Jumping the shark is a colloquialism coined by Jon Hein and used by TV critics and fans to denote the point in a television program’s history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. This usually corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings apparently becomes more desperate to draw in viewers. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have “jumped the shark” are typically deemed to have passed their peak.
My coworkers were very surprised I hadn’t heard of this term. We also learned that there is a similar term, “jumping the couch”, that refers to “someone ‘going off the deep end’ in public in a manner extreme enough to tarnish his or her reputation” ala Thomas J. Cruise.
Source: Wikipedia
