10 TV Shows That RECOVERED From Jumping The Shark

8. The Wire

The Wire is unquestionably one of the greatest drama series of all time, though the fiercely journalistic approach of the show's first four seasons sadly took a tip in its fifth and final batch of episodes.

The season was centered around protagonist Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) taking drastic measures after the homicide unit had its funding cut, ultimately fabricating the existence of a serial killer in Baltimore in order to get his team more money.

Though the performances are still great, it was one plotline too silly for a show roundly praised for its strident realism, while the season's focus on the Baltimore Sun newsroom was also totally uninteresting.

Thankfully the show's creator, David Simon, managed to pull the show back from the brink for its series finale, which resolved the serial killer storyline relatively satisfyingly and, more importantly, ended the show with an unsentimental, brutally honest note about how little things truly change.