Happy Days. For most viewers of Happy Days, the wildly popular ABC sitcom of the 1970s and early 1980s, the sight of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli jumping over a shark on water skis during the September 20, 1977 episode was not a momentous event. It was simply agreeably silly—a result of the Fonz taking up the challenge of a local beach bully to endanger his life with an ocean predator. Yet the Fonz’s machismo would come to define a moment in pop culture when a once-beloved creation takes a noticeable dip in quality. Premiering in January 1974, Happy Days was a perfect storm of sitcom affability, from Ron Howard’s Richie Cunningham to Donny Most’s Ralph Malph to Anson Williams' Potsie Weber. Created by Garry Marshall, the series was a homage to the relative innocence of 1950s middle America, recreated for 1970s viewers soured by the Vietnam War and entering decidedly less innocent times. By the time the show entered its fifth season in the fall of 1977, it was firmly entrenched as a showcase for Henry Winkler’s Fonzie, who was originally set to be a supporting character. Winkler was such a hit with viewers that the edges of his menacing biker were smoothed out, and Fonzie became a lunch box icon.