Seinfeld

[Gabriel Knight]

So, for the last couple of weeks I've been watching SEINFELD for the first time, since it's a show that's been a long due for me. At first I found it mildly amusing, but now I'm in the fifth season and I can't stop watching it, it's simply amazing.

Of course I'm late for the show, but I always heard it mentioned everywhere. I understand that it had a huge impact in north american society, is that correct? I would like to hear experiences from viewers from other countries, here in Argentina it seems to be known just by a select group, and it's rarely mentioned unless you happen to stumble across another fan, who of course it's probably nuts about the show.

It's different for, let's say, THE SIMPSONS, which are still to this day very significant in our society, you can quote it or make memes and most people will get them right away. It's mainly because the show is a carbon copy of our country, instead of a parody. In fact, I have the theory that Matt Groening had a time machine and copied what he saw in our country to make the scripts, it wasn't intended to be a comedy but rather a documentary.

[chainsaw midget]

It was HUGE in America.  It was just one of those shows that you just couldn't escape.  You'd hear people quoting it al the time. 

"No soup for you!"
"Master of your domain"
"not that there's anything wrong with that"
"A festivus for the rest of us"
"the yada yada"
"The jerk store called, and they're running out of you."

[zombie no.one]

have a couple of friends here (uk) who are big fans, but I couldn't get into it myself. was never really sure what I was supposed to be laughing at... which probably makes me sound dumb to anyone who loves it

[Alex]

have a couple of friends here (uk) who are big fans, but I couldn't get into it myself. was never really sure what I was supposed to be laughing at... which probably makes me sound dumb to anyone who loves it

That was pretty much my situation too, I knew a couple of people who thought it was brilliant, but it never achieved X-Files, Breaking Bad or GoT levels of discussion.

[Rev. Powell]

I'm rewatching it now that it's available streaming again. I don't find it as funny as I did when they aired live, but the level of quality throughout is astounding. They also really lucked out on finding actors with such great timing and chemistry, and the writing is consistently great: each episode has the structure of a classic farce, and it's full of memorable catchphrases. They also quit before they ran out of ideas and grew stale, which is rare.

[bob]

I love Seinfeld.

I have the entire series on DVD.

[beat_truck]

I didn't really find the show funny when it originally aired, and I still don't.  It's not as bad as Friends, though.  I flat out hate that show.

[Rev. Powell]

I didn't really find the show funny when it originally aired, and I still don't.  It's not as bad as Friends, though.  I flat out hate that show.

I love Seinfeld but I agree Friends is terrible. I've never been able to watch an episode all the way through.

[HappyGilmore]

Seinfeld was a fantastic show. Loved it as it aired.

Been binging it on Netflix

[Trevor]

I didn't really find the show funny when it originally aired, and I still don't.  It's not as bad as Friends, though.  I flat out hate that show.

I love Seinfeld but I agree Friends is terrible. I've never been able to watch an episode all the way through.

I've only ever seen one Friends episode: the one where Billy Crystal and Robin Williams turn up at the coffee shop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwMlgKUQaQ4

[Gabriel Knight]

Welp, I watched the series finale today, and I must say, I feel... disappointed? I understand the whole idea of the episode itself, and I actually find it fitting for something like SEINFELD, which is basically the anti-sitcom. The problem is that it simply wasn't funny. Even worse, it takes all the great moments I remembered and basically put a dose of realism on top, taking away the fun from them also. Hell, even the laugh track isn't played much during the episode, and the gang barely talks at all.

By the time it ended, I felt kinda down. I don't know, I guess I was expecting something different. And don't get me wrong, I didn't wanted a marriage or anything stupid like that (they even joke about it in the episode itself), but at least a funny turn of events with the whole situation. Instead, it felt like a bad court drama which didn't even made any sense at all, because the premise itself is ridiculous to begin with.

So, what are your opinions about the finale?

PS: and yes, I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but hey, I always like to experience things as if they were fresh from the oven. 

[Rev. Powell]

The finale was widely seen as a let-down when it aired. I didn't think it was that bad, but I didn't have high expectations. Most comedy series don't have good final episodes, the entire sitcom structure just doesn't lend itself to finality---the whole premise of the genre is that next week these characters will show up again exactly the same as they were last week but in a wacky new situation.

[Trevor]

The finale was widely seen as a let-down when it aired. I didn't think it was that bad, but I didn't have high expectations. Most comedy series don't have good final episodes, the entire sitcom structure just doesn't lend itself to finality---the whole premise of the genre is that next week these characters will show up again exactly the same as they were last week but in a wacky new situation.

The same happened with the finale of How I Met Your Mother: people were outraged at what happened to Tracy (the Mother). Quite sad actually. 

[The Burgomaster]

I have the whole series on DVD. My wife and I have watched every episode in sequence 4 times over the past several years.