Rating: 
Summary: Fonzie, Michael Jordan, and Adolf Hitler
Review: Some reviewers have noted that this book is all over the map, trying to cover too many topics, but that doesn't begin to cover the problem. How can you compare the beginning of the decline of Germany (and the ascension of the Third Reich) to Fonzie jumping the shark? Um, one was a cheesy TV show and the other involved systematic genocide and the ruination of much of Europe?
It's a bit flippant. The politics section in generally cannot be taken seriously; the opinions are facile at best.I didn't bother with the sports section. Even rabid sports fans are often only mildly interested in the history of sports; sports is about winning and losing in the here and now. When did Dennis Rodman jump the shark? I'm not even going to bother to look that up right now as I write this review.
Rating:
Summary: "Jump the Shark" jumped the shark when it became a book
Review: The "Jump the Shark" website is one of the most entertaining websites out there, due to its lively discussion forums about TV shows that, at some point, started declining in quality never to return to its former glory. The episode or event in that TV show's history when that happened is when it "jumped the shark". Of course, there are differing opinions on when this may have happened, if it ever did in the case of some shows. The problem with putting this in book form is it becomes one man's opinion that is codified as THE expert opinion on when shows (and baseball teams, politicians, celebrities, and musicians) jumped the shark. Some opinions, of course, are hard to argue with. There is little argument that, for example, the Andy Griffith Show jumped the shark when Barney left Mayberry, or that the Boston Red Sox jumped the shark when they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Some, however, defy logic, because some of the greatest successes took place after the supposed "shark jump". For example, it states the Mary Tyler Moore show jumped when Mary changed apartments. In my opinion, that's totally wrong. Some of the best shows of the series (including the classic "Chuckles Bites the Dust", which many critics rate as the top TV show episode of all time) happened after Mary moved into her new place. Richard Nixon was said to have jumped the shark with his early-1950's "Checkers" speech. How can someone jump the shark and then later get elected president twice? Nixon obviously jumped the shark at Watergate, but then, the author had to save that one for the whole Republican party. This book is great as a discussion (and argument) starter, but I think the website is better because there differing opinions are offered. I disagreed with too much in this book to give it more than three stars, and I'd have to say that, when this was made into a book, "Jump the Shark" jumped the shark.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly Sloppy
Review: The author gives every sign of having done no research or fact-checking at all. I found glaring errors in almost every section where I knew anything ahead of time about the subject. He says that since hosting the Academy Awards in 1996, Whoopi Goldberg has been on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (which she was actually on from 1988 through 1994). He dates the Beatles "1964-72," two years late on both ends. He says George Harrison "basically disappeared for the nineties until... 'Cloud Nine,'" which came out in 1987. The section on politics is a feast of the hugely obvious (is Custer known for anything *besides* Little Big Horn?) where it isn't highly dubious (Waterloo may be the more famous event, but surely the "shark-jumping" turning point for Napoleon was the invasion of Russia). The author may have created the site, but he proves himself less competent than many of the site's users to knowledgeably assess pop culture.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Sloppy
Review: The author gives every sign of having done no research or fact-checking at all. I found glaring errors in almost every section where I knew anything ahead of time about the subject. He says that since hosting the Academy Awards in 1996, Whoopi Goldberg has been on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (which she was actually on from 1988 through 1994). He dates the Beatles "1964-72," two years late on both ends. He says George Harrison "basically disappeared for the nineties until... 'Cloud Nine,'" which came out in 1987. The section on politics is a feast of the hugely obvious (is Custer known for anything *besides* Little Big Horn?) where it isn't highly dubious (Waterloo may be the more famous event, but surely the "shark-jumping" turning point for Napoleon was the invasion of Russia). The author may have created the site, but he proves himself less competent than many of the site's users to knowledgeably assess pop culture.
