[Written by the writer of that very episode][link]. More than a little defensive, but it is somewhat interesting to hear the guy talk about it like this.
He seems to be confused on one point, though.
Jumping the shark doesn’t mean a decline in popularity, though. It means a decline in the qualities that made the show good to begin with. Jumping the shark is the point at which the show you liked starts becoming something else; generally something worse, at least from your perspective as a longtime fan.
[link]: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-jump-the-shark-20100903,0,6800871.story “First Person: In defense of the ‘Happy Days’ ‘ ‘Jump the Shark’ episode – latimes.com”
One reply on “In defense of the ‘Happy Days’ ‘Jump the Shark’ episode”
Indeed, jumping the shark often means your popularity is growing… probably so much that you’ve poorly managed that growth and your community’s reaction to it.