Seinfeld...Timesless or Outdated?

[BillsPride12]

Something I have noticed a lot more recently is whenever the show Seinfeld comes up on 90s Nostalgia pages and Twitter etc....there seems to be a split down the middle between people that think the show feels outdated now v.s. those that think it holds up pretty well.

 

I mean yeah there's no smartphones, social media, or Uber references etc but take away those aspects and the show still feels pretty solid to me.  I think the humor and the storylines that revolve around dealing with random people or the nuances of dating and society in general are still pretty relevant.

 

There's other shows from back then I really liked...and still do...but do feel very outdated now.  Something like Married with Children would be a good example of that for me. 

[dpberr]

I don't think Seinfeld's comedy is outdated but I've always thought he was the stand up comic for the boomer generation, with limited crossover.  Not everyone "gets" his comedy.  I always found the created side characters funnier than the main cast. 

 

I've been surprised at the Friends revival.

 

To your point about old shows, the genius of In Living Color and Mad TV would never see the light of day with today's culture.  I also don't think you could do dance shows today - Soul Train, American Bandstand, Dance Party USA, Club MTV.  

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, dpberr said:

I don't think Seinfeld's comedy is outdated but I've always thought he was the stand up comic for the boomer generation, with limited crossover.  Not everyone "gets" his comedy.  I always found the created side characters funnier than the main cast. 

 

I've been surprised at the Friends revival.

 

To your point about old shows, the genius of In Living Color and Mad TV would never see the light of day with today's culture.  I also don't think you could do dance shows today - Soul Train, American Bandstand, Dance Party USA, Club MTV.  

 

I still think someone of the best comedy shows are the old ones. All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son to name a few.

[ExiledInIllinois]

21 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I don't think Seinfeld's comedy is outdated but I've always thought he was the stand up comic for the boomer generation, with limited crossover.  Not everyone "gets" his comedy.  I always found the created side characters funnier than the main cast. 

 

I've been surprised at the Friends revival.

 

To your point about old shows, the genius of In Living Color and Mad TV would never see the light of day with today's culture.  I also don't think you could do dance shows today - Soul Train, American Bandstand, Dance Party USA, Club MTV.  

Yeah... But "Dancing With The Stars" some how sells. /smdh

[ChevyVanMiller]

Timeless...

[Fr. Jerk]

It's both, ya dig? 

[Fleezoid]

I think it's a bit outdated. Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

[Another Fan]

Maybe a middle option for me?

 

I think the humor is still relevant but the show feels on the its all been shown too many times for my tastes.  

[Wacka]

I love Lucy is 75 years old and is still shown  somewhere in the world 24/7/365.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Wacka

[ArdmoreRyno]

TIMELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Greatest comedy in TV history. What sucks, the woman I'm engaged to is 30 (I'm 48) and there is a big disconnect in humor on TV for both of us. Nearly every day, I see a situation or am in one that I can related to a Seinfeld episode... example, the other day we were driving downtown OKC and a pigeon was in the middle of the road and wouldn't get out of the way of my car. I yelled "they're breakin' the deal!!! It's like the pigeons decided to ignore me!!!!!" 🤣 She had no idea what I was talking about. LOL

[Bad Things]

Just the other night, my wife and I had this same chat.

That said, Mrs Bad Things and I both see Seinfeld as timeless.  I've watched it so many times, and it still makes me laugh out loud.  None of the other "classic" sitcoms can do that for me.

[TheCockSportif]

Classic show, and likely an arguable point, but it changed humor on television: puffy shirts, self pleasure, fwb, bad boys, taking a carriage ride through NYC, psychosis, neurosis, race relations, briss, "bubble boy", heck, so many great, great episodes.  I am not sure that if someone came up with a Seinfeld on broadcast tv in 2023 -- that they'd be able to pull it off.  Seinfeld came up with the anti-hero genre, "Friends" riffed on it (can you think of another less likable set of people?), and the Sopranos and Breaking Bad perfected the genre.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

27 minutes ago, Bad Things said:

Just the other night, my wife and I had this same chat.

That said, Mrs Bad Things and I both see Seinfeld as timeless.  I've watched it so many times, and it still makes me laugh out loud.  None of the other "classic" sitcoms can do that for me.

Kirstie Allie era 'Cheers' and Seinfeld episodes starting around season 3 are two of few that I enjoy.  'Night Court' was bizarre enough to be enjoyable as well, in an ungrounded sort of way.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Ridgewaycynic2013
Effing predictive text

[ExiledInIllinois]

4 hours ago, ArdmoreRyno said:

TIMELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Greatest comedy in TV history. What sucks, the woman I'm engaged to is 30 (I'm 48) and there is a big disconnect in humor on TV for both of us. Nearly every day, I see a situation or am in one that I can related to a Seinfeld episode... example, the other day we were driving downtown OKC and a pigeon was in the middle of the road and wouldn't get out of the way of my car. I yelled "they're breakin' the deal!!! It's like the pigeons decided to ignore me!!!!!" 🤣 She had no idea what I was talking about. LOL

May-December relationships have been bemoaned since the dawn of time.  Okay... May-October for you guys. 😉 

 

"Hey Nineteen
That's 'Retha Franklin
She don't remember
The Queen of Soul
It's hard times befallen
The sole survivors
She thinks I'm crazy
But I'm just growing old..."

 

😉 

[coloradobillsfan]

I can't go a day without hearing Seinfeld references in my head.  Dentist appointment, renting a car, parking a car, getting Chinese food, getting low pressure in the shower, writing with a pen, eating soup, figuring out a tip, putting the tip in the tip jar, watching the Devils in playoff hockey, yada yada the list just goes on and on it's really quite remarkable how insane this show has made me.  Serenity now.  

[Just Jack]

1 hour ago, coloradobillsfan said:

I can't go a day without hearing Seinfeld references in my head.  Dentist appointment, renting a car, parking a car, getting Chinese food, getting low pressure in the shower, writing with a pen, eating soup, figuring out a tip, putting the tip in the tip jar, watching the Devils in playoff hockey, yada yada the list just goes on and on it's really quite remarkable how insane this show has made me.  Serenity now.  

 

Just a couple days ago the in-laws were ordering chinese food, and I said "Chinese Food" like Georges mom did in the one episode to get out of talking to him on the phone, and no one got my reference. 

 

 

 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

Timeless … it made me consider a career in latex sales 😂

[EmotionallyUnstable]

I’ve tried to watch the reruns, as I’m too young for the initial broadcasts.

 

I just can’t get into to. I don’t think Jerry is funny as a stand up, some of the sit com moments are good. 
 

not my cup of tea

[ChiGoose]

I never watched it when it was new but my wife’s family are big fans (her aunt was actually in an episode) so I’ve watched a lot of it since marrying her. 
 

I honestly think it’s great and establishes how a character driven comedy can create a fun story over literally nothing if the writing is good. 

 

That being said, I’d be interested to see how teens think of it. The big joke since it ended is that 90% of the problems on the show could be solved by a smartphone. How will younger generations who grew up with the internet and smartphones see it?

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

9 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

Just a couple days ago the in-laws were ordering chinese food, and I said "Chinese Food" like Georges mom did in the one episode to get out of talking to him on the phone, and no one got my reference. 

 

 

 

Looks like a topic for the Festivus table, Dec. 23, 2023.