Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Time apparently wants to prove just how untimely it truly is. In their October 27th issue they're running a short piece about TV shows they feel are in danger of jumping the shark. The shows they identify as nearing the end of their ropes? Friends, ER, NYPD Blue, and Everybody Love Raymond.

While Raymond's continuing creative viability may be subject to debate, it's safe to say the other three programs jumped a long time ago. Both critics and fans alike have been decrying the sorry state of these shows for years. In fact, the author of the article even admits NYPD Blue's best days are long behind it (which begs the question: why say a show is on the bubble if you've already written it off?).

It's bad enough that Time presents the idea of shark-jumping as a factory-fresh concept months after people began questioning whether "jump the shark" had itself jumped the shark. To then compound this behind-the-curviness by applying the term to shows that are wheezing past the decade mark makes them sound like David Ogden Stiers trying to relate to John Cusack in Better Off Dead. And that really brings me over, man.

Posted @ 1:03 PM

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