When talking about the 90s, no one can forget the American sitcom ‘Seinfeld’. It is one of the best shows, if not the best, show on television. The show is only 22 minutes but it’s its simplicity which made it the one of highest rated shows in the States till 1998.
The show is about four friends who live in New York City.Who would like to watch the lives of four friends who are pretty much normal ordinary human beings in a show? Who had the idea of such a show which most of the time is happening in a small apartment?Whatever be the answers to these questions, ‘Seinfeld’ remains one of the most creative shows in television history.
There is a word called ‘character’ which we all use to describe the actor’s role in a movie or TV Show.I learned what is ‘a character’ from this series. The characters are Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer.They are characters which remain the same till the end of the show.
The whole episode happens in Jerry’s apartment, the coffee shop, on the street and other commonly seen places in the surroundings of where they live.Whether you are in the South Pole or elsewhere, you will still identify yourself with the characters.
Why is the show so interesting which has been shot for 11 years and would make me write a review on it when it was last aired in May 1998?
This is simply because the world is ‘a chaos of meaningless events’ and this show presents these daily events on TV in such a way, that no-one would imagine to make a show with such stupid, real and funny events.
The show is about daily life events which happens to everyone but presented in a detailed point of view.Petty things happen to everyone but sometimes, we do not think about it too much because we do not care or we do not have the time to ponder over such petty things.But this show is about these things which may be uninteresting in real life but on television, you will be glued to your TV screen.
The man behind this show is the comic genius; Larry David, who is the co-creator, executive producer and the writer of some of the episodes.
‘Seinfeld’ cannot be done without the participation of all the four characters. George Costanza (Jason Alexander) is the guy who never gets what he wants in his life.He is bald, short and sometimes hot-tempered.He is also intrigued by how society is running.He is a loser with women but he is always dating and trying.There is always something happening with his girlfriends.
Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) is the funniest of all. He is Jerry’s next door neighbour. He has a crazy hairstyle and he’s crazy as well. He delivers his dialogues with a particular style; by using physical comedy a lot. E.g. when he enters into Jerry’s apartment, he gets in a hurry. He is always falling everywhere he is going.
Then there is Elaine Bennis (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who is the only female character. Elaine is somehow lovable, a little bit crazy as well but easy going. She is also always dating and having the different troubles with the boyfriends. And of course, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) who is also the co-creator, writer and executive producer of the show.Jerry is a clean guy who is obsessed with small details in life. He observes a lot. His ‘one-liners’ are so good. He is always seen in white sneakers and blue-jeans. The other characters include Newman and George’s parents.
The best part about the show is that you can see yourself in many situations of these daily life stories. It is how routine events can mean so much to some people. In fact, it’s not really small things but what is happening is that with advancement in society, some people tend to forget some values like courtesy. The show examines these small values, yet important in society but without making it looking serious. There is also a lot about foolishness. But sometimes life is full of foolishness but we still like it.
Well each episode is packed with events and they tried to fit all the funny situations in one episode. They have excellent writers. You can watch 10 shows in a day and still laugh; the point is that you are never going to get bored with the comedy. Each episode is carefully crafted. The laugh track is somehow disturbing sometimes but even without the laugh track, you will still laugh.
You know you are a Seinfeld fan when:
you hear the line ‘Master Of Your Domain’ on TV or in a conversation, it leaves a smile on your face.
you see Kramer entering Jerry’s apartment, you get so excited and you start jumping in your couch and you fall down yourself.
you decide to have all your friends to watch it and the day they watch it, the show is not that funny (for them) and you try your best to convince them that it’s the funniest show on earth!
you start taping some episodes or start downloading the series on the net or buy the new DVDs even it is expensive.
Talking about humour
No, it’s not these silly American sitcoms with poor dialogues and loud laughing tracks. The scenes are innovative and alarmingly hilarious. Will you laugh? Is that a question? If you understand the dialogues and the scenes, you will laugh till you feel your stomach.
Controversial: If you live in cave, the answer is Yes. If you meet enough people and go through a lot of situations, No.
Why is ’Seinfeld’ so addictive?
It’s about real life without hypocrisy.
Friendship: the four friends like each other very well. They do sometimes have their ups and downs but they communicate to get rid of their bad thoughts. It’s really nice to see such a friendship on screen.
Manners: Yes they are bit naughty sometimes because they like playing pranks. But when four single friends are together, it’s like four kids again. But they always discuss how some people are rude, absent-minded and need ‘manners-for-life’ lessons.
Society: Ah the famous society! The people of the world; human beings. The show describes how humans can be funny, helpful, stupid, desperate, lovable, complex, attractive, egoistic, eccentric, anti-social, fat, erratic, short, bald and the rest of the adjectives that can qualify a human being!
Even the show depicts all these in 22 minutes, you never feel that it is actually touching on all the subjects. Because the show is itself is light and deals with nothing really serious. They are no aliens coming to conquer New York City. It is simply about conversations and events about the four friends in their lives.
Well if you like daring people, people who can see human flaws (not defects) and have the courage to say it, then this show is for you. How about some people out bursting over simple events? If you like seeing some moral lessons amalgamated in funny dialogues and jokes, then don’t miss any of the ‘Seinfeld’ episodes.