Rating: 
Summary: "Jump the Shark" itself jumps the shark
Review: The concept "Jumped the Shark" itself jumped the shark with the publication of the book "Jumped the Shark." The website concept of "Jumped the Shark" was received ecstatically by generations of TV fans who felt betrayed when their favorite shows either become self-conscious, sold out in some way, cheapened themselves, introduced "cute" characters or otherwise became too stupid to tolerate. The application of a term to this phenomenon was well overdue and viewers were grateful to have their observations and gripes validated and recognized through the website. Well I guess it was inevitable that the Jumped the Shark 'movement' would itself jump the shark. This happened with the publication of the book "Jump the Shark," which aside from being an obvious attempt to cash in on the idea, fell far, far short of the standard set by the website. Why? 1. The website itself has/had an "underground" appeal to clever people who observe culture with some degree cynicism and awareness. Now, the book is available in airports. It has been mainstreamed. Enough said. But I will say more..... 2. A big part of the appeal of the website is that it gave a voice to EVERYONE because the commentaries were reader-submitted. This allowed irreverence, biting humor, dirty comments, sentimentality, subjective opinions. What does the book offer? The MOST repressed, watered-down, careful, edited, appealing-to-the-lowest-common-denominator, flavorless analyses of when shows jumped the shark. Obviously, not all opinions and thoughts could be reflected in the book, but it is clear that the author went way out of his way not to offend and the result is a bland work indeed. 3. The truly fatal flaw was that the concept became "self-conscious,' a fatal flaw for many of the shows that are reviewed. Part of this self-consciousness is the overworking of the metaphor, "jump the shark" to the point that it does not even make sense. "Jump the shark" refers to the moment that show begins to fail. But the author, trying desperately to be cute like so many of the shows he covers, extends the metaphor and talks about "shark bait," "the shark swimming off to a new show" (as though the shark had attacked a program) or "seeing fins." None of this really works. This whole thing was a lot of fun, but I am afraid "Jumped the Shark" has itself taken the lethal jump over the shark.
Rating:
Summary: not what I expected
Review: The website is always cool and fun to look at, but the book got me all excited. I kind of knew what was coming, on all the sports, music and television stuff. I did not think the author was just going to take his mind and opinions and just make money off of them by jotting down his own commentary. I was hoping he would write it based on public opinion, just like the website. ANYONE can post their opinion but I think this book is a piece of junk. He is basically telling people what to like, just like a critic, except in a sneaky harsh way. I also disagree with some of the author's opinions on what jumped the shark, and I wish he would show more proof. I will continue with the website, but like I said this book does not deserve to be on anyone's shelf, not even critics' shelves! I would give points for giving factful information, that's all.
Rating:
Summary: Ironically....
Review: The whole "jump the shark" thing jumped the shark when this book came out! I know, about 100 already beat me to that line, but I had to add my piece.
JTS on the web is all about TV shows and it's a near-open forum for anybody to slam whatever show they'd like. It's a funny site and a good idea.
JTS the book got off to a good start in the first part, which is about television. Then came the jump, with no warning fin whatsoever! JTS on music sounds like my friend in high school who kept saying "(band name here) was cool, but now they've sold out." Apparently somebody compiled my friend's thoughts into book form. Things get even worse by the time it starts asking "When did OLYMPIC BASKETBALL jump the shark??" Uh, yeah. And I'm not even going to waste more that this sentence on the Politics section.
All you need is the website. This book is about 90% unnecessary.
Rating: 
Summary: Will your favourite show survive a shark attack?
Review: This is a good book to get conversations going. "Jump the Shark" is a phrase used to indicate the moment when fans knew a great show was on the decline and the magic is or would be over soon. Undoubtedly you won't agree with all the author's shark jumpings but I think that's the point. They're there to make us remember and say, yeah definitely or I don't think so. Best to read this amongst friends to really get the debate going. Most of the American TV shows (there's none from the UK , Aus etc) are in here but some aren't. There's also rock stars although they're mostly from a few decades ago. Sports stars and politicians are here as well although all are American so I've never heard of most. There's a few countries too like Iran and Iraq which the info is a bit dated now but not the shark, it isn't affected. Buy this for the TV shows though. That's where the shark was born and the brilliance of this book exists.
Rating:
Summary: Will your favourite show survive a shark attack?
Review: This is a good book to get conversations going. "Jump the Shark" is a phrase used to indicate the moment when fans knew a great show was on the decline and the magic is or would be over soon. Undoubtedly you won't agree with all the author's shark jumpings but I think that's the point. They're there to make us remember and say, yeah definitely or I don't think so. Best to read this amongst friends to really get the debate going. Most of the American TV shows (there's none from the UK , Aus etc) are in here but some aren't. There's also rock stars although they're mostly from a few decades ago. Sports stars and politicians are here as well although all are American so I've never heard of most. There's a few countries too like Iran and Iraq which the info is a bit dated now but not the shark, it isn't affected. Buy this for the TV shows though. That's where the shark was born and the brilliance of this book exists.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Debate Book with Friends!
Review: This is a great book to replace a board game at your next get-together with friends. The topics, sidebars and author's comments are sure to get both laughs and the conversation going. See if you agree or disagree when something has "jumped the shark." The website is even more fun for taking a trip down TV's memory lane. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to others.
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