"Roseanne" is one of the worst jump the shark shows. Once they won the lottery, that show went to **** City. Season 9 sucked big time. It was going downhill after about 5 seasons, but the lottery totally and Dan dying totally ruined it. It did a complete 180: from the best thing on TV to the worst thing on TV.

"All in the Family" is another. It should have ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California. That scene was so touching, and that should have been the series finale. Once they brought in that Stephanie girl, and Edith died, and Gloria had an affair, etc., the show sucked.

"Good Times" went to hell as soon as they fired John Amos. I only watch the episodes with James/John Amos. After that, the show was awful.

"Petticoat Junction" was bad after Bea Benederet died.

"One Day at a Time" turned horrible after Mackenzie Phillips was fired the second time for drug use.

"The Wonder Years" got bad after Kevin got older and became a jerk. The original premise was gone after 5 seasons, and there should not have been a 6th season.

"Gimme a Break!" went to hell when Dolph Sweet/the Chief passed away. Then it became all about Nell and Addy, and it was boring.

What others?

Roseanne - as you say, the lottery season was the absolute worst.
Gimme a Break - definitely the Chief's death ruined this show.
The Cosby Show - "Cousin Pam" killed it for me.
The Brady Bunch - "Cousin Oliver"
The Simpsons - Season Nine
The Facts of Life - they leave Eastland, Mrs. G opens a bakery, and everyone works there
Charles in Charge - the replacement family
Family Matters - it became the Urkel Show, and family members started disappearing
Little House on the Prairie - fake "Albert Ingalls" is adopted, and any attempt at depicting the real Ingalls family is jettisoned, as scripts began focusing on sick, demented storylines. A mime rapes Albert Ingalls' fictional girlfriend, Mary's fictional baby is killed in a fire, etc.
MASH - Alan Alda takes over
Grace Under Fire - they replace the older son
Bewitched - Second Darren, and re-doing existing episodes
Married With Children - Seven, and the imaginary pregnancy
Growing Pains - Luke
Diff'rent Strokes - Kimberly and Willis are barely seen anymore
Angel - Season Four, and the grossness of Cordelia/Conner
Step By Step - Brendan is shown the door. Shame on Miller-Boyett!

Happy Days (Jumped the shark multiple times)
Laverne & Shirley (move to California)

Happy Days (Jumped the shark multiple times)
Laverne & Shirley (move to California)

I must agree.

Welcome Back, Kotter: After Barbarino was reduced to a few episodes, and Gabe was a guest star on his own show, it was honestly terrible.

All in the Family: See above post.

Roseanne: there are no words for the final season.

Frasier: once they forgot he had a radio show, and emphasized the Niles/Daphne relationship, the show was done for me. They also forgot that Frasier was intelligent, and just made him a love crazy buffoon.

Seinfeld: After Larry David left, the gas was gone.

Roseanne: there are no words for the final season.


I can think of a few... :D

HAPPY DAYS-when it became "the Fonzie show" they added that super-annoying live audience, and they changed the setting from the 50s to the late 70s/early 80s with a little bit of the 50s mixed in.

MASH-twice; when it became "the Alan Alda show" then when Radar left.

LAVERNE & SHIRLEY-when they moved to California and half the town moved with them.

Welcome Back, Kotter: After Barbarino was reduced to a few episodes, and Gabe was a guest star on his own show, it was honestly terrible.
I know John Travolta left because he was getting popular in movies, but why did Gabe Kaplan leave?

Happy Days (Jumped the shark multiple times)It was literally jumping the shark. We would not have that term without Happy Days. :lol:

