Shark Bytes

I don't understand why NaN changing the music in the RE-RUNS could be considered jumping the shark? That happened long after the show had been cancelled and was out of production. A show that's not in production cannot possibly jump the shark.

Yes, it was absolutely frustrating to see re-runs of a beloved show that were ruined by having a crucial element of the show changed, but this didn't happen during the original run of the series. For the show to have jumped the shark, the change must have happened during the original run.

The show never jumped. The re-runs and the DVD set were completely compromised by changing the music, but that has nothing at all to do with the original show.

When I need a lift I can always put this show in the DVD player. The characters are individuals with intelligence and wit. However, I had to vote "Nick at Nite changs the music" because so much of the good 70s music is deleted which was such a great part of it ... "von smitty" below describes this foolishness well.

To a young teen male watching this show, Jan Smithers was so freakin' hot! Forget Loni-- she was too fake. Bailey Quarters was the real thing and was the object of my dreams for several years.

Whatever happened to her? Did she just decide to leave the business and never looked back? I know that she was married to James Brolin for awhile in the late eighties, early nineties but she seems to have disappeared off TV completely by the late eighties.

nobody rocked a pair of tight jeans on tv in the 80s like jan smithers.she had a smoking hot rear-end

The moment I realized "WKRP" was really just "The Loni Anderson Show, Starring Loni Anderson, With Special Guest-Star Loni Anderson, And Now. . . Loni Anderson". Did the writers even notice Jan Smithers at all?

Loved this show.The show where Gordon Simms goes back to the Army base with the " Big Guy " was great.As funny as the show was, this is when the show was at it's best.The one where Herb quits to get more money was a little dumb but was good. The softball game ending with Bailey jumping up and down, well enough said.

Never jumped...as so many have noted before, it never had the chance to jump. The writing was fantastic for the entire run of the show, as well as the acting and the timing. The right group of people coming together at the right time with the right concept.

My favorite episode, which also ranks as one my favorite eps of all time, is Thanksgiving. It was brilliant at the time and the comedy hasn't faded over the years.

Wanted to mention that my favorite episode was the one where Herb's family is interviewed by a reality news show and the show goes back the next day to capture what they are really like. Funniest show ever.

One of my favorite shows. Never jumped. Although it did come close with the creation of 'Disco Johnny'. Forget what he called himself on those few episodes.

This is one of the few shows that ended before it started to suck. Taxi was the same way.

What was the name of the episode where a subsitutue DJ was selling cocaine and Mr. Carlson thought it was foot powder? When Mr. C found out that it was cocaine, he hit his foot with his shoe, yelling, "There's a monkey on my foot!"?

BOYCOTT the dvd!!! I've got bootlegs of the original early episodes with the music intact,and there is no comparison whatsoever to the BUTCHERED version now available commercially!The ENTIRE SEQUENCE in which Dr. Fever discusses Pink Floyd's "Animals" with Mr. Carlson is GONE!!!"Hot Blooded" by Foreigner has been replaced with a bad,generic sound-alike in the episode where Les Nessman dons a wig and ascott to it.Thank you lawyers and corporate greed-heads for ruining what was an absolutely perfect show...

WKRP never got the chance, to jump the shark.
They were cancelled before they even got a chance to shine.

Never jumped.

Favorite episodes...

Thanksgiving
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

Johnny babysitting English band
"That's it for him, then"

"WKRP" never jumped. The quality remained strong from beginning to end. As another poster pointed out, they could have probably gotten another season out of it, but it is best to end on a high note. The Turkeys episode is an all-time classic as is the tornado episode. (Remember where Les has nothing emergency related about a tornado so the "Big Guy" tells him to just use an emergency annoucement for World War III starting and subsitute "Tornados" for "Communists"? "Those Godless Tornados are attacking!")

To answer that age-old question of Bailey or Jennifer: Bailey, without a doubt.

I believe that WKRP is one of the very few examples of a show that ended at just the right time. I mean I have watched every episode of this show and I know the network hadnt exactly helped it along, but killing it when they did, whether they realize it or not, perserved the shows greatness. Of course theres no way to know for certain what WKRP could have done with a fifth or sixth season, But I am still glad they got out when they did. My belief is that had they gone on any further it would have started to wither and die. It could be argued that a series is like a delicious meal that you dont get to finish and leaves you a little bit hungry, but that just wets your appetite for more and you remember even with more fondness of what you have eaten. Verses, A huge meal that just goes on and on and eventually, you grow tired off and sooner or later it leaves a bad taste in your mouth!