I like the term “jump the shark.” It comes from the television world and it refers to a television show deviating from their original concept when their ratings are slumping and do something outrageous (and desperate) to revitalise things. The term original came from a 1977 episode of Happy Days where, due to declining viewership, the show had a storyline that culminated in Fonzie, literally, jumping over a shark while water-skiing. That was deemed such a blatantly sensationalist move that the term is still used. I like that term. There’s even a website called JumpTheShark.com,where they try to identify specific episodes of television series where they…jumped the shark. :)
JumpTheShark.com,where they try to identify specific episodes of television series where they…jumped the shark. :)]]>