Tuesday, April 28, 2009

SEINFELD: The Greatest Sitcom of All-Time . . . any questions?

I think most everyone has certain things they go to when they need a mental break, when they need to get away from the humdrum crap of everyday life. For me, it's my favorite TV shows, movies, and music.

South Park was my getaway show for all of college - I grew up with its inappropriate humor and amateurish animation. Cartman's pudgy figure and insensitive remarks were the perfect combination to get me to laugh. Don't get me started on Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo. Absurd humor is a personal favorite.

Then, I rediscovered a show that I also remember growing up with: Seinfeld. TV Guide called it the best sitcom of all-time, and I wholeheartedly agree. For nine seasons, Seinfeld was nothing but quality comedy, great characters, and the best observational humor of any comedy ever.

And nonetheless, as a proud owner of all nine seasons (Amazon.com seriously is an addicting site) I find it remarkable the jokes that went right over my head. The most notorious example, of course, is a season 4 episode "The Contest" in which Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer enter a bet of who can hold out the longest without . . . ahem . . . pleasuring themselves. I remember watching that (with my parents, no less - I'm sure their faces were red) when I was in elementary school.

But that is where the show's brilliance shines. I was maybe nine years old when I first saw that episode, and I laughed plenty of times. And yet, its tasteful, restrained treatment of rather lurid subject matter somehow averted any situation of me going to my parents and asking, "So why did they make a bet after George got caught with a Glamour magazine?"

Comedy shows are hit or miss, and I have my select few that I am absolutely in love with - Seinfeld, South Park, The Simpsons from the early days, and most recently Entourage and The Life and Times of Tim on HBO - but the pinnacle is, and always will be, Seinfeld. It had characters you could relate to, situations you probably found yourself in, and more laughs in a half-hour than any other show ever.

So as we approach the end of the semester and feedback is important in our peers' blogs, I ask you who is your favorite Seinfeld character, or your favorite Seinfeld episode / moment? Everyone has a different one, and that speaks even further to the show's brilliance.

6 comments:

  1. Mike, I too really enjoyed watching Seinfeld. I can still remember watching the show after the 6:00 pm news. My Mom wanted me to turn off the t.v. and work on homework, but the show constantly made me laugh.

    I too did not realize the full meaning of the content until I was older. I think the content was put together similar to Disney movies. Watching a Disney movie is much different when you are an adult than watching it as a child. Some scenes have additional meanings that you do not catch when you have an innocent mind.

    To answer your question, my favorite character is Elaine. She is funny, witty and puts up with the three guys.

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  2. I loved Kramer. That guy was nuts. I am glad you blogged about this though, I remember watching Seinfeld with my family and how funny I thought it was.

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  3. So, it has to be Kramer. I thought about this for a while, and as funny as they all are - Kramer is the greatest.

    As for my favorite scene, follow the link below.
    All I can say is, "Look away, I'm hideous!"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1PeNNi6dg

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  4. At the risk of angering everyone in this thread, I was never a huge fan of Seinfeld. I don't dislike it, I just never really watched it. South Park, however, is hilarious. It can be pretty vulgar, and for now I'm trying to discourage my younger brother from watching it even though I do. It really does provide very witty social commentary if you can look past the obscenity.

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  5. I love Seinfeld, I'd like to think of my life as one huge Seinfeld episode.

    It can tie back to editing, however. Remember when George was talking to the Bubble Boy and the card said Moops? Think of all the stress that an editor could've relieved had he or she proofread the card?

    "Moors...it's a typo."

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  6. Erica,

    South Park, especially the old days, is absolutely laugh out loud hilarity. Episodes are more hit or miss now, but for nostalgia's sake I still have to watch. And your little brother will be fine - I mean, it came out when I was a fifth grader and I turned out halfway normal.

    And Stephanie - hahahaha, the "moops". Just reading that, literally made me laugh out loud.

    One last shout out, even though you ALL brought up classic moments . . .

    Angelina - Puddy and the 8-ball jacket. Hahaha

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