I was a mere 4 years old when Seinfeld was first aired. I started watching odd episodes when I was about 9 and to be honest, a lot of the jokes tended to go over my head. I liked the show, plus because it was PG, I was able to watch it. New episodes only aired on TV for another 3 years. As an adult, I decided to re-watch the show, and it appealed to me on a different level. I grew to really appreciate the writing, the jokes, the storylines and the characters, and to this day I still quote lines – however I’m sure there are a lot of people who are certainly sick of that.
The show revolved around comedian Jerry Seinfeld, his best friend George (Jason Alexander), his former girlfriend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and his kooky neighbour Kramer (Michael Richards). The viewers were introduced to 4 seemingly normal people, who lived in New York City. Jerry’s apartment was the location for much of the show, closely followed by the coffee shop they frequented called Monk’s Café. I went to the actual location of this café that they used for the exterior shots for the show when I was in New York this year, I dared not go inside (it’s not the same anyway) but my partner witnessed all kinds of excitement.
The premise of the show was about nothing and this, ironically is why it garnered so much success. It took situations that could normally happen to people in everyday life and ran with them. In fact a lot of the storylines had actually happened to the writers of the show, so this helped to create a connection between show and viewer, which in turn concreted a very large loyal fan base.
To be completed honest, since Seinfeld I don’t think there has been the same kind of show produced, it really was one of a kind. The show’s ongoing success can be gauged by simply looking at Hulu paying nearly $160 million to air Seinfeld 16 years since the last new episode aired on television.
Seinfeld is a go to show for me, what I mean by this is, I will always go back to it, like an old friend. When I am sick, or just wanting to relax, this show never fails to comfort me, and it subtlety transports me back to an earlier age when it watched it on TV in the 90’s. I feel this could be same for a lot of the fans. A lot of people felt connected to this show, whether the storylines connected with them personally or they knew someone who a storyline from the show had happened to them. There was always a correlation somewhere.
Elaine was my favourite character. She was funny, witty and often quite crazy. She never faded into the background and I often felt that she stole the show. Two of my favourite episodes (among many others) of hers were The Pez Dispenser, and The Soup Nazi, both you could completely relate to. I still remember when I watched the Pez Dispenser episode with my Mum, we had tears of laughter from the piano scene with the Tweety Bird Pez at the recital. Plus Elaine’s laugh was, in word, infectious.
My least favourite character was Kramer, I know I might cop a bit from die-hard Seinfeld fans, but I just did not find him funny or relatable. I understood his purpose within the show and to be fair, there were some good episodes with him in it, but he just didn’t cut the gravy for me and I found myself half smirking rather than bellowing laughter like I was at the other characters.
George and Jerry’s friendship brilliantly conveyed a jovial, loyal best friend dynamic. Their chemistry as friends certainly shone through with all of the different situational storylines they had together. This allowed viewers to watch and then inwardly look at their own friendships and often make them wonder who was Jerry and who was George?
Shows that invoke you to want to be, or relate to a certain character is clearly doing its job properly.
Seinfeld also had an interesting way of introducing other characters, but often they were only prominent for a short time. Whether it was one episode or several, you often saw these supporting characters be antagonists or catalysts to the the main cast dynamic. This could have been simply a way to create longevity, but it could also have been a way to help strengthen a connection between viewer and show. We as social creatures encounter many people in our day to day lives. Some stay for short periods, some longer. Subtlety this could have been anthor way of showing you, that whilst this show was supposed to be about nothing, its premise had far more depth.
There is no doubt that Seinfeld forged lasting memories and created such iconic episodes. From classics like The Contest, The Puffy Shirt, The Yada Yada or The Muffin Tops, many of these episodes saw unforgettable quotes and dialogue become part of everyday pop culture and vernacular.
So go and pull out your DVDs, open up AppleTV or simply wait for Hulu, and reacquaint yourself with Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer.
Ranter & Banter 