Seinfeld

[Perversion]

Re: Seinfeld

Yes...I agree with those that say it's one of the best sitcoms ever. WAY ahead of its time, and still funny to this day, even though I've seen almost all the episodes numerous times (I have Seasons 1-6 in DVD box sets). Favorites:
The Marine Biologist-Season 5
The Hamptons-Season 5
The Opposite-Season 4 finale

among others...

[highwind]

Re: Seinfeld

Seinfeld is brilliantly written.

As a budding comedy writer - I notice and appreciate these things.

[Valkysas]

Re: Seinfeld

I think it was horribly written, stuck to a simple formula for every episode, had an annoying cast, and I also think Jerry Seinfeld cannot act for ****, not to mention he's just not funny.

[highwind]

Re: Seinfeld

Explain this simple formula.

[Valkysas]

Re: Seinfeld

Sure. the group would always set up to do something, and then it would always fall apart in the worst way possible, almost never being resolved (unlike every other sitcom, which is the only good thing I can say about the show), and the episode just ending with the situation at rock bottom.

its like they start each episode at the top of a hill, and spend the rest of the episode falling down said hill. and then they occasionally fall in a hole at the bottom of the hill.

its an exercise in seeing just how many things can go wrong for these people, and how far it will go. thats all the show is.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: Seinfeld

Any of you have TV shows that you would defend?

Buffy. I love that show with a passion that knows no limits.

I enjoy Seinfeld. I don't go out of my way to watch it but it's more difficult to not catch it. Why anybody buys it on DVD I'll never know because it's ALWAYS on some channel or another. I never really liked Jerry himself. Too jewish. J/K but he was my least favorite character.

Married with Children was good humor.

Loved it. But the early seasons (before Kelly was a vapid slut) and the late seasons (when Marcy and Peg were pregnant) were quite lame compared to the best of it.

[Valkysas]

Re: Seinfeld

I'll admit, I dont think I would have anything major against Seinfeld if Jerry Seinfeld himself was not in it. I just find him EXTREMELY annoying.

Oh. I hate Kramer too. "ooh! a nutty spaz character! always doing strange things! ooh!" Michael Richards' best role was on UHF. His role on Seinfeld was just a less awesome version of Stanley Spadowski.

[highwind]

Re: Seinfeld

Sure. the group would always set up to do something, and then it would always fall apart in the worst way possible, almost never being resolved (unlike every other sitcom, which is the only good thing I can say about the show), and the episode just ending with the situation at rock bottom.

its like they start each episode at the top of a hill, and spend the rest of the episode falling down said hill. and then they occasionally fall in a hole at the bottom of the hill.

its an exercise in seeing just how many things can go wrong for these people, and how far it will go. thats all the show is.

The brilliance comes in the way that each character's separate story lines come together. This is something that only Larry David seems to be able to pull off (he does it on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm).

Most comedies, there are just setups and punchlines. Everything is about the joke and then they move on.

But in Seinfeld, everything happens for a reason. Something as seemingly silly as someone not swinging their arms while they walk has perfect meaning to multiple story lines and it all comes full circle in the end. The beauty is how everything is perfectly constructed within each episode.

It also examines social structures, habits, quirks and personality traits unlike any show before or after it. Jerry dating girls for one specific reason and then being turned off by them because of some minute detail. Or the episode where George develops a "man crush".

I feel like I could write a book on how wonderfully written Seinfeld is...

[Valkysas]

Re: Seinfeld

Well, I disagree. I think it's crap. but I can respect your opinion of it.

[highwind]

Re: Seinfeld

I disagree that the level of in-depth intelligence, planning, human understanding, social-analyzing and execution involved in the writing of Seinfeld is an opinion.

I'm just talking writing, here.

Nothin' else.

Just the pieces of paper with words on them.

Its really hard to intergrate seemingly unrelated multiple story lines with jokes and character development.

And I love Arrested Development but it would never ever exist without Seinfeld. Ever.

[josh]

Re: Seinfeld

UHF is one of the most underrated movies of all time.
the part where they're doing the commercial, and at the end, Stanley goes "BE THERE! ...huh..." always cracks me up. it never fails.