos. He looks like an AIDS victim. Danni looks like she worked for P.T. Barnum in an earlier life. I will give you a dollar for it!!

Finally, Antiques Roadshow. In 2009, Roadshow was in Raleigh. My wife and I won tickets to attend. We took 4 pieces of our finest junk, but they weren't good enough to make the television show, We did have a great time and it was a great experience. In the last couple of years, Roadshow has decided to mimic the British version and stage the show at historical or cultural sites. Memo to Antiques Roadshow: We aren't British! People aren't watching for the location. You could film it in a cow pasture or an old warehouse, people just  want to see the "stuff" that other people have brought in to have appraised. Nobody really gives a rat's ass if you are broadcasting from the Ringling Museum or a mansion. Show us the junk!! The shark is right in front of you. Turn around!!

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