10 TV Shows That RECOVERED From Jumping The Shark
2. Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under is one of the most artful and achingly human TV dramas ever made, and for its first three seasons was a largely inscrutable meditation on the impermanence of everything.
But the show's fourth season took on an oddly melodramatic bent following the death of Nate's (Peter Krause) wife Lisa (Lili Taylor) at the end of season three.
This culminated in the season finale's implication that she was murdered by a minor character, her brother-in-law Hoyt (Jeff Yagher), totally out of nowhere. And to make it even more soap opera-y, he ends up shooting himself.
That's not to forget season four's subplot involving teen pop star Celeste (Michelle Trachtenberg), which is a total damp squib and emblematic of a season that over-indulged in kitsch.
Thankfully the show recovered hugely for its brilliant fifth and final season, which gave the Fishers as affecting a send-off as anyone could've ever expected.