Originally Posted by killsurfcity

everyone misuses that terminology anyhow. for the record it's not the same as being co-opted. it's whoring yourself to try to overcome your diminished popularity.

"The phrase specifically arises from a scene in the hit TV comedy series Happy Days in which one of the central characters, Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli, on water skis, literally jumps over a shark. The scene was written into the show at a point when the viewing ratings were beginning to drop, and it is generally regarded as the creative low-point at which the show finally lost all credibility. A show may continue well after the point when fans feel it has "jumped the shark" but will likely decline in popularity."