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Seinfeld is one of those shows that I used to hate.
Years ago when it was still being produced, all I needed to hear was that bass theme music and that would be enough for me to instantly change the channel.
A lot of people I know disliked (and still dislike) the show. They said they didn't like it because of its particular brand of humor. The humor in Seinfeld is very different than other shows and most people either love it or hate it. There usually isn't any kind of in-between.
Not only do they not like the humor, but they also don't care for any of the main characters.
Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer are not the easiest characters to like in TV history. They are sometimes annoying and, in Elaine's case, superficial, and, in George's case, neurotic.
They are all very self centered people.
But...
Nowadays, I find the show absolutely hilarious! :teddyr:
Matter of fact, I went from totally hating it to watching it pretty much every day. Now that it's in syndication, they show two episodes per day on Fox from 10 to 11 pm.
Seinfeld is probably the only show where I've went from ice cold to hot. Every other show that I hated...I still hate.
I like it so much now that I'm considering buying one or two of the season box sets.
I've seen quite a few of the episodes but there are still a bunch of them that I haven't seen.
Overall, I'd rate Seinfeld an 8 on a scale of 1-10 and give it a big :thumbup:.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsKNvGeNKyE
Do you like Seinfeld?
I enjoy Seinfeld, I did when I was younger and I still do to this day. I didn't get a lot of the humor or the jokes that they made when I was younger, but now I get the jokes or some of the situations that the characters experience. I think I see a bit of myself in the main characters because I have some similar traits as the main characters at times.
I was completely uninterested in it at first, probably due to the fact that it was popular. Anything popular probably sucks. Friends, Everybody loves Raymond, King of Queens; you name it, it's popular and it sucks. For some reason I started watching Seinfeld though, and it was just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. It's smart, witty humor, so it's like night-and-day compared to all the stupid humor on every other comedy. The characters aren't terribly likable, George especially could really get on my nerves.
The stuff with his parents in Florida was utterly hilarious. My parents have a condo in Florida, he's dead on.
Funny you brought this up Ash. Amazon just had the entire series boxset on their deal of the day for $99 (regular price $179).
I think a lot of people had problems with the characters. They are the most self-centered bunch of people you could ever think of. I used to watch it all the time and I told my wife that if George was my friend I'd have to throw him out a window to put him out of his misery.
I love the one where george does everything the opposite of what he usually does and ends up having all this success. he evens orders the oppsite of the sandwhich he usually gets
I've never liked it. I can't get into it at all and I have never found it even slightly amusing.
I loved Seinfeld, and still do. I used to watch this back fairly regularly when I was in elementary school through high school. The humor still holds up today, and George is my favorite character.
Quote from: Circus_Circus on March 12, 2009, 12:48:35 PM
I've never liked it. I can't get into it at all and I have never found it even slightly amusing.
Ditto
If you hate Seinfeld, then you will really hate Curb Your Enthusiasm. If you watch a few episodes of that show you will see who was the real brains behind Seinfeld. Jerry was a likeable guy, but the crazy plots are all a product of Larry David's bizzare ideas.
I recommend it! :thumbup:
I watched the show when it wasn't in syndication, and I still watch an apalling amount of the reruns. I know a lot of the dialog off by heart, but I never get tired of it for some reason. One of my favorite parts is when Kramer gets a job at Leland and Brant (?) and Jerry asks him what he's got in his briefcase, Kramer replies "Crackers". Just the way he delivers the line is classic. Gets me every time. I did think that the finale was kinda lame, though.
I've seen a couple of episodes, maybe half a dozen altogether including the finale. It's funny enough. I could never get that whole "a show about nothing" thing though. That was its major claim to fame, supposedly it was different from other TV comedy in some fundamental way because it was "about nothing". I can't see it. It's about just as much something as any other sitcom. Look at the way people describe episodes, there's obviously a unifying situation that ties the episode together. If it wasn't about something, you wouldn't be able to say "remember the episode where..."?
I only watched the show a few times during its initial television run (I'm not the kind of person who faithfully watches any TV show no matter how good it is). I ended up buying the entire DVD collection. My wife and I watched every episode and we are now going through the boxed set chronologically for the second time. This is one of the best TV series ever . . . right up there with ALL IN THE FAMILY, I LOVE LUCY, and THE SOPRANOS as far as I'm concerned.
Ozzymandias speaks: I loved Jerry's references to DC Comics. Also his rivalry with Newman.
Ozzymandias has spoken!!!
