Seinfeld...Timesless or Outdated?

[BillsPride12]

7 hours ago, ChiGoose said:

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?

What episode was her Aunt in!?

[Gregg]

26 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

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

 

RIP to a great comedian in Jerry Stiller. I liked his character Arthur Spooner in KOQ better.

26 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

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

 

RIP to a great comedian in Jerry Stiller. I liked his character Arthur Spooner in KOQ better.

[BillsFanSD]

It's timeless, but at the same time the existence of Curb Your Enthusiasm has taken a lot of the shine off of Seinfeld IMO.  Curb is the exact same show, only without the restrictions that come with network television, and it's unambiguously better.  Every time I watch Seinfeld now I can't help but think about what this show might have been if it had aired on HBO instead of NBC.  

[ArdmoreRyno]

5 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

It's timeless, but at the same time the existence of Curb Your Enthusiasm has taken a lot of the shine off of Seinfeld IMO.  Curb is the exact same show, only without the restrictions that come with network television, and it's unambiguously better.  Every time I watch Seinfeld now I can't help but think about what this show might have been if it had aired on HBO instead of NBC.  

 

The reunion episode was GREAT. It was the finale we deserved. And the "Judy" episode made me laugh to the point to where I almost threw up! LOL

 

"Mommy, Mommy, that bald man's in the bathroom, and there's something hard in his pants!"

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Gregg said:

 

RIP to a great comedian in Jerry Stiller. I liked his character Arthur Spooner in KOQ better.

 

RIP to a great comedian in Jerry Stiller. I liked his character Arthur Spooner in KOQ better.

 

"Let me understand. You got the hen, the chicken and the rooster. The rooster goes with the chicken. So, who's having sex with the hen?"

Edited May 9, 2023 by ArdmoreRyno

[Gugny]

Definitely timeless, in my opinion. 

[DrDawkinstein]

Classic, timeless, holds up. Without a doubt.

[WhoTom]

13 hours ago, coloradobillsfan said:

I can't go a day without hearing Seinfeld references in my head. 

 

Ditto. I never thought of the phrase "calling an audible" in any context other than football, but now it's my standard phrase for making a last-second change of plans. Even my wife, who's not really into football but will watch an occasional game with me, says it.

 

Others include:

• Yadda yadda
• Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• Up here, I'm already gone.
• These pretzels are making me thirsty.
• I got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're gonna hear about it!
• Aluminum - good strength-to-weight ratio.
• Remember Jerry, it's not a lie if you believe it.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by WhoTom

[The Jokeman]

I love the show, as I own all seasons on DVD, play the game Scene It! that exclusively on the show, own Funko Pops of Jerry and George and have a Jerry t-shirt and saw him perform standup live. Yet the show is dated as mentioned no cell phones which would make scenarios like The Chinese Restaurant never happen since George wouldn't have to wait for someone to finish a call to use a pay phone etc. Movie Phone isn't a thing now since you can just google movie showtimes  on cell phone or even prebuy tickets etc so don't have to wait in lines etc. Also there are a few cultural stereotypes in a few episodes.  That said I still watch it and enjoy it.

 

[Ned Flanders]

George seems much more annoying to me now then when the show originally aired...the first several seasons hold up ok but the last few are dreadful, it turned into Three's Company, where the comedy was centered around a "misunderstanding."  Basically, if I'm going through the channels, I now fly bye Seinfeld...there's only a few episodes I need to see again. 

[shrader]

The pop culture references are the only thing that is dated about the show.  That is unavoidable.

 

And I'm not sure if pop culture is even the right word.  Sure, there's things like Bette Midler or referencing JFK, but then there's also Susan's father having an affair with John Cheever.

[Logic]

While some of the particulars of the episodes are outdated -- namely, MANY of the episodes could never happen today thanks to the existence of cell phones -- the humor itself is timeless, and still hilarious. And for those who DO find it too outdated to enjoy, there's always Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is sort of "Seinfeld in the modern day". 

Comedy is a pretty subjective thing, but in my house, Seinfeld is a non-negotiable. If you don't think Seinfeld is funny, you're probably not my kind of people. 
 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Logic

[coloradobillsfan]

1 hour ago, Ned Flanders said:

Basically, if I'm going through the channels, I now fly bye Seinfeld...there's only a few episodes I need to see again. 

Men only care what else is on tv

 

44 minutes ago, Logic said:

If you don't think Seinfeld is funny, you're probably not my kind of people.

This guy... this is not my kind of guy

[SinceThe70s]

5 hours ago, coloradobillsfan said:

This guy... this is not my kind of guy

 

One of my favorite lines from the entire series. I wonder if he actually blew the line (adding "This guy...") and they realized it was funnier.

 

18 hours ago, ChiGoose said:

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?

 

My teens think it's great. IMO the great sitcoms are more about the characters that you grow to love/hate more than the storylines and Seinfeld had many great characters.  Beyond the cast of 4 there were great secondary/recurring characters (Newman, Peterman, the Seinfelds, the Constanza's...),  less-frequent recurring characters (Putty, Jackie Chiles, Poppy, Babu Bhatt, Banya,...) and then celebrities (Mets, Yankees, Mel Torme, Bette Midler,....).

 

I'll leave with one of my other favorite lines, Elaine's curmudgeon father's comment about Jerry being a comedian:

 

We had a funny guy with us in Korea. A tailgunner. They blew his brains out all over the Pacific. There's nothing funny about that!

 

[BillsPride12]

4 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

One of my favorite lines from the entire series. I wonder if he actually blew the line (adding "This guy...") and they realized it was funnier.

 

 

My teens think it's great. IMO the great sitcoms are more about the characters that you grow to love/hate more than the storylines and Seinfeld had many great characters.  Beyond the cast of 4 there were great secondary/recurring characters (Newman, Peterman, the Seinfelds, the Constanza's...),  less-frequent recurring characters (Putty, Jackie Chiles, Poppy, Babu Bhatt, Banya,...) and then celebrities (Mets, Yankees, Mel Torme, Bette Midler,....).

 

I'll leave with one of my other favorite lines, Elaine's curmudgeon father's comment about Jerry being a comedian:

 

We had a funny guy with us in Korea. A tailgunner. They blew his brains out all over the Pacific. There's nothing funny about that!

 

Best supporting cast of characters of all-time!  I can't think of anything else that compares unless you are allowing The Simpsons in the conversation

[coloradobillsfan]

57 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

One of my favorite lines from the entire series. I wonder if he actually blew the line (adding "This guy...") and they realized it was funnier.

It has a story all its own, and how it was incorporated into the script exemplifies just how many levels deep this show can get:

 

 

[Orlando Buffalo]

It is a great show for anyone who lived through the 90s. Teens today generally just think it is an average show. Many don't want to take the time understand jokes that are very 90s, which many episodes have.

[Augie]

11 hours ago, Gugny said:

Definitely timeless, in my opinion. 

S

[Gugny]

2 hours ago, Augie said:

S

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

That was my uncle Bob at his 80th birthday party. He tripped, hit his head, and that just came to him. 

 

I mean, that is how he tells it……

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

6 hours ago, Gugny said:

As much as I like cats, shouldn't that be a hypno-toad?