"Seinfeld": Does it hold up 10 years later? (1 Viewer)

[biggamer3]

The guy who says no is some writer for a rival network

 

[larry_boy_44]

I'll take Scrubs

Scrubs = best sitcom ever...

 

[buster c]

Seinfeld was way better than the #### Van #### Show.

Penis Van Lesbian Show?

 

[drummer]

"The dingo ate your baby..."That line came out of nowhere, and it is funny as hell.

It's from a Meryl Streep movie.

I know where it came from, but the context it was used in, as well as the situation, was hilarious.

 

[TommyGilmore]

"The dingo ate your baby..."That line came out of nowhere, and it is funny as hell.

It's from a Meryl Streep movie.

I know where it came from, but the context it was used in, as well as the situation, was hilarious.

The conversation had nothing to do with dingos or babies, but Elaine heard the word "baby" while she was in a boredom-induced trance and she suddenly went Streep on the lady.

 

[Wrigley]

I still watch this show at least 3 times a week.

so, yes, it still holds up.

 

[warpedone]

Best show I've ever seen.

2nd = B&W Andy Griffith

 

[Topes]

Pretty good show. I've seen maybe only 20-40% of the shows, just by catching it in reruns. I still catch it when I can. Holds up, especially because it's often one I haven't seen yet.

 

[jamny]

always have 2 of them on the DVR to watch when nothing else is on. Still the funniest show ever.

 

[William Munny]

Absolutely holds up. I still watch at least one episode every night, and still laugh at all the same ####.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

George Costanza: I have a bad feeling that whenever a lesbian looks at me they think "That's why I'm not a heterosexual."

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I still laugh out loud at it the reruns. Would I laugh now if I discovered it for the first time? I have no idea and it's impossible for me to say.

 

[Darth Cheney]

Everything I think I know about living in NYC....I learned from Seinfeld.

 

[starting over]

I took about 5 years off from it, and have just gotten back into it. I Watch it in the morning as it is recorded on my DVR in my bedroom, and its simply phenomenal. Not that there weren't a few clunkers, I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

 

[mon]

Best show I've ever seen.2nd = B&W Andy Griffith

This guy gets it.

 

[Darth Cheney]

I took about 5 years off from it, and have just gotten back into it. I Watch it in the morning as it is recorded on my DVR in my bedroom, and its simply phenomenal. Not that there weren't a few clunkers, I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

I think George got to be the most cliched.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Meh

 

[Ketamine Dreams]

I was never the biggest fan of the show, but it had its moments. I could never call it the best ever. Agree that 'Scrubs' is just plain funnier. 'The Simpsons' is the best show ever IMO. The humor of 'Seinfeld' was just too awkward at times. I guess it was good for those living in New York, but a lot of that material just falls flat.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Meh

Get out!ush:

 

[Ghost Rider]

I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

That's a good episode, but I agree that George is a little too over-the-top in it.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

That's a good episode, but I agree that George is a little too over-the-top in it.

"High five."

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Bottom line: The show was diferent and over the top. The "popular" sitcoms now(other than the office) are the very definition of formulaic. They're all about some fat loser with an attractive, mean wife and smart kids. The father puts his foot in his mouth, the kids roll their eyes, the wife stomps off, hilarity ensues...i guess.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Loved it while it was on, got a little burnt out from it in re-runs so I took a break for a couple years, but I'm back on board, watch it just about every weeknight. Plus I love the fact that that there's always a couple episodes in TBS's on demand - perfect insurance if you find that there's nothing good to watch.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

That's a good episode, but I agree that George is a little too over-the-top in it.

"High five."

"On the flip side."

 

[Rayderr]

OMG! It's Kramer driving his golf buddy accused of murder down the Highway in a white Bronco!!!

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

That's a good episode, but I agree that George is a little too over-the-top in it.

"High five."

That episode is hilarious."Where'd you go for lunch?""A restaura-""Arby's.""I had the roast beef.""But for a variety of reasons, I don't want to be responsible for purchasing costly gasoline...""Please. I think I've reached a point in my life where I can tell the difference between nougat and cookie. So let's not just say things we both know are obvious fabrications !""Finders fee.....""Finders fee? it was on the lot !""Yeah, that's right. Rustproofing, undercoating surcharge, additional overcharge... keys...""Keys?""How are you gonna start it?"

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I just watched the one where Jerry tries to buy a car from Puddy. George is a parody of himself, just yelling the whole time, and the laugh track seems forced.

That's a good episode, but I agree that George is a little too over-the-top in it.

"High five."

That episode is hilarious."Where'd you go for lunch?""A restaura-""Arby's.""I had the roast beef.""But for a variety of reasons, I don't want to be responsible for purchasing costly gasoline...""Please. I think I've reached a point in my life where I can tell the difference between nougat and cookie. So let's not just say things we both know are obvious fabrications !""Finders fee.....""Finders fee? it was on the lot !""Yeah, that's right. Rustproofing, undercoating surcharge, additional overcharge... keys...""Keys?""How are you gonna start it?"