Quote from: schmendrik on March 18, 2009, 01:43:38 PM
I've seen a couple of episodes, maybe half a dozen altogether including the finale. It's funny enough. I could never get that whole "a show about nothing" thing though. That was its major claim to fame, supposedly it was different from other TV comedy in some fundamental way because it was "about nothing". I can't see it. It's about just as much something as any other sitcom. Look at the way people describe episodes, there's obviously a unifying situation that ties the episode together. If it wasn't about something, you wouldn't be able to say "remember the episode where..."?
I never really bought the "about nothing" line. That came more from 'Jerry,' the show-within-a-show that Jerry and George pitched to NBC than from the show itself. The closest the show every really came to being about nothing was the episode set entirely while they were waiting to be seated in the Chinese restaurant. (Jerry was fidgeting because he was afraid he was going to miss a showing of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE!)
I liked the show a lot. It was the best written show of its era. The writers would write 2 or 3 separate plotlines and tie them together at the end of the show; it was very clever the way they accomplished it time after time.
Quote from: Ash on March 12, 2009, 02:45:16 AM
Seinfeld is one of those shows that I used to hate.
Years ago when it was still being produced, all I needed to hear was that bass theme music and that would be enough for me to instantly change the channel.
A lot of people I know disliked (and still dislike) the show. They said they didn't like it because of its particular brand of humor. The humor in Seinfeld is very different than other shows and most people either love it or hate it. There usually isn't any kind of in-between.
Not only do they not like the humor, but they also don't care for any of the main characters.
Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer are not the easiest characters to like in TV history. They are sometimes annoying and, in Elaine's case, superficial, and, in George's case, neurotic. They are all very self centered people.
To put it more succinctly: they're all heartless. The cast's motto was: "NO HUGS!" With a huge influence, debatable as to whether good or bad,
"Seinfeld" ranks as one of the most influential programs in all of TV history.
Quote from: Ash on March 12, 2009, 02:45:16 AM
But... Nowadays, I find the show absolutely hilarious! :teddyr:
Matter of fact, I went from totally hating it to watching it pretty much every day. Now that it's in syndication, they show two episodes per day on Fox from 10 to 11 pm. Seinfeld is probably the only show where I've went from ice cold to hot. Every other show that I hated...I still hate. I like it so much now that I'm considering buying one or two of the season box sets.
I've seen quite a few of the episodes but there are still a bunch of them that I haven't seen. Overall, I'd rate Seinfeld an 8 on a scale of 1-10 and give it a big :thumbup:. Do you like Seinfeld?
Yes, I like
"Seinfeld". It's hilarious. I'd be more inclined to give it a 9.5.
Quote from: schmendrik on March 18, 2009, 01:43:38 PM
I've seen a couple of episodes, maybe half a dozen altogether including the finale. It's funny enough. I could never get that whole "a show about nothing" thing though. That was its major claim to fame, supposedly it was different from other TV comedy in some fundamental way because it was "about nothing". I can't see it. It's about just as much something as any other sitcom. Look at the way people describe episodes, there's obviously a unifying situation that ties the episode together. If it wasn't about something, you wouldn't be able to say "remember the episode where..."?
"The show about nothing" was their claim. Only in theory was the show about "nothing." But the show was about the average human and their foibles: self centered, disinterested, heartless. Watch. It's about us.
QuoteThe closest the show every really came to being about nothing was the episode set entirely while they were waiting to be seated in the Chinese restaurant. (Jerry was fidgeting because he was afraid he was going to miss a showing of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE!)
Funny you should mention that episode. That's the first episode I ever saw and I almost choked when George was explaining to Jerry how he had to use the bathroom in the middle of having sex and how he had to "extricate" himself from the situation. I was hooked. :bouncegiggle:
Much the same as Jack. I don't care for most of the sitcoms that have come along since the early 90s. I especially don't like it when people get fanatical about a show, to the point where they don't understand how anybody could not like it.
What got me to look at Seinfeld was that my best friend, who is by no means a fad follower, started telling my about it and describing some of the funny bits. I checked it out and found it to be really funny. I think where it succeeds is that the situations are so bizarre and exaggerated, yet close enough in principle to our own experience to ring true. The characters are heartless pricks, but they kind of reflect the more shallow and selfish side of all of us, and the people they meet are all just a little bit familiar. It's kind of a freakshow, where we're expected to enjoy the characters but not necessarily like or care about them.
Contrast that with Friends, where there still isn't much to like about the characters, but we're supposed to like them and care about their relationships and invest ourselves in the show. I've seen a few episodes. They made me chuckle in spots, but I still don't care for the show. That pretty much sums up my feelings about most sitcoms of the past 20 years. Seinfeld is one of the exceptions.
I have the first 3 seasons on DVD and I have to say they are very well done. Not only are the shows great, but the features are very nice. The commentary is good and there is a "closed caption" commentary of sorts that lets you read along and hear the dialogue at the same time. Those have some very interesting info in them. If you're a fan at all they're worth the price.