Night Court- Lisette was an awful character in the last 2 seasons, her voice and gasp were really irritating.
Without a Trace- the original cast of 5 was very good. But Roselyn Sanchez was a lousy addition.
7th Heaven- 1st 6 seasons were the best. It had minor shark jumps when the awful twin actors were added to the cast, and I did not care for Ashlee Simpson. Kevin was a great addition though, and Megan Henning is one of the pictures on my fridge. Season 11 was a complete shark jump, it should have ended with the original series finale on the WB. Only watchable episode from that season was the Christmas one.
The Waltons- seasons 1-7 had top notch acting and writing. The last 2 fell apart for many reasons. Rose, Jeffrey, and Serena joining the cast, Olivia then John leaving, and getting John-Boy recast, he should have just remained mentioned and unseen if Richard Thomas couldn't come back. Also the 3 episodes I really hate are from then, the 2-parter where Curt is found alive but his character is ruined, and the episode where Ike's past adultery is revealed.
Different Strokes- Maggie and especially Sam were annoying additions. and as another poster mentioned, Kimberly and Willis had largely reduced roles.
Under the Dome- First 2 seasons were some of the best sci-fi ever made. Season 3 was completely ruined with the addition of Marg Helgenberger and her friend.
ABC's current Pyramid revival hosted by Michael Strahan. Dick Clark would be rolling over in his grave at how needlessly trashy this version is.
Andy Griffith color episodes

mine would be:
happy days
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
touch by an angle
7th heaven
fresh prince of bel air
full house

The Cosby Show - "Cousin Pam" killed it for me.
I liked Pam. She injected some new life into the show, and it was like she felt more real to me than what the Huxtable kids were. Olivia was much worse than Pam.

Family Matters - it became the Urkel Show, and family members started disappearing.
I will agree that getting rid of Judy was awful. But it made sense that Rachel and Estelle didn't live in the house forever.

Step By Step - Brendan is shown the door. Shame on Miller-Boyett!
So you missed him? I presume that most people didn't even notice that he was gone.

I liked Pam. She injected some new life into the show, and it was like she felt more real to me than what the Huxtable kids were. Olivia was much worse than Pam.

Thanks for your post. I must respectfully disagree, Furienna.

We never even heard of "Cousin Pam" until she suddenly showed up at the Huxtables' door. And yet, we should have been hearing about her during the previous six seasons, because presumably she existed, and she wasn't a deep, dark secret. No one had as much as mentioned her, ever.

The reason we didn't hear of Olivia is because Denise had just gotten married, and didn't tell her parents. This creates the conflict at the beginning of Season Six.

"Cousin Pam" is the result of lazy writing; writing which shows the plot holes. Olivia is the result of a clever story idea which resulted in many interesting storylines for Denise, one of the more interesting of the Cosby kids: Denise is married, Denise and Martin have to look for a house, Denise decides to work with kids... Olivia is a part of a pretty slick storyline.

"Cousin Pam" can't hold a candle to Denise.

Also, it wasn't just the annoying "Cousin Pam", but her equally annoying friends: Charmaine, Lance, and... umm... What's His Name. I didn't tune in to the Cosby Show to see random nobodies steal screen time from the Huxtables!

I will admit that sometimes Olivia was a bit too precocious, but she was just one character, not a whole gang of random non-Huxtables stealing my valuable TV-watching time with their nonsense. :mad:


I will agree that getting rid of Judy was awful. But it made sense that Rachel and Estelle didn't live in the house forever.

Estelle was settled down in the Winslow house. And although it made sense, as you say, for Rachel to eventually move out, she rarely appeared after she moved out, as Urkel stole more and more of the spotlight.

Glad you agree about Judy. I still can't believe they Chuck Cunninghammed her.


So you missed him? I presume that most people didn't even notice that he was gone.

Yes, I missed Brendan. I also missed Cody, Penny, and Ivy. Flash and Lily and Bronson Pinchot were tacked on so very badly at the end of the series.

And presumably, the audience felt the same way as me: the show's decline in the ratings during the last season doomed it.

I know John Travolta left because he was getting popular in movies, but why did Gabe Kaplan leave?

Marcia Strassman, Mrs. Kotter, had a huge ego, and thought she was the star of the show, and complained to the Press that her character had nothing to do. Kaplan had enough and tried to end the show, but the Network refused, so he walked.

you never know what's true and not true in these "inside Hollywood" stories.

Marcia Strassman, Mrs. Kotter, had a huge ego, and thought she was the star of the show, and complained to the Press that her character had nothing to do. Kaplan had enough and tried to end the show, but the Network refused, so he walked.

Source for this "huge ego" allegation, please.

Source for this "huge ego" allegation, please.

Indeed, the real reason behind Kaplan's departure was creative differences with executive producer James Komack.

