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December 7, 2005

Friends vs. Seinfeld

television — by TDavid @ 8:59 pm PST
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I heard on Larry King last week that Seinfeld was rated one of the top 50 tv shows of all time. Awhile back, we bought the Seinfield DVD collector set (season 1-3, pictured) when it first came out and finally have begun watching it. Perhaps it is really early but through the first disc neither my wife or I are thinking this is very funny.

Compare that to Friends where we are just finishing up season 10 and there isn’t a single episode where I didn’t laugh and many where I laughed several times. I would put Friends in as one of the top 50 comedies of all time, but not in the top 50 shows of all time. Seinfeld doesn’t make either list so far.

Through history there have been many classics like Twilight Zone, Knight Rider, Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, Fantasy Island, Love Boat, Married with Children, Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch, Three’s Company, and so on.

Then again, I didn’t like Firefly the first couple times I watched it, but after taking the (now deceased) words of another online contact who loved the show, I gave it a closer watch and really liked it and put it up there among my favorite science fiction shows ever.

Now, Seinfeld is about … ?

It’s supposed to be funny with Jerry Seinfeld but the guy hasn’t made me laugh yet. Perhaps a light, subdued chuckle a couple times. I’m hoping that after watching more I’ll be converted. Seinfeld said his show didn’t really take off until the fifth season? I’m not sure I’m going to make it that long if the laughs don’t start coming. Quickly.

Seinfeld fans, tell me what makes this show so great? Convert me. What is it about this show that is so side splitting hilarious? I’m not giving up yet, it’s way early yet, but I’m finding most all of these early episodes boring.

What are we missing?

Update November 13, 2006 6:54pm PST: Fixed misspelling of Seinfeld’s name, sorry Jerry.

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RSS Feed comments for this post 30 Comments »

  1. its true that the show really didn’t deliver the funny until a few years later. hang in there, because when it starts, it doesn’t slow down. i think it lies in the timing, and i guess the actors really didn’t start getting used to each others timing until later. that plus the very well crafted character intersections, which have to be larry david’s doing, make the show awesome.

    Comment by jonathan — December 7, 2005 @ 11:15 pm PST

  2. I’m not gonna be much help here. I found Seinfeld supremely unfunny. And, frankly, I really despised Friends.

    My problem with both shows, to some degree, was that I couldn’t suspend disbelief… specifically my disbelief that anyone would WANT to hang around such annoying people in real life. With Friends in particular, I’d have slapped half the “friends” silly and then gotten restraining orders against them to keep them out of my life.

    I guess I’m just a snob. Then again, I did enjoy Night Court and Cheers… neither of them exactly highbrow humor… :P

    Comment by Adam — December 8, 2005 @ 2:25 am PST

  3. I think that Friends and Seinfield are two different kind of humor. Friends is more a punch line after punch line humor (and I could add that this kind of humor probably compose 90% of the sitcoms today). Seinfield is more a situational humor, meaning the humor is more in the situation than in the punch lines. Just my two cents.

    Comment by Martin Lortie — December 8, 2005 @ 9:01 am PST

  4. I am with Adam, I found most of Seinfeld mean spirited and unfunny and rarely watched it. As for Friends… Please! who would want to watch a bunch of losers!!!

    Now Night Court, YES!!!! A top 50 for sure, and remember Barney Miller???

    Comment by FranciscoIV — December 8, 2005 @ 9:14 am PST

  5. Jonathan, we only have the first three seasons, not sure I can plow through the entire set waiting for rhythm, but … maybe.

    Adam amd Francisco - Friends was funny to me because it was over the top and they were annoying. Chandler? The guy was ready for a beat down that he never really got (one episode, if my memory serves, he got one). Ross? What a big dinosaur pussy! Rachel? Hey, who could get tired of looking at that? Joey? You just had to wonder what incredibly stupid thing he would say next? Monica? Female drill seargent. Might have been shallow, but there was at least some depth to these characters.

    I liked Night Court and Barney Miller? Fish!

    Thanks for the feedback so far, keep it coming :)

    Comment by TDavid — December 8, 2005 @ 9:54 am PST

  6. […] I decided to ask last night’s burning question: What makes Seinfeld so funny? This was submitted at 7:33 am PST. Oops, got to sign into Yahoo first. Then have to answer a few questions like which icon to use (the one from Yahoo 360, I chose), what nickname to display and what email address to notify when someone answered my question. After that, fortunately the system was smart enough to remember what I typed in and took me to a more detailed and less simple page where I could optionally add details, categorize the question and choose whether or not I wanted to be email notified. […]

    Pingback by Make You Go Hmm: » Yahoo Answers easier than asking the questions — December 8, 2005 @ 12:15 pm PST

  7. I love Seinfeld. I think it’s just a matter of preference. What do I think that makes it funny…
    because “it’s a show about nothing”. Regular every day situations that get either blown out of proportion or things are said that most of us think but don’t say. I think most of the sit-coms these days are like that. This one narrows down to the type of humor you enjoy.

