Indeed! After what seemed like an eternity of traipsing up and down to my parents house to check email and make blog posts, I am at last in the land of the connected. I would like to thank my brother for his assistance, my folks for their patience and you dear reader(s) for hanging around to see the day. Jings!
Ok, I had a big list of stuff I was gonna blog about, but frankly, a lot of it has lost it's appeal since I jotted it down. Blogging topics have to be fresh, though theres no reason why some of them shouldn't crop up again.
We're all familiar with the term 'Jump The Shark', right? That defining moment in a tv show where the scripts take a terminal turn for the worse, the watershed moment after which the whole point and credibility of the programme is lost. Like Arthur Fonzerelli in 'Happy Days' strapping on water-ski's and jumping over a shark. Whilst wearing his leather jacket.
Ok, fine. Except it seems that actual the use of the term goes a long way beyond that. Check the Wikipedia definition of the term, or the jumptheshark.com site. It seems to me that just about any situation regarding a tv show can be categorised as some form of 'Shark Jumping'. Problems arise of course when the very premise of the show in question is a 'Shark Jump' and in some ways, to not jump the shark would indeed be an act of 'Shark Jumping'. Are you with me? No?
Good!!
I say we do away with these phony categories and get back to the original point of the phrase. It was originated as an easy, catchy, shorthand way of denoting the exact point at which the network bosses got their talons into the script-writing team, or the precise point at which the premise of a particular show had outlived it's purpose, leading the script writers to go to ever more ludicrous lengths to avoid repeating themselves. Shit TV shows DO NOT COUNT!!! Diff'rnt Strokes jumped several super-sized Great Whites the very moment it aired. Accusing it of 'Jumping The Shark' is like accusing Britney Spears of being a Pop Star. On the other hand, Happy Days, whilst being nothing more than a cheap, fairly well written nostalgia vehicle, managed to retain a thread of continuity, enough to traumatise a nation with this image.
My personal nominations are.........
Monty Python - Most of series 4
Still Game - Series whatever - When pensioners give birth
My Family - Die! Die! Die Now!
Ok, I had a big list of stuff I was gonna blog about, but frankly, a lot of it has lost it's appeal since I jotted it down. Blogging topics have to be fresh, though theres no reason why some of them shouldn't crop up again.
We're all familiar with the term 'Jump The Shark', right? That defining moment in a tv show where the scripts take a terminal turn for the worse, the watershed moment after which the whole point and credibility of the programme is lost. Like Arthur Fonzerelli in 'Happy Days' strapping on water-ski's and jumping over a shark. Whilst wearing his leather jacket.
Ok, fine. Except it seems that actual the use of the term goes a long way beyond that. Check the Wikipedia definition of the term, or the jumptheshark.com site. It seems to me that just about any situation regarding a tv show can be categorised as some form of 'Shark Jumping'. Problems arise of course when the very premise of the show in question is a 'Shark Jump' and in some ways, to not jump the shark would indeed be an act of 'Shark Jumping'. Are you with me? No?
Good!!
I say we do away with these phony categories and get back to the original point of the phrase. It was originated as an easy, catchy, shorthand way of denoting the exact point at which the network bosses got their talons into the script-writing team, or the precise point at which the premise of a particular show had outlived it's purpose, leading the script writers to go to ever more ludicrous lengths to avoid repeating themselves. Shit TV shows DO NOT COUNT!!! Diff'rnt Strokes jumped several super-sized Great Whites the very moment it aired. Accusing it of 'Jumping The Shark' is like accusing Britney Spears of being a Pop Star. On the other hand, Happy Days, whilst being nothing more than a cheap, fairly well written nostalgia vehicle, managed to retain a thread of continuity, enough to traumatise a nation with this image.
My personal nominations are.........
Monty Python - Most of series 4
Still Game - Series whatever - When pensioners give birth
My Family - Die! Die! Die Now!
If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be grateful if they'd keep them to themselves.
Cheers!
6 comments:
I've got a fantastic suggestion that I'm keeping to my self.
I'm away for a wank too.
Welcome back to the internet.
My family? when did that piece of shit comedy have a jump the shark moment?
Glad your back online. I'm getting a laptop, my first laptop, its a substitute for your first car, can't drive you see.
Aw Matt! I was only kidding! Do tell.........
West Coaster - Not sure what to say. Knock one out for me mate........?
LKSN - Why thankyou! I'm happy to be back.
Zinzin - Fair point, I did say only decent shows........I was drunk and had forgotten the list of shows that had lost their way. I think 'My Family' might have done a bit of shark jumping at some point, but frankly, if you enjoy that sort of shit, then I doubt you'd recognise such a moment.
As far as laptops go,I can only say I have little time for them. They're fiddly bloody things and if I used one with any regularity, I'd end up with crabclaws instead of hands. Cheers also for the shout zinzin, I was never really away, but I can now blog whenever I damn well fancy. Which is nice.
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