The term “jumping the shark” derived from which television series?

Happy Days

Answer: The phrase “jump the shark” is based on a scene from a fifth-season episode of the sitcom Happy Days in which the character Fonzie jumps over a shark while on water-skis. This television moment has since become a Hollywood symbol of when screenwriting has deteriorated into absurdity.

The show continued for a further seven years, but it’s widely accepted that this was the moment it began to derail from a quality standpoint. This shark stunt moment has also become a cultural symbol of when quality takes a dramatic downturn for the worse.