    Comment by ^Lestat — December 9, 2005 @ 10:09 am PST

  8. I like both Friends and Seinfeld, but for very different reasons. Friends is a very typical ensemble situation comedy - with good writing, it’s a good show, but becomes very formulaic for a while. Ross & Rachel, for example, was pretty bad, but Monica and Chandler was very well done initially.

    Seinfeld is often called a show about nothing, but it’s really deeper than that. None of the main characters are the kind of people that you’d want to spend time with, but the comedy is both in the situations and in the fact that the characters make poor decisions and have to live with them. Or, other times, weird things just happen. Seinfeld works because it can let weird things happen in a way that they can’t happen in a normal sitcom. Nobody in Friends is going to make salad in while showering, but in the Seinfeld world, it works.

    Comment by Eric Gunnerson — December 9, 2005 @ 4:02 pm PST

  9. What is wrong with you people? The wonder of Seinfeld is that they are not the kind of people most people would like but I would take them over all of you any day. They are probably the most real people on TV. I love Friends….but Seinfeld is not the same kind of comedy at all..also if you will pay attention you will find that most of life’s most important lessons can be learned on that show….what is NOT funny about sponge worthiness..or masturbation…or for God’s sake SHRINKAGE!!!
    George is a looser…and sometimes a liar…that’s funny….Elaine is the queen of confirnation..she will back down to no one….Jerry is neurotic..once he discovers something that he does not like about whatever woman he is dating he starts to obcess…and if you watch closely you will find characters that you live with everyday…like the low-talker…can’t understand anything they are saying…or the people who think that you should be as interested in seeing their baby as they are…these people are real…give it a chance…and watch for situations that you know…because of Jerry I now know that if you break up with someone but then sleep with them again you have just voided the break up…it is life’s lessons like those taught by Jerry that keep me watching

    Comment by chris carroll — December 26, 2005 @ 2:01 am PST

  10. There’s no comparison between these two shows. The writing and everything about Seinfeld FAR outclasses even the best episode of Friends. Friends was weak from the beginning and never matured. It was always based on somebody’s obessession with sex in one way or another. The timing for the jokes was like a bad high school play….that flopped. There were some talented people in the cast for Friends. It’s too bad they got cast in such a second-rate show. There was no depth to much of anything in Friends. Not too suggest there was depth in Seinfeld, but they weren’t trying to have depth. With Friends, there was this “wannabee” a funny show and that simply wasn’t funny. Same formula, week after week. No substance ro really anything that could be believed. With Seinfeld, you knew it was just a TV show and it didn’t pretend to be something more. Friends lived in the delusion that it reflected society or would have some kind of impact….yeah right….Of course now we have the moronic spin-off “Joey”….But that’s pretty much the sad state of TV these days. A whole host of pathetic “reality” shows which aren’t and the sad line-up of “celebrity dance, skate, slice, dice and mince…. I mean John O’ Hurley was fun to watch as J. Peterman in Seinfeld, but I certainly don’t want to watch the guy dance…..but I digress…….As much as I liked Seinfeld….there really are no good sitcoms on presently…unless of course one likes the outrageously funny ER…….In the end is it good to have friends in high places? I suppose so, just don’t have them show up on TV

    Comment by Kidblammo — December 29, 2005 @ 10:07 am PST

  11. Hi Kidblammo - I disagree that right now there “really are no good sitcoms on presently” — have you seen My Name is Earl? http://www.nbc.com/My_Name_Is_Earl/

    That show is hilarious! It has been nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards. You should check it out. They are moving it to Thursday nights and it starts back up in January.

    As for Seinfeld? We’re on the Season 3 DVD now and I’m starting to warm up a little more to the series. I still don’t think it’s one of the best 50 shows ever. And yesterday I saw a list of shows most missed by the BBC and Seinfeld was #9 on the list. #1 was Star Trek. #3? Friends.

    Comment by TDavid — December 29, 2005 @ 10:32 am PST

  12. Boy I’d have respectfully disagree about Earl. I did check it out, but didn’t find it very amusing. Seems like it would be a better movie. Once and done, rather than week after week.

    I suppose I have been drawn to things like Frazier, Everybody Loves Raymond. The shows that have good writers and a talented cast to balance that out.

    Also after I read my entry, I sounded a little too harsh. Sheesh, lighten up Kidblammo, it’s just a TV show. Hope I didn’t offend you TDavid.

    A word about nominations and awards, whether they are Grammies, Oscars,….whatever….it really is just a matter of politics who wins these things. It really is. I have both friends and family in the business and they are keenly aware of how it works. It’s actually more of an honor to be nominated than it is to win. Because the winner is pretty much a matter of who they want to win.

    Comment by Kidblammo — December 29, 2005 @ 12:10 pm PST

  13. Nah Kidblammo, being the net as long as I’ve been, I’m not easily offended, but thanks for the concern. This is one of those very subjective discussions. Comedy is subjective. What I find funny others may not and vice versa.

    Different genre but I didn’t care for the Matrix either. This has spawned some interesting debates and discussions.

    But you didn’t like Earl? Maybe consider giving that one another chance. Every week Earl is into some new antics which I guess is a parallel to how Seinfeld worked. I find the writing on Earl refreshing compared to other sitcom’s I’ve watched. You have to wonder who/what/why Earl is going to be scratching off his list each week, what will happen to his conniving trailer trash ex-wife Joy or what things is stupid brother will be doing. Then you have the inimitable Crabman … these characters are different than what you typically see. I’d give it a few more episode watches and re-evaluate. As I said in my last comments, we’re up to Season 3 of Seinfeld, so I didn’t give up after a couple of episodes. I’m giving it a chance to warm up … and it is, a little bit.

    As for politics in awards? Got me there ;)

    Thanks for taking time to stop by, read and comment. Enjoying the feedback actually.

    Comment by TDavid — December 29, 2005 @ 3:24 pm PST

  14. i am such a fan of Friends. The show is just better than Seinfeld. The characters are alot more extreme and less average. You know what I am talking about? Seinfeld’s characters are a little less fictitious, as they are just some sort of whining bastards that sit all day long complaining over and over again about their problem. FRIENDS on the other hand contains so many over-layered, intricate, and often, EXTREMELY SOPHISTICATED jokes that just fit your appetitie. Many friends have told me Seinfeld’s jokes require a bit of thinking - well, screw that. I am not watching 60 seconds or the Discovery channel here - it is simply a sit-com. FRIENDS make me laugh over and over again and I seriously seek that in a regular, less complainful, more bright and cheerful sit-com.

    Comment by Miao — January 1, 2006 @ 10:46 pm PST

  15. I absolutely love Friends and hate Seinfeld. Yes true some of the characters in Friends can be quite annoying at times, but i find that they have characteristics real people have, but over exaggerated…which is what makes it funny. I know I have a sarcastic friend, an obsessive compulsive friend and a geeky friend.
    Seinfeld though, it is so bad you can see Jerry laughing at his own jokes, can’t stand Kramer - I would slap the crap out of him. I’ve tried to sit down and watch it,really I have, but it’s just not funny for me and I cant help turning it off after a while.

    Comment by Debi — January 5, 2006 @ 8:51 am PST

  16. I like Friends and I love Seinfeld. The thing is, Friends had cheesy moments, nowadays most sitcoms do, an episode with the breakup, with the proposal while sad music plays and “I learned a valuable lesson”, Seinfeld made fun of all that with sarcastic humor, the characters of Seinfeld didn’t learn lessons or became optimistic and caring…they were sarcastic, selfish and careless…and never had a serious moment, it was all comedy, that’s whay I like it better; sometime Friends is just so romantic that it stops being a sitcom.

    Comment by BrodieMan — February 19, 2006 @ 11:30 pm PST

  17. What was the name of the “high talker” on Seinfield? The couple was a friend of the group? The woman had blond wavy hair and her husband/boyfriedn was short, balding, and was a high talker. Everytime one of the group would call the woman they would get the husband instead and they would mistake him for the woman. What were the names of the woman and her high talker hubbie?

    Comment by Maggy — June 27, 2006 @ 3:41 pm PST

  18. Hey all,
    please tell me that this is all a joke. Seinfeld is made up of four people in an unrealistic world, Jerry is supposed to be funny as a comedian, but is not. Elaine pisses me off, kramar and george have funny moments but nothing matches FRIENDS. It is a bit unrealistic, but every episode is funny and it follows a well set out story line. Every character is special. Pheope and Joey are so stupid but surprise us with witty humour and funny one liners. Chandler is very sarcastic and funny as you all should know. Ross adds character. Rachel is a real wuss etc. It is all so funny. Just watch the episode when they have the quiz and change apartments, or the One with the male nanny and you will see. Thankyou

    Comment by Jonno — July 12, 2006 @ 7:54 am PST

  19. Seinfeld is a hilarious show! You have to look at it a way you would not look at Friends (which I love as well) It is not the same type of humor at all, but it makes fun of random, everyday things. The situations are abnormal, but at the same time, they can depict situations in everyones life. You have to give it another chance and appreciate the style of humor that it delivers. I think this is the most useful comment yet, being since I appreciate Friends as well, making me unbiased.

