It definitely jumped in Season 10, following what I consider to be a strong, resurgent Season 9. Season 10 did manage to have a few good episodes (in particular, I really enjoyed A Death in the Family and Descent of the Torches), but overall, it had several awful episodes and many other weak or mediocre ones, enough to merit a very low-scoring season in my season ratings averages. Far below the preceding 9 seasons.
Miraculously, we do see Season 10 end on a strong note with A Death in the Family. Despite his self-admitted bad decision to send Chin undercover and to wrongfully accuse Pahoa of being responsible for Chin’s death, we see McGarrett mark a welcome return to his fiery, confrontational Season 1 attitude and away from the zen, Yoda-like persona he had slowly developed during the season. The episode also effectively sets the stage for the continuation of the Kumu story arc, which were some of the better Season 11 and 12 shows. Story arcs were almost unheard of during that era of television. This strong end to the season is cut short by the arrival of new producers and leisure suits in Season 11.
I am extremely surprised to see Chin’s death as the top “jump-the-shark” moment, considering it had some of the strongest acting and character moments of the season. If I had to pick a moment in Season 10 where it really lost its way, I would say it’s a toss-up between the awful “Tread the King’s Shadow”, “When Does a War End?” and “Invitation to Murder” (where McGarrett seems to forget how to be a real detective).
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