Indeed, the real reason behind Kaplan's departure was creative differences with executive producer James Komack.
that's what I heard too.

HAPPY DAYS-when it became "the Fonzie show" they added that super-annoying live audience, and they changed the setting from the 50s to the late 70s/early 80s with a little bit of the 50s mixed in.

MASH-twice; when it became "the Alan Alda show" then when Radar left.

LAVERNE & SHIRLEY-when they moved to California and half the town moved with them.

Not sure where you get the idea the setting for Happy Days went from the 50s to the 70s/80s. The time period was always the 50s into the early 60s. I don't know what show you were watching but it wasn't Happy Days.

Ed.

Not sure where you get the idea the setting for Happy Days went from the 50s to the 70s/80s. The time period was always the 50s into the early 60s. I don't know what show you were watching but it wasn't Happy Days.

Ed.

Joanie's perm was straight out of the 1980s.

as were some of the clothes and hairstyles

When I watched A Guy Named Phantom (Part 1), I did not mind Lisette, but found her voice to be whiny for some reason.

Marcia Strassman, Mrs. Kotter, had a huge ego, and thought she was the star of the show, and complained to the Press that her character had nothing to do. Kaplan had enough and tried to end the show, but the Network refused, so he walked.I don't know if that information is correct, but Marcia sure was deluded if she thought she was the star. There are several episodes where she is only in the opening segment. I don't know why Gabe would have had to quit though, it would have been easier just firing Marcia.

I don't know if that information is correct, but Marcia sure was deluded if she thought she was the star. There are several episodes where she is only in the opening segment. I don't know why Gabe would have had to quit though, it would have been easier just firing Marcia.

As mentioned above, it was executive producer James Komack whom Kaplan was at loggerheads with, not Marcia Strassman.

"Roseanne" is one of the worst jump the shark shows. Once they won the lottery, that show went to **** City. Season 9 sucked big time. It was going downhill after about 5 seasons, but the lottery totally and Dan dying totally ruined it. It did a complete 180: from the best thing on TV to the worst thing on TV.

"All in the Family" is another. It should have ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California. That scene was so touching, and that should have been the series finale. Once they brought in that Stephanie girl, and Edith died, and Gloria had an affair, etc., the show sucked.

"Good Times" went to hell as soon as they fired John Amos. I only watch the episodes with James/John Amos. After that, the show was awful.

"Petticoat Junction" was bad after Bea Benederet died.

"One Day at a Time" turned horrible after Mackenzie Phillips was fired the second time for drug use.

"The Wonder Years" got bad after Kevin got older and became a jerk. The original premise was gone after 5 seasons, and there should not have been a 6th season.

"Gimme a Break!" went to hell when Dolph Sweet/the Chief passed away. Then it became all about Nell and Addy, and it was boring.

What others?

Kids Incorporated - lacks the magic without Fergie.

Homicide: Life on the Street - should have ended when Andre Braugher left.

Law & Order - creativity died when Jerry Orbach passed away.

As mentioned above, it was executive producer James Komack whom Kaplan was at loggerheads with, not Marcia Strassman.Komack was likely unknown to the public, the network should have sided with Kaplan and found a different producer.

Komack was likely unknown to the public, the network should have sided with Kaplan and found a different producer.

Well, to be fair, Komack already had two hit shows under his belt that he also produced: The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Chico and the Man.

Homicide: Life on the Street - should have ended when Andre Braugher left.



Not to derail the thread, but what did you think of the movie? I thought it was good, basically, though probably unnecessarily sad. And that final scene between Bayliss and Frank...oh God, it tore me up.

Not to derail the thread, but what did you think of the movie? I thought it was good, basically, though probably unnecessarily sad. And that final scene between Bayliss and Frank...oh God, it tore me up.

I wouldn't know. I didn't see all of it.

I wouldn't know. I didn't see all of it.

Oh, I'm sorry; I hope my comment didn't spoil anything.

Roseanne - started to JTS when the original Becky left and new Becky came in with a stupid Mark instead of rebellious Mark. That was the start and it continued with Jackie becoming insane, everyone comes out the closet, the man bashing was overdone, and then finally it was eaten by the shark when they won the lottery.

