Shows that never jumped the shark - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

counrfk · 10-16-2017, 03:47 PM

Most shows jump the shark eventually. However, there are some that never did. Two shows that come to mind are "I Love Lucy" and "Leave it to Beaver". These two were good throughout their entire runs. I can turn these on, and it doesn't matter what season they are in. Sure, the 6th and last season of "Leave it to Beaver" was probably its weakest, but it was still very high quality. I think the reason was that it didn't do what so many other shows do: it never added more main characters. It stuck with the original 4 main characters for the entire run. They let Wally and Beaver grow up, and they never added new little kids. Another show that I enjoyed throughout its entire run was "Little House on the Prairie". It changed a lot through its 9 seasons, but I never thought it jumped the shark. I liked all the seasons, although the last one was definitely the weakest.

RetroGuy2000 · 10-16-2017, 04:26 PM

Little House on the Prairie jumped the shark when they added Albert Ingalls, a fictional character, to the Ingalls family. Then, later, they added two more fictional brats. Soon, any attempt at depicting the real Ingalls family was abandoned, and they started depicting demented, horrific things on a "family show". The episodes "Sylvia" and "May We Bake Them Brown" are great examples of the insanity of later seasons. Mime rape and roasting people alive are just two examples I could give.

I Love Lucy never jumped, IMO. Even the move to Connecticut was okay. I also feel like The Patty Duke Show also never jumped. And I think Friends never jumped, though the last few seasons were less-great than the first few seasons. I also feel that way about The Big Bang Theory.

For non-sitcoms, I don't feel Game of Thrones or Buffy ever jumped the shark.

icecream · 10-16-2017, 05:31 PM

Barney Miller
I Love Lucy
Alfred Hitchcock Presents/The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Dragnet '67
Adam-12
Early Edition
Fame
M*A*S*H- a lot might disagree but it was good all 11 seasons. and handled cast changes well
WKRP in Cincinnati

counrfk · 10-16-2017, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catsrule

Barney Miller
I Love Lucy
Alfred Hitchcock Presents/The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Dragnet '67
Adam-12
Early Edition
Fame
M*A*S*H- a lot might disagree but it was good all 11 seasons. and handled cast changes well
WKRP in Cincinnati

Yes, I agree about "Adam-12"! Great show throughout its entire run!

RetroGuy2000 · 10-16-2017, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catsrule

M*A*S*H- a lot might disagree but it was good all 11 seasons. and handled cast changes well

On this, I must respectfully disagree. The later seasons of MASH were not good, as Alan Alda slowly took over the show with his maudlin acting, and as the cast was slowly replaced. Mark Peloquin astutely explains the slow jumping the shark of MASH.

bmasters9 · 10-16-2017, 06:09 PM

My choices for "never jumped":

Barney Miller
The Bob Newhart Show
M Squad
Have Gun, Will Travel
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Perry Mason
Petrocelli

Retro4Life · 10-16-2017, 06:40 PM

M*A*S*H
Barney Miller
Taxi
WKRP in Cincinnati
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Bob Newhart (came close the last year though)
Leave it to Beaver
Twilight Zone
Knots Landing
Cagney and Lacey
Wiseguy
Gunsmoke
Star Trek
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The Odd Couple
Everybody Loves Raymond
NYPD Blue
Homicide: Life on the Streets
Star Trek: DS9
Babylon 5

(this is based on shows that were high quality to begin with...many shows didn't change much in quality over the years but were just never strong, thus, by definition, there was no "shark" to "jump." I also didn't include one season shows, as they never really had time to jump.

Regulus · 10-16-2017, 07:22 PM

Here's a list featuring some of our four-legged friends :

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
Flipper
Gentle Ben
Daktari
Fury
The Adventures of Champion
My Friend Flicka
National Velvet
Black Beauty
The Black Stallion
The Littlest Hobo

And of course,...

