Jumping The Shark

Kevin Drum wonders today whether last night's episode of "24" finally "jumped the shark." Since I wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, I looked it up (from Wikipedia):

Jumping the shark is a metaphor used by US television critics and fans since the 1990s to denote the moment when a television series is (in retrospect) deemed to have passed its peak. Once a show has "jumped the shark," fans sense a noticeable decline in quality or feel the show has undergone too many changes to retain its original charm. * * *

The phrase was popularized by Jon Hein on his website, jumptheshark.com. It alludes to a goofy scene in the TV series Happy Days when its popular character, Fonzie, is on water skis and literally jumps over a shark.

I've been a fan of "24" since it premiered, and although I admit that the show is getting repetitive, I still enjoy it. In fact, I'm not sure what Drum was referring to when he said that the show has jumped the shark. The whole thing has always been over-the-top in pretty much every way possible. That's what makes it so fun to watch.

But I do hope that "24" -- if it returns next season -- starts moving in a different direction. I've gotten more than my fill on the whole "terrorists trying to nuke/gas/infect the United States" angle. I think the producers have pretty much run out of WMD with which to threaten America.