JON HEIN
(interview: Jump the Shark: When Good Shows Go Bad, Book Sense, December 2002)

What is it like to create a catch phrase? Author Jon Hein found out when his website devoted to cataloguing the exact moment beloved TV shows start going downhill in quality, jumptheshark.com, became a national phenomenon.

Hein tackles the most painful and unfortunate moments of TV shows and other deserving cultural targets in his new book, Jump the Shark: When Good Shows Go Bad.

For those who don't know, what does the phrase "jump the shark" mean?

"Jump the shark" is the precise moment that you know something in pop culture is about to go downhill. It refers to the episode of "Happy Days" when Fonzie -- fully clad in his leather jacket on water skis -- jumped over a shark in the Pacific Ocean.

How did you come up with the idea for the phrase...and when did you realize that it could be applied to more than TV shows?

If you saw Fonzie take that fateful leap...it's something you simply don't forget. We all feel those moments in our guts. You just know that it's going to be all downhill from there.

I had always used the expression to describe the moment anything went bad, but I knew extending the phrase wouldn't be a stretch when Maureen Dowd wrote a New York Times Op-Ed Column chronicling when certain politicians jumped the shark.

When and why did you start jumptheshark.com?

I started jumptheshark.com on December 24, 1997. The goal was simple: to learn HTML for my day job as partner of a computer-training firm, and to extend the conversation I had with my college roommates about when classic TV shows went downhill. The phrase spread quickly on the Internet, and the press started to catch on a few months later.

When did you decide to do the book?

I decided to do the book about one year ago. Believe me, it was difficult to narrow down the list of shows, bands, athletes, celebrities, and politicians that have jumped. The reaction has been great! I've been told by so many people that they knowsomeone who will absolutely love the book.

When did you realize that "jump the shark" was becoming a kind of cultural phenomenon?

The Dowd column was a strong indication that something special was happening with the phrase. The press coverage, particularly my appearances on the Howard Stern show, certainly helped spread the word. I guess when people started introducing me as the "jump-the-shark guy" and I didn't need to explain what it meant, I knew the phrase had arrived.

Why do you think it's become as popular as it has?

Because we've all been having these conversations about when things in pop culture go downhill for many years. I'm fortunate that people have adopted the phrase and use it to classify these moments.

We spend so much time with these "characters" every week in our living rooms. We feel like we know them, and when something happens that just doesn't make any sense, it sets us off. The key to the criticism is in the minutiae. Someone can tell you that "Survivor" isn't good any more, but if they explain that Colby cuddling with his mom in the Pontiac Aztec is when the show jumped the shark, you acknowledge the detail in some strange way.

Do you find that most people agree with your jump-the-shark appraisals?

Some people agree with me, some think I'm crazy.... That's another reason why jump the shark works. Nobody is right or wrong, but we all have strong opinions on when certain things went downhill. I've had plenty of people tell me to get a life or how wrong I am, but for the most part, everyone gets a good laugh out of the concept and spends a ton of time debating pop-culture items.

That being said, when I implied that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; Steven Spielberg, and Bruce Springsteen jumped the shark, I made some enemies for life.

Why is it that television producers keep recycling the same ideas to help revive interest in a show, even though history has proven that they NEVER work?

Ratings, ratings, ratings. Having a baby is a great way to get good Nielsen numbers, but I guarantee you that the show is about to -- or already has -- jumped the shark. Adding that new cute kid or having a wedding will bring in viewers temporarily, but the show will never be the same. Believe me, I'm certainly glad the producers keep doing it!

This being BookSense.com and all, I have to ask: Who are some writers that have jumped the shark?

I think John Grisham jumped when he left the courtroom for A Painted House. Stephen King jumped when we found out he was Richard Bachman. Tom Clancy jumped when he started writing novels without Jack Ryan. The Chicken Soup series jumped when they printed a volume for "The Prisoner's Soul."

What will be the sign that "jump the shark" has jumped the shark?

When you reach into your breakfast cereal box, and pull out an official Jump The Shark Action Figure©, you'll know we've taken the leap.

© 2003 Andrew Duncan | All rights reserved | Do not reproduce without expressed consent of author.