I was to be a big fan when it was on as a real show (pre syndication), but I started to hate it as they got less and less likeable as the show got on. After a while, I sarted thinking "Why am I wasting my time watching these a$$holes."
Quote from: AndyC on March 21, 2009, 01:03:29 PM
Much the same as Jack. I don't care for most of the sitcoms that have come along since the early 90s. I especially don't like it when people get fanatical about a show, to the point where they don't understand how anybody could not like it.
What got me to look at Seinfeld was that my best friend, who is by no means a fad follower, started telling my about it and describing some of the funny bits. I checked it out and found it to be really funny. I think where it succeeds is that the situations are so bizarre and exaggerated, yet close enough in principle to our own experience to ring true. The characters are heartless pricks, but they kind of reflect the more shallow and selfish side of all of us, and the people they meet are all just a little bit familiar. It's kind of a freakshow, where we're expected to enjoy the characters but not necessarily like or care about them.
Contrast that with Friends, where there still isn't much to like about the characters, but we're supposed to like them and care about their relationships and invest ourselves in the show. I've seen a few episodes. They made me chuckle in spots, but I still don't care for the show. That pretty much sums up my feelings about most sitcoms of the past 20 years. Seinfeld is one of the exceptions.
Sitcoms aren't really all that fun to watch. I mean, especially in the past 15 years or so. Primarily, the only ones I'd watch are Seinfeld and Boy Meets World from the '90s.
I tried hard to get into Seinfeld and...I just couldn't*. And more often than not I like Jewish people, too. Back in the '90's I felt like I was left out of a secret club almost everybody else belonged to because they were going around saying these catch phrases from the show and I had no idea what they meant. "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" "No soup for you!" "Master of my domain!" Shrug. In reply I could quote a few Dawson's Creek lines, but that'd get me patted on the shoulder and told, "That's nice, El." Then they'd discuss someone named Marla, and giggle.
*Well, okay, the time they took the Nazi's limo was sorta funny.
Quote from: HappyGilmore on March 25, 2009, 08:32:19 PM
Quote from: AndyC on March 21, 2009, 01:03:29 PM
Contrast that with Friends, where there still isn't much to like about the characters, but we're supposed to like them and care about their relationships and invest ourselves in the show. I've seen a few episodes. They made me chuckle in spots, but I still don't care for the show. That pretty much sums up my feelings about most sitcoms of the past 20 years. Seinfeld is one of the exceptions.
Sitcoms aren't really all that fun to watch. I mean, especially in the past 15 years or so. Primarily, the only ones I'd watch are Seinfeld and Boy Meets World from the '90s.
I must admit, that I watch Friends nearly every night after work. I must have seen every single episode at least 4/5 times, but they still make me laugh. It's weird tho', 'cause I used to hate it years ago. :tongueout:
This programme used to be on BBC 2 for a while and I could never get into it.
They all seemed too smug, they reminded me of the smug gits in Friends.
The only US sitcoms I like are Cheers and Fraiser...maybe a little of 8 Simple Rules but that's because I like John Ritter.
Quote from: doggett on March 26, 2009, 08:46:35 AM
They all seemed too smug, they reminded me of the smug gits in Friends.
Yeah, I can see that. I think the big difference, at least for me, is you're supposed to like the characters in Friends, while Seinfeld is aware of the fact that its characters are a***oles. We can laugh at them just as easily, often more, when things aren't going their way. Actually, nothing on the show was taken seriously. Life, death, relationships, etc. were all fodder for jokes. Nothing touching or poignant or pretentious. Just pure comedy.
Like you I was, initially, not into Seinfeld. Partly, because the first few times I tried to watch it I saw the episode when they are stuck in the parking garage and it didn't do it for me and I've never found Jerry Seinfeld's routine particularly funny, you really need to want to laugh to find his act funny imho. Also, even after I got into the show I continued to find Kramer at best totally improbable and usually not amusing.
That said I did become a fan of the show and loved the character of George. Wjhat I liked about the show was the way you'd know what their reactions would be before it happened, as the characters had become that well defined.
I don't really watch it anymore as I find I much prefer the Larry David's Show.
I loved the show from the beginnin and liked that they ended it when it was at it's peak. It's hillarious, the first two seasons suck for the most part, at least season 1 does.
While everyone loves kramer i'm the odd man out. I loved Larry in the stooges and I loved George in Seinfeld. Because I love a good neurotic smartass
hands down best show next to the Twilight zone
Quote from: Susan on March 29, 2009, 09:22:05 AM
I love a good neurotic smartass
Oh, so that's why you hang out on this board so much! :wink: