Chrysti The Wordsmith: Jump the Shark

Welcome to Christie. Ever heard of the shark. If you're a devoted television watcher you probably know what the phrase means. For those who don't come with me for the story behind the coinage of a relatively new phrase to appreciate the expression jump the shark. First consider how important ratings have been to such popular weekly television shows as Seinfeld mash Little House On The Prairie and the like trendy series like these are destined to die when their viewership plummet as the production begins to twist in the wind. The writers may devise a gimmicky scenario designed to bolster ratings against logic a character gets married pregnant or terminally ill. If the trick doesn't work it may cause the series to jump the shark or turn from good according to John Hine creator of the website. Jump the Shark dot com. Russian was inspired by an episode of Happy Days in which the character Fonzie literally jumps over a shark during a

daredevil water skiing stunt that according to Hine and thousands of Happy Days fans. While the absurdity that doomed the series to cancellation in 1904 the phrase has potential a popular banned movie star automobile manufacturer or anything else that falls from grace by abandoning quality could be accused of jumping the shark. I'm Christie the wordsmith. The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting enterprises challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry.