The beginning of the end. Something is
said to have "jumped the shark" when it has reached its peak and begun a downhill
slide to mediocrity or oblivion. It's said to have been coined by Jon Hein, who has a web site, jumptheshark.com, and now a
book detailing examples, especially as applied to TV shows. It supposedly refers to an episode of the TV show "Happy Days" in which Fonzie jumps over a shark on
water skis, which Hein believes was the point at which the series had lost its touch and was beginning to grasp at straws.