While most actors pray for a hit show, Ted McGinley has had the luxury of being on several. From his first TV job on “Happy Days,” to now enjoying a gig on Apple TV+’s “Shrinking,” McGinley spent multiple seasons on such popular 1980s programs as “The Love Boat,” “Dynasty” and “Married… With Children.” But that success came with a dark side when he was unfairly labeled “The Patron Saint of Jumping the Shark,” and associated with the death of popular TV shows.

Speaking at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation during a lengthy conversation about his career, McGinley said the phrase hurt. “At first I thought it was kind of funny,” he said. “And then I realized that I started losing jobs.”

The nickname came from Jon Hein, the founder of the website JumptheShark.com. The origins of the phrase referred to an episode in Season 5 of “Happy Days” in which Henry Winkler...