Jump the Shark

We’ve all heard the term; we all know what it means.  When a TV show jumps the shark, it means that it has passed its prime.  The best days are already on DVD and the coming ones will potentially be torturous.  Two shows I watch avidly are hitting the end of their 6^th seasons: Bones and Supernatural.

I picked up on both late, watching Supernatural well after it debuted in its first season, but catching Bones in its fourth season.  Of the two, Bones is easier to follow; most of the stories are stand-alone events.  With Supernatural, once the series reached its fourth season, the mythology of the story was prevalent is almost every episode.

Of the two, I think Supernatural, and not Bones, has already jumped the shark.  I waited throughout this last year, on average, after about five years, most things get tired, including TV shows.  At the end of the fifth season for Supernatural, the viewers catch the older of the two brothers, Dean, attempting to lead a normal life.  At the end of the fifth season of Bones, the characters go their separate ways and are parted for a stipulated year, as is done in Supernatural as well if I’m not mistaken.

As both stories pick up, a brief overview is covered for what the characters are doing.  While Bones brings the characters back together in a seemingly logical manner, Supernatural continues to push the boundaries, reintroducing a couple characters and changing their behaviours.  While this behaviour is explained away as the season goes on, and it is a show that requires you to believe more than most, it is still too far.

The season finale is on tonight for Supernatural, so I’m curious, but have read some spoilers from Entertainment Weekly, so I have a vague idea, but with this show there’s really no certainty.

With the Bones finale from last night, not too give too much away, the viewers can a partial resolution to a question and then a base from which to work for the next season.  It was a great final episode.  The writing and characters are all realistic and not all likeable, there is something for everyone.

The smaller cast in Supernatural hamstrings it from having a wider appeal, but that makes sense give one is on the fledgling CW and the other on the often controversial Fox.

I’ll have to revisit this topic next week after I’ve seen the second finale.  I am hoping it packs a good punch.  Supernatural tends to lag in the middle of the season, but often ends strong.  Bones is pretty consistent throughout.