A Surprisingly Successful Jump The Shark Moment

The Simpsons has been on the air for so long that it jumped the shark over 30 years ago. The term “jumping the shark” was coined after Happy Days aired the season 5 episode “Hollywood: Part 3,” in which Fonzie goes water-skiing and literally jumps over a shark. It marked the moment that Happy Days officially ran out of ideas and lost sight of its original premise.

The term “jump the shark,” coined by radio personality Jon Hein, has come to describe the moment that a TV show has gone on too long, bastardized its core themes, and turned all its characters into caricatures of their former selves. Dallas jumped the shark when it dismissed an entire season as one long dream sequence. Lost jumped the shark when Jack’s tattoos got their own origin story.

Since The Simpsons has been on for more than three decades, it’s jumped the shark a few times. Some will point to the episode where Principal Skinner is revealed to be an impostor. Some will point to the episode where Lady Gaga comes to Springfield to inspire Lisa to follow her heart. But the show first jumped the shark much earlier than that.

Homer Going To Space Should’ve Been The Moment The Simpsons Jumped The Shark

In The Simpsons season 5, episode 15, “Deep Space Homer,” NASA tries to boost the TV ratings of its space launches by appealing to the American everyman. They plan to send an average joe into space as a publicity stunt and recruit Homer and Barney to train as astronauts. Homer ends up blasting off into outer space with Buzz Aldrin at his side.

The Simpsons started off as a relatively grounded family sitcom. There was the occasional episode that took advantage of the limitless possibilities of animation, like when Homer plummeted into Springfield Gorge on Bart’s skateboard, but it never veered too far away from relatable everyday family situations, like Bart studying for an important test or Marge getting wooed by a charismatic French bowler.

This should’ve been the moment that The Simpsons jumped the shark. Going to space is about as far-fetched and unrealistic as it gets — it was certainly the moment that Fast & Furious jumped the shark. “Deep Space Homer” should’ve been the episode that sent the show over the edge and started its decline, but it wound up being one of The Simpsons’ best episodes.

“Deep Space Homer” Ended Up Being One Of The Simpsons’ Best Episodes

Homer and Barney at a press conference in The Simpsons

“Deep Space Homer” didn’t just avoid jumping the shark; it ended up being one of The Simpsons’ all-time greatest episodes. It’s jam-packed with iconic moments, from Homer realizing in real time that the Planet of the Apes was actually Earth all along to Kent Brockman prematurely pledging his allegiance to our new ant overlords.

The episode is full of references to classic sci-fi movies. Itchy bursts out of Scratchy’s chest, like the baby xenomorph in Alien, the training montage is ripped straight from The Right Stuff, and there’s a hilarious reimagining of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s “Blue Danube” docking scene with Homer floating in zero gravity and eating potato chips.

“Deep Space Homer” is an all-you-can-eat buffet of The Simpsons’ signature half-highbrow, half-lowbrow humor. There’s a fun meta line when Grampa assures Lisa that Homer will be fine, because he’s on TV, and there’s an ingenious sight gag when Barney slams into a pillow factory and gets run over by a marshmallow truck.

But at the same time, it’s not just a string of disconnected jokes. A lot of the humor comes from character, like Barney becoming an articulate, acrobatic scholar overnight after being cut off from alcohol, and the storytelling focuses on the Simpson family’s relationships. Homer becomes petrified on the eve of the launch and relies on Marge’s reassurance to stay the course.

Why “Deep Space Homer” Works (Even Though It Shouldn’t)

Homer eating potato chips in space in The Simpsons

“Deep Space Homer” shouldn’t work. A relatable sitcom dad who’d headed up the union at his blue-collar job and gone back to college to get his degree and reckoned with his own mortality after eating some bad fugu had no business going into outer space. But against all odds, the episode works — and it’s a testament to the genius of those golden-age writers.

While the actual space storyline is far-fetched, Homer’s motivation of feeling unappreciated and wanting to prove his worth is grounded in real emotion. The episode starts off in a relatable place, with Homer being passed over for the Worker of the Week award yet again and feeling like he wasn’t being valued or even noticed for his contributions.

When they run into trouble in space, Homer saves the day (albeit accidentally), and the opening gag comes full circle as he’s passed over in favor of an inanimate carbon rod once again. But in spite of this, Marge and the kids still celebrate Homer as a hero.

The difference between The Simpsons’ jump-the-shark moment and Happy Days’ jump-the-shark moment is that The Simpsons didn’t lose sight of the original intent of the show. The Simpsons may have stretched its credulity when it went to space, but it stayed true to the endearing family dynamic at the show’s core.

Release Date: December 17, 1989
Network: FOX
Showrunner: Al Jean
Directors: Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller
Writers: J. Stewart Burns, Michael Price, Brian Kelley, Bill Odenkirk, Dan Vebber, Kevin Curran, Stephanie Gillis, Dan Castellaneta, Deb Lacusta, Billy Kimball, Jessica Conrad, Cesar Mazariegos, Daniel Chun, Jennifer Crittenden, Conan O’Brien, Valentina Garza, Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Christine Nangle, Broti Gupta, Loni Steele Sosthand, Megan Amram, Bob Kushell, David Isaacs, David Mandel