Seinfeld (TV series)

Creators Jerry Seinfeld (1954–   ) and Larry David (1947–   )

Date Aired from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998

This sitcom proved that sophisticated, irreverent humor could be popular with a mass television audience.

Famous as the program about nothing, Seinfeld was the creation of little-known comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, a comedian turned comedy writer. Because their program was more subtle than the typical situation comedy, National Broadcasting Company (NBC) executives were puzzled by it. A pilot episode shown in the summer of 1989 was encouraging enough to warrant four more episodes the following spring. The series finally joined NBC's regular schedule in January 1991, and slowly became the most popular program on broadcast network television.

In the show Seinfeld plays a fictional version of himself, a comedian living in a small Manhattan apartment. In the early seasons, each episode featured bits of Seinfeld's stand-up routines. Seinfeld revolves around Jerry's dealings with his boyhood best friend, the neurotic George Costanza (Jason Alexander); his former girlfriend, the vivacious Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus); and his eccentric neighbor, Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). The often mundane situations and scarcity of overarching plots led it to be popularly described as a "show about nothing."

Narcissism and Responsibility

Seinfeld reflected the concerns of many Americans, especially baby boomers, in the 1990s by presenting youthful characters approaching middle age but reluctant to give up their youth. Jerry and George, in particular, seemed to have changed little since their high school days. Kramer accused Jerry of being an example of Peter Pan syndrome, though he, the eldest, was the most immature of the four, an unemployed (and unemployable) hedonist impulsively following his infantile instincts. George was a lovable loser who failed at every endeavor. Elaine, the brightest of the four, charged from one brief relationship to another.

Seinfeld revolved around its characters' reluctance to accept responsibility for anything. David, Seinfeld, and the other writers exaggerated this point on several occasions, as when a small kitchen fire broke out during a children's birthday only for George to push everyone, including an elderly woman, aside to be the first to escape and then pathetically tried to defend himself. David, the inspiration for George, made many of the show's loyal viewers uneasy with the series finale by having the protagonists go to prison for a selfish act.

In an era when the so-called excesses of the 1960s and 1970s were passé and Americans were expected to devote themselves to work and family, Seinfeld satirized commitment by having its characters go to the other extreme. Elaine and George changed jobs frequently, and all four were afraid of romantic commitments: falling for someone else while in a relationship and becoming unsettled by being loved. Engaged to Susan (Heidi Swedberg), George was desperate to avoid marriage but lacked the courage to pull out. He was relieved when Susan suddenly died from licking the cheap envelopes he bought for their wedding invitations. Jerry did not want to see too much of his parents (Barney Martin and Liz Sheridan), while George was constantly embarrassed by his loud, vulgar folks (Estelle Harris and Jerry Stiller).

Sex and Satire

In addition to death, Seinfeld treated numerous other sensitive subjects cavalierly. Almost every episode launched an attack upon the era's politically correct views, whether of the handicapped, cancer and other illnesses, alcoholism, old age, religion, serial killers, or homosexuality. Jerry and George were mistaken for a gay couple, leading to one of the series' many famous catchphrases, "Not that there's anything wrong with that," which mocked not homosexuality but the timid way many Americans tried to mask their prejudices. While most television programs dealt with similar issues moralistically, Seinfeld never stooped to didacticism or sentimentality.

Seinfeld was the most sexually implicit comedy on the broadcast networks, often touching previously verboten subjects. The protagonists made a bet about who could resist masturbation for the longest time. Elaine forced a reluctant musician boyfriend to provide oral sex, resulting in his inability to play his saxophone afterward. After returning from a swim, George was embarrassed when one of Jerry's girlfriends accidentally saw his shriveled penis.

Also irreverent about itself, Seinfeld presented a series of episodes in which Jerry and George created an autobiographical pilot about nothing, mocking the way television networks operate. Oblivious to their failings, George and Kramer were horrified to see how actors interpreted them.