The Cosby Show - Theo moving out, addition of Olivia and the lesser seen Vanessa all happened to close to pick a defining moment. Then again it could be muppet episode, the one where Rudy's story was the entire episode and it was just stupid crap. Maybe when Pam joined the cast was worse but it already JTS for me, who knows, there are so many moments to choose.

70's Show - It JTS twice for me, when Hyde's father shows up and when Eric left and they still hung out in his basement.

ODAAT - When Grandma Romano is a full time character

Friends - Chandler quits his job and gets some job out of state. That is not the JTS moment but that is the time frame it JTS for me.

90201 (original) - They started college and Brenda no longer acted like part of the core group and when she left that was the final JTS moment.

Thanks for your post. I must respectfully disagree, Furienna.

We never even heard of "Cousin Pam" until she suddenly showed up at the Huxtables' door. And yet, we should have been hearing about her during the previous six seasons, because presumably she existed, and she wasn't a deep, dark secret. No one had as much as mentioned her, ever.

The reason we didn't hear of Olivia is because Denise had just gotten married, and didn't tell her parents. This creates the conflict at the beginning of Season Six.

"Cousin Pam" is the result of lazy writing; writing which shows the plot holes. Olivia is the result of a clever story idea which resulted in many interesting storylines for Denise, one of the more interesting of the Cosby kids: Denise is married, Denise and Martin have to look for a house, Denise decides to work with kids... Olivia is a part of a pretty slick storyline.

"Cousin Pam" can't hold a candle to Denise.

Also, it wasn't just the annoying "Cousin Pam", but her equally annoying friends: Charmaine, Lance, and... umm... What's His Name. I didn't tune in to the Cosby Show to see random nobodies steal screen time from the Huxtables!

I will admit that sometimes Olivia was a bit too precocious, but she was just one character, not a whole gang of random non-Huxtables stealing my valuable TV-watching time with their nonsense. :mad:
Right... It is true that Pam was never mentioned before she moved in with the Huxtables. She was going to be a quick replacement for Vanessa, who was going to College and wouldn't appear as much as on the show anymore. Even so, I liked both Pam and her friends. I know that most people don't agree with me, but... They reminded us that everybody in New York wasn't as wealthy as the Huxtables, so they were like a bit of fresh air to me. Pam also had some interesting storylines, like how she had to adapt to living with her stricter richer relatives, or if she should have sex with her boyfriend or risk losing him, or finding out that she couldn't go to the same College as her best friend because her grades weren't as good.

Olivia on the other hand was an annoying and mostly unnecessary character. She was fine I guess when she acted like a child at her age should. But I hated how she often talked like she already was a grown-up. That was creepy. It is true though that she gave Denise something new to do, so you made a good point there. But I suspect that Olivia mostly existed for a totally different reason: Rudy had become ten years old and wasn't a "little cute kid" anymore, so it was decided that she needed a replacement. After all, Olivia kept on living with the Huxtables even after Denise was gone. I like though that they lampshaded this by making Rudy reluctant to accept her.

Estelle was settled down in the Winslow house. And although it made sense, as you say, for Rachel to eventually move out, she rarely appeared after she moved out, as Urkel stole more and more of the spotlight.

Glad you agree about Judy. I still can't believe they Chuck Cunninghammed her.
Estelle's actress (Rosetta LeNoire) started to get poor health due to old age, so it was necessary for her to cut down on her working hours. That is why she pretty much disappeared from the show, so it had nothing to do with Steve.

Yes, I missed Brendan. I also missed Cody, Penny, and Ivy. Flash and Lily and Bronson Pinchot were tacked on so very badly at the end of the series.

And presumably, the audience felt the same way as me: the show's decline in the ratings during the last season doomed it.
I have to confess that Brendan's disappearance doesn't bother me as much as Judy's. Because I feel that Judy had some missed potential, which I don't feel about Brendan. But hey, I could be wrong...

Cody had to leave as the actor was in trouble with the law, because his drug addict wife had wrongfully accused him of beating her. And I heard that Penny and Ivy were let go because the people in charge wanted to make the cast smaller. Fair enough, but it would have been nice if they had kept making guest appearances at least.

Oh, I'm sorry; I hope my comment didn't spoil anything.

No worries. It was broad enough to still allow me to watch it.