Can a show, after hitting that peak, return to it? Does that ever happen, or once the jump (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JumpingTheShark) occurs, is it pretty much doomed to be downhill from there?

Yes. Family Guy had a bad run after FOX brought it back (Conway Twitty, "gay" Stewie, Meg abuse, Herbert the pervert, weird vault episode, etc.) and then the writing got better.

Can a show, after hitting that peak, return to it? Does that ever happen, or once the jump (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JumpingTheShark) occurs, is it pretty much doomed to be downhill from there?


I thought you referred to it as Boning-the-Fish. :confused:

I can think of a couple of examples where this could have happened. The first was "Mork & Mindy" which had an outstanding first season. Before Season 2, the show brought in new characters and phased out Mindy's Dad and Grandma and it dropped in popularity very drastically. So then the writers had Mork & Mindy get married and introduced Jonathan Winters as their baby son and suddenly the show got better and the ratings rebounded.

The other show I'm aware of where this might have happened was "The Big Bang Theory". The first couple of seasons were fun and kind of cute, where we see a couple of socially inept nerds fall for their beautiful next door neighbor. The show's focus then shifts to Sheldon and as his character grows in stature, he becomes more arrogant and boring and the show begins to drag for a few years. Then we meet Bernadette and Amy in Season 4 and they bring a much needed dose of freshness and humor to a show that was becoming very stale. The viewers start to agree and the ratings grow steadily to where it is now, the #1 comedy series in North America, where the last 2 seasons might even be their best.

Yes. Family Guy had a bad run after FOX brought it back (Conway Twitty, "gay" Stewie, Meg abuse, Herbert the pervert, weird vault episode, etc.) and then the writing got better.

I loved the Conway Twitty segments! :lol:

Yeah I think Season 6 of One day at a time was horrible !! :pSeason 7 when Julie and Max were brought back and than Barbara got married it picked up again ! ;)Ann Romano's new found independence with her good job and woman's lib was getting very old by this point, and even though I like Schneider his shtick couldn't carry the show either !:confused: And adding that kid Alex was a big mistake! He was so obnoxious ! :p :The girls growing up and getting Husbands breathed new life into the show !:) Michael Lembeck and Boyd Gaines were wonderful additions to ODAAT!!;)

I loved the Conway Twitty segments! :lol:

I hated those with a passion and almost quit the show because of them. Yes, they ticked me off that much.

I hated those with a passion and almost quit the show because of them. Yes, they ticked me off that much.

To each his/her own, but truthfully I was surprised that Conway's family would give them permission to do those.

I loved the Conway Twitty segments! :lol:

I absolutely loved the Conway Twitty segments, as I grew up on those commercials of his greatest hits.

I especially liked the long segments, just because I knew it was Seth and the writers screwing with the Network and even their own fans. Hilarious imho!!

My Name Is Earl jumped the shark when he got sent to prison and then unjumped the shark when he got out.

I quite liked Dynasty: The Reunion with Blake and Krystle meeting nostalgically on Malibu beach, but on second thoughts it was all downhill from there.

I can think of a couple of examples where this could have happened. The first was "Mork & Mindy" which had an outstanding first season. Before Season 2, the show brought in new characters and phased out Mindy's Dad and Grandma and it dropped in popularity very drastically. So then the writers had Mork & Mindy get married and introduced Jonathan Winters as their baby son and suddenly the show got better and the ratings rebounded.


The ratings didn’t rebound. The show dropped in the ratings every year (#3, #27, #49, #60).

True Detective. At least somewhat. Season 3 had more interest than Season 2, which was a big decline from the first Season 1 apparently. (I never saw S2). Although it's HBO and it can be considered more like when a movie has a bad second sequel but a better third one, but maybe still not as good as the first.