Arguably the smartest situation comedy ever, Seinfeld was also notable for giving its audience credit for getting jokes without having to spell matters out. A subplot involving a homoerotic relationship between Susan's father (Warren Frost) and John Cheever assumed that the audience was familiar with the bisexual novelist. Many episodes parodied famous films, such as The Graduate (1967), JFK (1991), Midnight Cowboy (1969), and Pulp Fiction (1994), without making the spoofs too obvious.

Impact

Because of Seinfeld and such situation comedies as Frasier, Friends, and Will and Grace, NBC created the slogan "Must-See TV" to describe its popular lineup. Seinfeld finished first or second in the Nielsen ratings every year from 1994 to 1998 and won ten Emmy Awards out of sixty-eight total nominations, including one as Outstanding Comedy Series, three for Richards, and one for Louis-Dreyfus. In 2002, TV Guide named it the top program of all time. In 101 Reasons the '90s Ruled, a 2004 special on the E! network, Seinfeld was designated as the first reason.

Seinfeld also proved highly influential to other sitcoms and even comedy in general. While all of the stars went on to various other projects, perhaps the most direct descendant of the show was HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which David plays a fictionalized version of himself. In fact, Seinfeld's central cast and several notable supporting actors reunited in season seven of Curb Your Enthusiasm (2009), as part of a plot arc in which David seeks to develop a Seinfeld reunion special to help win his ex-wife back.

While most long-running series eventually grow stale, the most remarkable achievement of Seinfeld was the amazing consistency of its quality. Though the program reflected the concerns of the 1990s by satirizing them, it had a remarkable timelessness. Its continuing popularity in syndication and on DVD resulted not just from nostalgia for the decade but from its inspired humor. It also proved a valuable commodity for online streaming platforms, which were eager to win subscribers with well-loved comedies that invite repeated viewings. In 2015 the streaming service Hulu announced it would provide access to Seinfeld's nine seasons thanks to a deal worth an estimated $130–180 million. In 2017 Amazon acquired the show's rights in the UK for its own Prime streaming site. Then, in 2019, Netflix announced it had purchased the exclusive global streaming rights to Seinfeld in a five-year deal beginning in 2021, believed to be worth over $500 million.

Bibliography

Delaney, Tim. Seinology: The Sociology of "Seinfeld." Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2006. Sociology professor examines the show's treatment of crime, ethnicity, race, and relationships.

Hirsch, Irwin, and Cara Hirsch. "Seinfeld Humor Noir: A Look at Our Dark Side." Journal of Popular Film and Television 28, no. 3 (Fall, 2000): 116-123. Consideration of the characters' cynicism and narcissism.

Hurd, Robert. "Taking Seinfeld Seriously: Modernism in Popular Culture." New Literary History 37, no. 4 (Autumn, 2006): 761-776. Applies Pierre Bourdieu's literary theories to Seinfeld.

Irwin, William, ed. "Seinfeld" and Philosophy: A Book About Everything and Nothing. Chicago: Open Court, 1999. Academics examine the ethical and philosophical issues raised by Seinfeld.

Lavery, David, and Sara Lewis Dunne, eds. "Seinfeld," Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. New York: Continuum, 2006. Essays by television scholars. Includes a comprehensive episode guide.

Morreale, Joanne. "Sitcoms Say Goodbye: The Cultural Spectacle of Seinfeld's Last Episode." Journal of Popular Film and Television 28, no. 3 (Fall, 2000): 108-115. Discusses how the last episode was a unifying national moment.

Olbrys, Stephen Gencarella. "Seinfeld's Democratic Vistas." Critical Studies in Media Communication 22, no. 5 (December, 2005): 390-408. Contends that Seinfeld was not nihilistic but political satire.

Porter, Rick, and Lesley Goldberg. "Netflix Lands 'Seinfeld' Rights in $500M-Plus Deal After Losing 'Friends' and 'The Office.'" The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Sept. 2019,www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/netflix-lands-seinfeld-rights-losing-friends-office-1239934. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.