What historical event would have been considered "jumping the shark" had it happened on a TV show?

Literal_Trash@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 67 points –
44

Someone's gotta say it: Trump getting elected

Or at the very least the Four Seasons Total Landscaping incident. It's like a Curb Your Enthusiasm cold opening sketch or something.

"Wait. So your episode idea is that the lawyer for the President of the United States will mistake a landscaping firm for a high class hotel? A landscaping firm situated between a dildo shop and a crematorium?!!!"

"Yes. And wait until you read the leaking hair dye episode!"

Wasn't there some copypasta about WWII being totally unbelievable? Like the USA busting out a super weapon and having a kind hearted, unbelievably capable, wheelchair bound president? And "bad guys" so bad they murder millions just because they're so evil? And the Allies being lead by a perpetually drunk burnout from WWI who could spit hilarious one-liners?

It's crazy how much of the actual war was one mayor fuckup away from going completely different routes, from Rommel being stopped instead of becoming that semi mythical Wehrmacht leader in france, to the destroyer looking for an american sub leading scout planes directly to the japanese fleet at Midway, the whole war has so much crazy stuff.

T***p getting elected looks like the worst plot twist ever written in a desperate bid to rake in viewers. It's like they got tired of tragedy, drama, comedy, war, and thriller plots, and so decided to go all-in on reality television.

It fucked sputh park. They didn't know how to parody that.

That's why they cancelled Space Force. The creators said they can no longer out-parody life itself. And I think also Veep had some similar fate IIRC.

I thought they canceled Space Force because it was bad

Yeah but the first season of most shows, especially sitcoms, is usually rough. If it feels like it has any potential at all, I think you should give it at least a second season.

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a desperate bid to rake in viewers

It was, except instead of a sitcom it was for Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and every other 24 hour news channel

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The "Erfurter Latrinensturz" is a great candidate:

The Erfurt latrine disaster occurred on 26 July 1184, when Henry VI, King of Germany (later Holy Roman Emperor), held a Hoftag (informal assembly) in the Petersberg Citadel in Erfurt. On the morning of 26 July, the combined weight of the assembled nobles caused the wooden second story floor of the building to collapse and most of them fell through into the latrine cesspit below the ground floor, where about 60 of them drowned in liquid excrement. This event is called the Erfurter Latrinensturz (lit. 'Erfurt latrine fall') in several German sources.

Jumping the shark

V

Falling in the shitter

Great submission!

The latter era of the Eastern Roman Empire. Every season it is attacked by some new enemy of the week. One season it was even attacked by gasp Crusaders!

Well, there's my thought about the Roman Empire for the day.

MacArthur's "I have returned" speech. The moment the Imperial Japanese Army decided to create the Imperial Japanese Army Navy because the actual Imperial Japanese Navy hated them. Kristallnacht. Most long medieval wars at some point. The latter half of Henry VIII's life, probably starting with his jousting accident or killing his first ex wife maybe. The whole French Revolution. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The assassination of Lincoln. Probably a lot of assassinations, I'm going to stop now.

The Pilot that lost the F-35. I feel like that could’ve been a producer’s money saving tactic in late episodes of Nightrider or Air Wolf…

“Hey Michael, solving this crime on your own? Where’s Kit?”

“Oh we were just in a high speed pursuit together & I had jump out. I’m sure Kit will turn up sooner or later, must be getting a car wash or somethin’…”

“Michael, did you lose the car?”

News stations hyping murder hornets a few months into the Covid pandemic.

To me that was the ultimate example of how the news blows shit out of proportion just to keep people engaged. Like once something actually scary came along that shit got dropped. Just like the killer bees in the 90s. Living in Texas, I was convinced that I could be swarmed and killed at any moment.

when he jumped over a shark on happy days

Oh, and for the record? There was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark. And it was the best one.

yes thats what i mean

It's a quote from Community. One character tells another "I'm afraid if we move in together our friendship will jump the shark", and the other replies with the quote.