Lassie

PhoenixAcres · 10-16-2017, 07:35 PM

Gilligan's Island
The Odd Couple
I Dream of Jeannie
Green Acres
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Twilight Zone
Father Knows Best
Get Smart (The later seasons were just as good if not better than the earlier ones. That being said, having the twins in the final season was a terrible move, but their minimal presence had little effect on the overall quality of the show.)

stevea · 10-16-2017, 08:51 PM

The Middle
Newhart
George Burns/Gracie Allen Show
The Patty Duke Show

Tubehead · 10-17-2017, 12:57 AM

currently:
Arrow
the flash
gotham

reality
pawn stars
storage wars
shark tank

my faovirte shows i didn't think jumped the shark
quantum Leap
the incredible hulk
early edition
kung fu
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues

classic
I love lucy
the honeymooners
sanford & son
the odd couple
perfect strangers
mamas family
the wonder years
boy meets world maybe in the later seaons!!
family ties
the jefferson's
get smart
step by step

classic cartoons
loony toons
tiny toons
top cat
the jetsons
the flistones
scooby doo were are you?
hong kong phooey
droopy
wood wood pecker nickelodeon's doug
nickelodeon's muppet babies
1990 the real ghost busters
1980's he-man & master of the unisver
1980s teeange mutant ninja turtlers
fox's 1990 spider-man Anmited tv series
fox's 1990 x-men Anmited tv series
wbs 1990 batman the Anmited tv series
wb's 1990 batman beyond the Anmited tv series
wb's 1990 super -man the Anmited tv series
wb's 1990 static shock the Anmited tv series
wb's 1990 justice league the Anmited tv series

Dale Key · 10-17-2017, 02:19 PM

Cheers

RetroGuy2000 · 10-17-2017, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale Key

Cheers

Shelley Long's departure could have been a shark-jumping moment, but I just view it as a rebirth.

AMackII · 10-17-2017, 08:55 PM

Green Acres
The Twlight Zone
Flipper
Newhart
Star Trek
Perry Mason
Alfred Hitchock Presents
WKRP in Cincinnati
Adam 12
Cagney and Lacey
Magnum PI
Knots Landing

glickmam · 10-20-2017, 03:03 AM

Mr. Belvedere

10-16-2017, 03:47 PM	#1
counrfk Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 12, 2017 Posts: 136	Shows that never jumped the shark Most shows jump the shark eventually. However, there are some that never did. Two shows that come to mind are "I Love Lucy" and "Leave it to Beaver". These two were good throughout their entire runs. I can turn these on, and it doesn't matter what season they are in. Sure, the 6th and last season of "Leave it to Beaver" was probably its weakest, but it was still very high quality. I think the reason was that it didn't do what so many other shows do: it never added more main characters. It stuck with the original 4 main characters for the entire run. They let Wally and Beaver grow up, and they never added new little kids. Another show that I enjoyed throughout its entire run was "Little House on the Prairie". It changed a lot through its 9 seasons, but I never thought it jumped the shark. I liked all the seasons, although the last one was definitely the weakest.

10-16-2017, 04:26 PM	#2
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	Little House on the Prairie jumped the shark when they added Albert Ingalls, a fictional character, to the Ingalls family. Then, later, they added two more fictional brats. Soon, any attempt at depicting the real Ingalls family was abandoned, and they started depicting demented, horrific things on a "family show". The episodes "Sylvia" and "May We Bake Them Brown" are great examples of the insanity of later seasons. Mime rape and roasting people alive are just two examples I could give. I Love Lucy never jumped, IMO. Even the move to Connecticut was okay. I also feel like The Patty Duke Show also never jumped. And I think Friends never jumped, though the last few seasons were less-great than the first few seasons. I also feel that way about The Big Bang Theory. For non-sitcoms, I don't feel Game of Thrones or Buffy ever jumped the shark.
	__________________ The Facts of Life's "Lost Girls" Tribute to Julie Piekarski, Eastland Girl Join "The Group", Sitcoms Online's Facts of Life group!

10-16-2017, 05:31 PM	#3
icecream Cat-tastic and Whiskerlicious Forum Celebrity Join Date: Sep 01, 2006 Location: The Catacombs Posts: 20,848	Barney Miller I Love Lucy Alfred Hitchcock Presents/The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Dragnet '67 Adam-12 Early Edition Fame MAS*H- a lot might disagree but it was good all 11 seasons. and handled cast changes well WKRP in Cincinnati
	__________________ Top 200 TV Shows https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...14#post6225214 Top 150 Movies https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...84#post6175384 Top 1100 Scripted TV Characters https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...d.php?t=493306 Top Rookie TV Shows by Calendar Year https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...d.php?t=365017 Top Movies by Calendar Year https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...d.php?t=473533

