Skeptics, with little to do, cry "the end is near!"

New York, New York....Thursday's storyline of NBC's 'The Office' has many fans of the show concerned the series may be on the verge of "jumping the shark". Jumping the shark, a colloquialism, refers to a point during a long-running television shows run when the plot line becomes so absurb that the original appeal of the show is lost, usually in a desperate attempt to maintain ratings. Overbearing critics, with a great deal of time on their hands, use the term to signify the beginning of the end of the rise of the show, and the start of its demise. Jumping the shark litterally refers to a scene in Happy Days where Fonzie pulls a stunt in which he jumps over a shark on waterskis. The show was never the same after Fonzies daring manuever.


Television shows are carefully studied to identify the exact moment the show goes from smart and hysterical to far-fetched and forced, the exact moment the show jumps. Examples of jumping the shark can be found almost everywhere, across many genres. Shelley Long leaving Cheers only to be replaced by Kirstie Alley is one example. Cousin Oliver joining the cast of the Brady Bunch is another. Surely Snuffaluffagess revealing himself to the entire population of Sesame Street is a case of a show jumping..... but, in this case, it is hard to tell if Sesame Street was making the jump or if the author may have been outgrowing Sunny days and sweeping the clouds away.

"I was concerned that when Michael and Jan opened their home to us in the dinner party episode that the office was walking on dangerous ground" an anonymous fan admits "but, as usual, hilarity reigned and I cannot remember feeling so perfectly uncomfortable!". "I was also concerned about the whole Stanford merger, which turned out cool and we got Andy!, but I am sure they are going too far this time."

On this weeks episode Michael, the boss of the office, quits due to unresolveable differences with his boss, played by the Wire's Stringer Bell. This turn of events may seem like typical wacky Office hyginks until the writers decided to have Michael start his own paper business within the confines of the office building he formerly worked in, truly the makings of a jump. Office fans everywhere can almost hear the roar of the boat and the wind through Fonzies quaff.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing" said an Office blogger wearing a Coopers tee shirt, a restaurant in the town of Scranton, PA. "I love the show but this seems to over the top, even for the Office." "Its like when they had that other little brother on Growing Pains...and the regular blonde little brother was getting all weird and ugly looking...how they gotta make him go through his akward years on tv..what the f*ck was up with that?."

Can this Office plotline be compared to Marissa Cooper's death on the OC, or Brenda's trip abroad on nine-o? This may very well be just another case of a hard core fan base freaking out in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society. Although the plot turn seems rather "jumpish" there were signs of hope and brilliance in this very episode. AJ Novak's character, Ryan, hadn't had a laugh out loud moment since his New York cocaine days and his return in this episode had even the biggest skeptic in stitches. Office fans everywhere would trade their Dwight bobblehead just to hear more about his "indescribable" trip to Thailand.

As some doomsday sayers cry 'the end is near' other smirk at this type of attitude, as Jim does all to frequently on the show. "Im in it for the long haul" lifelong fan Tyler Sandler proffesses. Mr. Sandler knows for a fact he hasn't seen Andy's last air guitar or Stanley fill in his last crossword puzzle, even if it means going down with the ship. In true witty Office-like fashion Tyler is quick to add that he "watched the Simpsons for YEARS after everyone else!" Years indeed. Fear not, this must see tv appears to be going nowhere, leaving fans satisfied and smiling for years to come. Thats what she said!.