"Only I hold the answer key to their true candy identities. And so, without further ado, I give you ... the candy line-up."

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Meh

Get out!ush:

There's an element of truth to the original post. I guess I partially disagree that it's held up poorly because most of those criticisms were true of the show at the time it was popular. "What seemed smart feels like shtick."

I don't think it's that it didn't hold up well. I think it's that you weren't all that observant when you were watching it the first time.

It's not like Seinfeld was intended to be some grand experiment in cerebral humor. There are episodes that fail miserably. There are episodes that are fantastic. And there's a lot in between. I don't think that should be news to anybody.

I still enjoy watching Seinfeld, and I don't need it to stimulate me on some deeper level for it to be a classic show. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a #### joke because it's a #### joke. It's the same reason I go to :e: on occasion.

 

[Ghost Rider]

There are episodes that fail miserably.

"The Limo" is the best example of this. That is an episode that I think sucks, but a lot of people seem to like. Whatever. Regardless, still the funniest sitcom ever.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

There are episodes that fail miserably.

"The Limo" is the best example of this. That is an episode that I think sucks, but a lot of people seem to like. Whatever. Regardless, still the funniest sitcom ever.

That's a great one."I can't tell you right now, Ma ! Yeah, well guess what.. now I'm never telling you ! You hear me? NEVER !!!!!!!!!""uhhhhhhh..... A-Astroturf ! You know who's responsible for that, don't you? The Jews !"The best example I can think of is "The Suzie." That one was historically weak and ridiculous.

 

[Gatorman]

MASH, AITF, Seinfeld, and Scrubs are all really great comedies that will/have stood the test of time. Scrubs is the weakest of that list, I know, but the most original. The office, 30 rock, and The Big Bang Theory are the ones that I think will also do well in the future.

 

[Adebisi]

Curb Your Enthusiasm destroyed Seinfeld. Far, far superior show.

 

[Ghost Rider]

The best example I can think of is "The Suzie." That one was historically weak and ridiculous.

Gotta disagree with you. Okay, the plot was fairly ridiculous, but there are tons of laughs in that one, and it did have the awesome answering machine message..."Believe it or not, George isn't at home..."

 

[Godsbrother]

IMO, Seinfeld and Cheers stand head and shoulders above any other sitcom ever (though All in The Family was more bold and edgy, and as well-written as these two, just not as laugh-out-loud funny in my estimation.)

I still watch re-runs. The show's just f'n funny, why try to dissect it?

 

[Trey]

I know it's a minority opinion but I would take Friends over Seinfeld any day. But both are absolutely hilarious even when I was too young to get the first 5 or 6 years on first run through.

 

[saintfool]

it definitely shows its age. that said, it can still be funny. i will watch an episode sometimes but that's it. a show that i have a renewed appreciation for is "cheers". it was on opposite my local morning news at like 7am and i would find myself watching it more than the news. it's got some very good comedy writing...

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

There are episodes that fail miserably.

"The Limo" is the best example of this. That is an episode that I think sucks, but a lot of people seem to like. Whatever. Regardless, still the funniest sitcom ever.

I don't really like this one either. Strange tone. Large roles played by "outsiders." Nazism?

 

[Jayrok]

Lately TBS or TNT has been showing episodes from early on in season one. Many of them were simply not funny. They just stood around chatting in Jerry's apartment and he spent way too much time in the episode doing standup.

The show got better as the writing improved. Less Jerry standup footage and more story lines like Cramer spilling coffee and going to Jackie his lawyer and George trying to figure out how to replace the Marble Rye his father took from his future in-laws' house... or "shrinkage."

 

[by_the_sea_wannabe]

I rented the first couple of discs of season 1 from Netflix (having not watched it when it ran) and thought it was horrible. I did the same thing with friends and went out and bought the complete collection the next day. Not even close.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

The best example I can think of is "The Suzie." That one was historically weak and ridiculous.

Gotta disagree with you. Okay, the plot was fairly ridiculous, but there are tons of laughs in that one, and it did have the awesome answering machine message..."Believe it or not, George isn't at home..."

The answering machine is classic, I'll give you that. But the whole "Suzie" story-line was absurd, right up to the fake funeral, and the whole thing with Jerry and the bet was kind of dumb too. The George storyline provided the only laughs in that one, IMO.

 

[Ghost Rider]

There are episodes that fail miserably.

"The Limo" is the best example of this. That is an episode that I think sucks, but a lot of people seem to like. Whatever. Regardless, still the funniest sitcom ever.

I don't really like this one either. Strange tone. Large roles played by "outsiders." Nazism?

