jump = copulate with?

[Mullins, Bill]

>
>Not too long ago there was a TV special about "Happy Days", with guest
>appearances by the cast.  I taped the show but I can't guarantee I
>still  have the
>tape.  On the show it was stated that, contrary to popular belief  and/or
>urban legend, the jump-the-shark episode occurred quite a while, I
>think  several
>seasons, before the end of the show, and therefore had nothing to do  with the
>demise of the show nor was any kind of desperate attempt to revive  ratings.
>
My belief was that the "jump the shark" didn't cause the decline per se, but was symbolic
of how the original direction of the show had changed, and that change was why it declined.