The news that “Jersey Shore”
is about to have its final farewell season raised a question: Wait a minute -- “Jersey Shore” is still around?
Many might think that somebody who writes
about TV everyday would know this.
But keeping track of the whereabouts of Snooki, JWoww, Pauly D and The
Situation is not something I have given much thought to.
But now, the end is near, and so they face the final curtain. At such a time, it is appropriate to ask another
question: Will anyone miss them?
Perhaps there is a sizable community of fans who have been with the “Jersey Shore” gang since the beginning of their
ill-fame in 2009.
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Perhaps these faithful fans will gather together in small groups to mourn the show’s
passing in the same way that fans of past shows such as “Friends” and “Seinfeld” shared their grief when those shows had their finales so long ago.
Or maybe not. The fact is, like so much else that has changed in our TV lives, the finales of shows that have been around awhile hold none of the attraction that they once
did.
Audiences are just too small for that today. Plus, it should go without saying, but “Jersey
Shore” is no “Friends” or “Seinfeld.”
The version of “Jersey Shore” that will be ending its run starting next month
is “Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” featuring the original cast of “Jersey Shore.”
The show’s final 18 episodes start Thursday, May 7, at 8 p.m. Eastern on MTV.
The TV
Blog learned of this milestone earlier this week when the final season was promoted repeatedly during “Caught in the Act: Unfaithful,” the reality show that traps cheaters.
In its heyday, “Jersey Shore” was one of those shows that everybody talked about.
Such shows are few and far between. Another one from roughly the same era was “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” on TLC.
On
“Jersey Shore,” a group of 20-somethings cavorted on the Jersey shore in summertime.
The
standout star was Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (above photo, left, with Deena Nicole Cortese), who seemed to party harder than the rest and became known for her attention-getting antics while
she reeled drunkenly down the boardwalk.
The show burned brightly for a few years, then faded from most of our consciences. And yet, it also persisted. So
what are we to make of it now?
For MTV, the run of “Jersey Shore” was “monumental” and “instantly buzzed about.” It was
“a franchise that entertained millions” and “a cultural phenomenon.”
The show was “one of television’s most iconic
reality franchises,” said an MTV press release.
“Across close to 300 episodes plus additional
spinoffs, fans have grown up alongside the beloved cast, experiencing the highs, lows, and everything in between,” MTV said.
The cast of “Jersey
Shore” are older now, and hopefully wiser. Snooki, 38, still “finds time to be the life of the party,” says MTV in a preview of the final season.
Deena, 39, is president of a local PTA. Pauly D (Paul DelVecchio), 45, is launching his own record label. Jenni “JWoww” Farley, 41, is directing her second movie.
Vinny Guadagnino, 38, is a standup comedian. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, 43, is 10 years sober
and opening a rehab center.
“This farewell season marks the culmination of a franchise that entertained millions with major life milestones,
laugh-out-loud chaos, and the unfiltered chemistry that defined an era of reality television,” says MTV.