<P> Jumping the shark is crossing the point where something that was once popular no longer warrants the attention it has previously received, particularly when attempts at publicity only serve to highlight its irrelevance . This is especially applicable to television series or other entertainment outlets . </P> <P> The idiom "jumping the shark" is pejorative, most commonly used in reference to unsuccessful gimmicks for promoting something . It is similar to "past its peak" but more specifically suggests an unwillingness to acknowledge the failing . Originally the phrase was used to describe an episode of a television comedy with a gimmick or unlikely occurrence desperately attempting to keep viewers' interest . Moments labelled as "jumping the shark" are considered indications that writers have exhausted their focus; that the show has strayed irretrievably from an older and better formula; or that the series as a whole is declining in quality . </P> <P> Popularized by radio personality Jon Hein in the 1990s and early 2000s, the phrase derives from a scene in a fifth - season episode of the sitcom Happy Days in which the character Fonzie jumps over a shark while on water - skis . This was deemed a ratings ploy, for it was outside the original thrust of the sitcom . </P> <P> The usage of "jump the shark" has subsequently broadened beyond television, indicating the moment when a brand, design, franchise, or creative effort's evolution declines, or when it changes notably in style into something unwelcome . </P>

Where did phrase jump the shark come from