    Comment by Tim — October 11, 2006 @ 5:47 pm PST

  20. Seinfeld Rocks! Lick my sweaty balls Debi!

    Comment by Ronald — October 11, 2006 @ 7:12 pm PST

  21. go to hell ronald and all who like seinfeld and hates friends…wake up people ur so wrong about hating friends..i think friends is the best tv show of allllll time, i like it cuz it’s more realistic than seinfeld and more funny,and who wouldn’t laugh about the most stupid and funny characters phoebe and joey..and i m so sure that the show is the best and his characters and story line is the best 2 and plz get the whole series and watch it all then judge it..but of course u will change ur mind..FRIENDS ROCKS!!!!AND SEINFELD SUCKS!!!!!

    Comment by elie — October 22, 2006 @ 8:20 am PST

  22. Seinfeld is the best !!!

    I have seen most seasons of Friends, but never watched Seinfeld before that. I enjoyed Friends a lot. Then, when the Seinfeld DVD came out, I started watching Seinfeld. I didn’t find the first few episodes funny, but once I got used to the comedy, Seinfeld was absolutely stunning. Extremely intellgient comedy, great characters, unlimited laughther. Now, when I watch Friends, I find it to be too boring (very mushy-mushy, with all characters like models and not reflecting the real life at all). Severe warning: don’t watch Seinfeld. If so, you may never enjoy any other sitcoms out there ! Comparing the great Seinfeld series with something like Friends is a joke.

    Comment by srini — October 25, 2006 @ 12:32 am PST

  23. Seinfeld is a masterpiece. Friends is a TV serial (it is not even a full fledged comedy series). So, please don’t even compare Seinfeld with Friends.

    Comment by Tom — October 25, 2006 @ 12:37 am PST

  24. Why are you arguing on this.. They’re completely different shows
    I like mor Friends, though.

    Comment by Glore — November 1, 2006 @ 3:24 am PST

  25. FRIENDS rules. There is nothing funnier than when Phoebe and Rachel go to get tatooes, or when Rachel and Ross get drunk in Vegas. Kramer on Seinfeld annoys me to no end, and Jerry’s stand up is the only funny part of the show.

    Monica: I heard a squeaky sound on the end of the phone this morning
    Phoebe: Yeah, I heard that too, and first I though it was like a squirrell or a racoon, but then i thought, where would the squirrell get the money to make the phone call?

    FUNNY AS!

    Comment by RAII — November 13, 2006 @ 9:48 pm PST

  26. Another good episode is THE ONE WHERE RACHEL IS LATE.

    Rachel (grumpy): They were all like “go home, start your maternity leave early”. Well you know what, screw’em. If they don’t want me there I’ll just hang out with you guys.

    Phoebe:

    Comment by RAII — November 13, 2006 @ 9:56 pm PST

  27. Phoebe: Or you could do volunteer work!

    Comment by RAII — November 13, 2006 @ 9:56 pm PST

  28. Friends is not cheesy, or mainstream, and there is NO laughtrack you stupid poos from AMERICA. FRIENDS is bigger in the rest of the WORLD because you losers do not appreciate it. Seinfeld is funny in its own little way. (scuze pun). Friends can make fun of every possible situation, and exaggerate even the most boring moments in life. Seinfeld IS boring, more boring than life. I have watched the complete series of both shows, and I HAVE MADE MY JUDGEMENT. ps. If i was god i would smote you all. (except those who support friends. I would give you gold)

    And the spinoff JOEY does suck because there writers are not the same, and Friends is a show where each of the 6 characters cannot function without the rest.

    Comment by RAII — November 23, 2006 @ 9:16 pm PST

  29. You dont compare the two shows, they are meant for vastly different audience and sense-of-humor. Seinfeld unlike friends or many other shows didnt thrived on funny and slapstick lines, or emotional/sentimental moments, it is intelligent comedy. It is a pronounced version of world as it is ! The characters are so strong and so distinguished, that you fall in love with them. You never get bored watching seinfeld, no matter how may times you have already watched the episode!

    Comment by foo — December 9, 2006 @ 2:13 am PST

  30. To enjoy Friends, you need a TV.

    To enjoy Seinfeld, you need a TV AND a brain.

    Which probably is the reason why some people can say that Friends is good and that Seinfeld is bad. Both are good, but Seinfeld is much better.

    Comment by Junti — February 3, 2008 @ 7:23 am PST


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