It is interesting to note that the gal in the limo is the same actress who later played Poppy's daughter (in the episode where he didn't wash his hands); ya know, the girlfriend who refused to try the pie at Monks.

Lately TBS or TNT has been showing episodes from early on in season one. Many of them were simply not funny. They just stood around chatting in Jerry's apartment and he spent way too much time in the episode doing standup. The show got better as the writing improved. Less Jerry standup footage and more story lines like Cramer spilling coffee and going to Jackie his lawyer and George trying to figure out how to replace the Marble Rye his father took from his future in-laws' house... or "shrinkage."

The leap from Season 2 to Season 3 was massive. It is nice to have those first two seasons on DVD, but I almost never watch them when I crank out my Seinfeld DVDs.

 

[Rayderr]

Lately TBS or TNT has been showing episodes from early on in season one. Many of them were simply not funny. They just stood around chatting in Jerry's apartment and he spent way too much time in the episode doing standup.

The show got better as the writing improved. Less Jerry standup footage and more story lines like Cramer spilling coffee and going to Jackie his lawyer and George trying to figure out how to replace the Marble Rye his father took from his future in-laws' house... or "shrinkage."

I totally disagree with this one. The show took a real dive imo when they started just taking plot lines from the news. "Hey, A woman spilled coffee on herself and sued. Let's have Kramer do that." "Hey, OJ is in the news, let's do something about a friend being accused of murder. Perhaps we can incorporate the actual chase footage. Won't that be original!" "Hey, let's have Jerry and George get tangled up in a Tanya Harding scandal!"

 

[Evilgrin 72]

There are episodes that fail miserably.

"The Limo" is the best example of this. That is an episode that I think sucks, but a lot of people seem to like. Whatever. Regardless, still the funniest sitcom ever.

I don't really like this one either. Strange tone. Large roles played by "outsiders." Nazism?

It did have a strange tone, but the whole George/Jerry interaction in that one is great. "I see things as they are and say... no. Wait, you see things as they are and say why.. do you see things as they are?"

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Season 1 is terrible for the most part. Those first few episodes really aren't funny.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I rented the first couple of discs of season 1 from Netflix (having not watched it when it ran) and thought it was horrible. I did the same thing with friends and went out and bought the complete collection the next day. Not even close.

Friends peaked very early, while Seinfeld did not. But not even the best Friends season can compare with the best four or five Seinfeld seasons (3, 4, 5, 7 and maybe even 6).

The answering machine is classic, I'll give you that. But the whole "Suzie" story-line was absurd, right up to the fake funeral, and the whole thing with Jerry and the bet was kind of dumb too. The George storyline provided the only laughs in that one, IMO.

I won't argue with any of that, but many of the plots became pretty ridiculous in the later years, as opposed to simple things that happen to us all in real life every day, which is what they focused on in the earlier years, but again, I laugh a lot watching that episode, so it works for me.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I know it's a minority opinion but I would take Friends over Seinfeld any day. But both are absolutely hilarious even when I was too young to get the first 5 or 6 years on first run through.

Oof.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Season 1 is terrible for the most part. Those first few episodes really aren't funny.

I thought it's arc was much like Simpsons, years 3-7 best to own.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I know it's a minority opinion but I would take Friends over Seinfeld any day. But both are absolutely hilarious even when I was too young to get the first 5 or 6 years on first run through.

Oof.

Oof, indeed. Don't get me wrong, overall, I like Friends, as its first five seasons were all really good, but it really went downhill in the later years. Sure, there were still some gems in there, but the overall consistency was long gone as soon as Monica and Chandler got engaged, and some of the storylines were just stupid.

 

[Jayrok]

Lately TBS or TNT has been showing episodes from early on in season one. Many of them were simply not funny. They just stood around chatting in Jerry's apartment and he spent way too much time in the episode doing standup.

The show got better as the writing improved. Less Jerry standup footage and more story lines like Cramer spilling coffee and going to Jackie his lawyer and George trying to figure out how to replace the Marble Rye his father took from his future in-laws' house... or "shrinkage."

I totally disagree with this one. The show took a real dive imo when they started just taking plot lines from the news. "Hey, A woman spilled coffee on herself and sued. Let's have Kramer do that." "Hey, OJ is in the news, let's do something about a friend being accused of murder. Perhaps we can incorporate the actual chase footage. Won't that be original!" "Hey, let's have Jerry and George get tangled up in a Tanya Harding scandal!"

eh.. I laughed.

 

[TommyGilmore]

The best example I can think of is "The Suzie." That one was historically weak and ridiculous.

Gotta disagree with you. Okay, the plot was fairly ridiculous, but there are tons of laughs in that one, and it did have the awesome answering machine message..."Believe it or not, George isn't at home..." :whoosh:

Every episode has at least one or two quotable lines that seem to live forever.

"Susie didn't commit suicide! She was MURRRDERRRRED!!!!"