but I never found this show to be the least bit funny. To me it was just about four whiny, narcissistic, annoying, self centered people in NYC, and I couldn't care less about them. I would watch it and wonder "When does the funny part start?"
Meh.
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I didn't like George Costa.
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I assume you mean George Costanza, aka Jason Alexander.
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Yes. Thank you.
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You're welcome.
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Sitcoms age poorly and "Seinfeld" is no exception. In its day, when it reflected the zeitgeist, "Seinfeld" was indeed amusing. Nowadays, with humor a different animal than "Seinfeld"'s,, this once beloved TV staple is more grating than genuinely funny -- especially with that god-awful laughter punctuating each joke, however stale the joke may be.
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I didn't even find it funny in its day, but that's why they make chocolate and vanilla. And I agree on the god-awful laughter. I always find laugh tracks annoying. Of course for all I know maybe they filmed it "in front of
a live studio audience." Regardless, it's still irritating.
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Though no amount of annoying laughter can ruin my appreciation for something like "Monty Python" -- those guys, when they're in their zone, are still hilarious (and boy do they make Seinfeld and his gang look like rank amateurs).
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Amen! They are the best!
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A bit off-topic ... I said this on the "Game of Thrones" board and I'll say it here too: they need to end "Game of Thrones" the way they did "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." No other ending, frankly, will do.
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Nothing wrong with going off topic. I've never watched GOT, but that sounds like an excellent idea for the ending. Of course any MP ending is a good one.
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"That's an offensive weapon, that is." *Grabs shield*
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"She turned me into a newt! I got better."
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"Anyone got anything they'd rather be doing than marching HUP and down the square?"
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Did you just switch to "The Music Man" Ang? (One of my all time favs, btw)
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"Monty Python and the Meaning of Life" actually.
"Now, how would you like it served? All .. uh .. mixed up together in a bucket?"
"Yeah ... WITH THE EGGS ON TOP!"
MOUNTIES CHOIR
He's a lumberback and he's OK
He sleeps all night and works all day.
PALIN
I cut down trees, I skip and jump
I like to press wild flowers
I put on women's clothing
And hang around in bars.
"I'm afraid I have no choice but to sell you all for scientific experiments."
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Although I became a fan later, I had the same initial reaction the first several times I tried to watch the show. At some point, something Kramer did broke my resistance, and then, over time, I came to appreciate each of the characters. Where I lived at the time aired Seinfeld reruns after Friends, so I would catch the end of Friends while waiting for Seinfeld. I never found Friends funny though. I noticed you mentioned South Park as funny. I've never been able to finish an episode of South Park, though I've tried more than a few times. I've heard lots of people say they enjoy it, but to me it just sounds like whining. I initially felt that way about both the Simpsons and Family Guy, but later grew to enjoy those shows to varying degrees, and then later grew out of them as well. All of this is just to say humor is a moving target.
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An interesting response, thanks. Never did get into Seinfeld, but I like Family Guy and American Dad. I used to like South Park, but it got too gross, so I gave it up. I also used to like the Simpsons, but got bored with it, and gave that up too.
Humor, as you say, is a moving target.
My favorite comedies now are The Goldbergs, Speechless, TBBT (although it's getting a bit long in the tooth), Young Sheldon, Mom, and The Mick.
I used to like The Last Man on Earth, but it has become a train wreck. I still watch just to see how far over the shark they can jump.
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PS Love your name, one of the greatest comedies of all time.
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Well, if you're looking for why other people love the show, here's my reason: I don't consider this a sitcom; to me, it's a satire. Seinfeld is very, very, very insightful into human foibles and social quirks. The idiosyncrasies, annoying habits, odd social customs, and general weirdness of people is skewered beautifully by the show.
When you see four whiny, narcissistic, annoying, self-centred people in NYC, I see cultural criticism in the highest order.
There are a tonne of other reasons: the one-liners are sharp, there's a poetry to the language that is very appealing, and the general sensibility of the show, etc., etc., but at its core, Seinfeld is a show which lampoons the human race, and I find that appealing comedically and intellectually.
I know it's not for everybody, but that's why I like it. It manages to be insightful and it gives me a laugh at the missteps of humankind when normally those follies just elicit depressed cynicism.
You make some excellent points Ace, but I still don't like it.
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I used to think it was the best sitcom ever. Maybe it is, but I made the mistake of watching reruns over and over for years. I memorized every situation and every line. I burned myself out, and now I can't watch it. I don't know if I ever will be able to again.
shareI read that in Jerry's voice.
I'm also watching reruns nowadayas
I think the majority agrees with your first thought.
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Sorry Iβm late to the party, but Iβve only just binge watched it for the first time recently.
It takes time to get going (season 1 and 2 just arenβt funny), although it picks up steam in season 3 and 4 (for me) it doesnβt hit its stride until season 5. It then just gets funnier until season 9 when it tails off.
Itβs not the greatest comedy of all time, but itβs not bad; overall 7.5/10.
Late to the party!? You have a talent for understatement.
BTW, I just returned from Spain, Portugal and Morocco. I believe you said that you had been to those countries.
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"To me it was just about four whiny, narcissistic, annoying, self centered people in NYC"
Jerry and Elaine could be considered narcissistic and self-centered; George was self-centered but not narcissistic (he was the opposite, i.e., he had low self-esteem), and Kramer was neither narcissistic nor self-centered. He was friends with Newman of all people, and a dwarf, and called Jerry's parents once a week to make up for Jerry not calling them enough.
You said in another post that you liked Cheers. You don't think Sam, Diane, and Rebecca were whiny, narcissistic, and self-centered? You also said you liked Frasier. Frasier Crane was whiny, narcissistic, and self-centered on both Cheers and Frasier, and on Frasier, his brother Niles was even worse in those respects.
Sitcoms need oddball characters (and whiny, narcissistic, and self-centered characters are one of many flavors of oddball characters), because it's hard to create comedic situations with average Joe characters that never rock the social norms boat. Characters like that are only useful in comedies as a "straight man" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_man) to an oddball character, like Andy Taylor paired with Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith show.