10-16-2017, 06:09 PM	#6
bmasters9 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 2,550	My choices for "never jumped": Barney Miller The Bob Newhart Show M Squad Have Gun, Will Travel Wanted: Dead or Alive Perry Mason Petrocelli
	__________________ "CBS Sports presents...The Prudential College Football Report, sponsored by The Prudential, offering a full range of insurance and other financial services. The Prudential: the Rock...it's strong, it's on the move, it's bigger than life." (Don Robertson's spiel for The Prudential College Football Report in the 1986 season; modified from what it was in 1985)

10-16-2017, 06:40 PM	#7
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	MAS*H Barney Miller Taxi WKRP in Cincinnati The Mary Tyler Moore Show Bob Newhart (came close the last year though) Leave it to Beaver Twilight Zone Knots Landing Cagney and Lacey Wiseguy Gunsmoke Star Trek Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea The Odd Couple Everybody Loves Raymond NYPD Blue Homicide: Life on the Streets Star Trek: DS9 Babylon 5 (this is based on shows that were high quality to begin with...many shows didn't change much in quality over the years but were just never strong, thus, by definition, there was no "shark" to "jump." I also didn't include one season shows, as they never really had time to jump.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

10-16-2017, 07:22 PM	#8
Regulus Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 07, 2011 Location: Port Orange, Florida Avatar - Poiuyt Posts: 3,374	Here's a list featuring some of our four-legged friends : The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Flipper Gentle Ben Daktari Fury The Adventures of Champion My Friend Flicka National Velvet Black Beauty The Black Stallion The Littlest Hobo And of course,... Lassie
	__________________ Grail Shows: *Doc Elliot, Owen Marshall-Counselor of Law, Here's Boomer, Three for the Road, Holmes and YoYo* Bucket List Shows: *Hot Wheels, Skyhawks, Run Joe Run, Westwood*

10-16-2017, 07:35 PM	#9
PhoenixAcres Member Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 26, 2016 Location: United States Posts: 6,824	Gilligan's Island The Odd Couple I Dream of Jeannie Green Acres The Dick Van Dyke Show Twilight Zone Father Knows Best Get Smart (The later seasons were just as good if not better than the earlier ones. That being said, having the twins in the final season was a terrible move, but their minimal presence had little effect on the overall quality of the show.)

10-16-2017, 08:51 PM	#10
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,900	The Middle Newhart George Burns/Gracie Allen Show The Patty Duke Show

10-17-2017, 12:57 AM	#11
Tubehead Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 12, 2007 Location: chattanooga.tn Posts: 5,139	currently: Arrow the flash gotham reality pawn stars storage wars shark tank my faovirte shows i didn't think jumped the shark quantum Leap the incredible hulk early edition kung fu Kung Fu: The Legend Continues classic I love lucy the honeymooners sanford & son the odd couple perfect strangers mamas family the wonder years boy meets world maybe in the later seaons!! family ties the jefferson's get smart step by step classic cartoons loony toons tiny toons top cat the jetsons the flistones scooby doo were are you? hong kong phooey droopy wood wood pecker nickelodeon's doug nickelodeon's muppet babies 1990 the real ghost busters 1980's he-man & master of the unisver 1980s teeange mutant ninja turtlers fox's 1990 spider-man Anmited tv series fox's 1990 x-men Anmited tv series wbs 1990 batman the Anmited tv series wb's 1990 batman beyond the Anmited tv series wb's 1990 super -man the Anmited tv series wb's 1990 static shock the Anmited tv series wb's 1990 justice league the Anmited tv series

10-17-2017, 02:19 PM	#12
Dale Key Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 17, 2005 Location: Washington state Posts: 410	Cheers
	__________________ Please release complete series of these already hi-def mastered shows on blu-ray: Seinfeld, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, Cheers, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond thank you! Niles: God is forgiving, Miss Fine. When I was a boy, I once took five shillings out of the collection plate at church for toffee. Fran: And nothing happened to you, right? Niles: That's right, absolutely nothing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go wash other peoples' underwear.

10-17-2017, 08:55 PM	#14
AMackII Member Forum Star Join Date: Oct 23, 2015 Location: St. Louis Posts: 17,225	Green Acres The Twlight Zone Flipper Newhart Star Trek Perry Mason Alfred Hitchock Presents WKRP in Cincinnati Adam 12 Cagney and Lacey Magnum PI Knots Landing

10-20-2017, 03:03 AM	#15
glickmam Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 03, 2007 Posts: 661	Mr. Belvedere