# Do you like Seinfeld or hate it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953 "2015-09-20T15:14:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/21 "2015-09-20T18:53:27Z")
I like it. Some of the episodes are very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/22 "2015-09-20T18:55:32Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > I find _Seinfeld_’s style of humor grating. The whole crew is like NYC versions of “Mama’s Family”. This right here. If youdon’t share the traditional reverence for New York and New Yorkers as wellsprings of American comedy, you won’t dig _Seinfeld_. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/23 "2015-09-20T19:11:57Z")
I loved it. It was pure humor. If I remember correctly all the other sitcoms of the time always had to include something serious in each episode. Compare it to shows like Roseanne, Full House, Family Matters, or Home Improvement. There was never a preachy lesson of the week or sentimental scene to break up the humor. It was very refreshing compared to those other sitcoms. My vote for favorite character is Newman :p. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/24 "2015-09-20T19:16:08Z")
I dislike it. The jokes arent funny and the characters are annoying. Most of the jokes revolve around high pitched shreaking. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/25 "2015-09-20T19:19:21Z")
Watch the _shrinkage_ episode and tell me you didn’t laugh. Seinfeld was comedy gold. One of the three best shows of the last 30 years, along with The Larry Sanders Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/26 "2015-09-20T19:25:54Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > This right here. If youdon’t share the traditional reverence for New York and New Yorkers as wellsprings of American comedy, you won’t dig _Seinfeld_. I sense some lingering axe grinding. “New York and New Yorkers” \*\*have been and are \*\*wellsprings of American Comedy. Big Deal. Do you have an alternate paradigm to share? If not then you must dig Seinfeld. Welcome to the club! I think we have a minyan now. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/27 "2015-09-20T19:35:16Z")
I liked it ok, but I think fans overstate how edgy and groundbreaking it was. It was edgy for a popular mainstream network show, but that is miles from being risk taking in any meaningful sense. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/28 "2015-09-20T19:45:21Z")
I like it. I don’t think about it much these days or own the DVDs or anything but I’d watch an episode, sure. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/29 "2015-09-20T19:48:40Z")
Loved it. I can see the same episode over and over and still laugh my ass off. But did not like the finale. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/30 "2015-09-20T19:49:13Z")
I never watched it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/31 "2015-09-20T20:00:42Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I dislike it. The jokes arent funny and the characters are annoying. Most of the jokes revolve around high pitched shreaking. Thus my comparison to Mama and her family. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/32 "2015-09-20T20:12:42Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I liked it ok, but I think fans overstate how edgy and groundbreaking it was. It was edgy for a popular mainstream network show, but that is miles from being risk taking in any meaningful sense. In the 90s, “Mainstream network” was still 90% of TV. Cable channels were producing much original content yet, especially not sitcoms for a Thursday night audience. Something pushing the boundaries then (Seinfeld, Married with Children, Roseanne) actually mattered because that’s what people were watching even if it’s “boring” by modern standards. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/33 "2015-09-20T20:33:32Z")
I liked it when it was new and still like it in reruns. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/34 "2015-09-20T20:42:57Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I liked it when it was new and still like it in reruns. Missed the edit window, but while I’d been disappointed by the finale at the time, I think it holds up better in the context of being just another rerun. One of the biggest criticisms of the show I see from people who disliked it was that the characters were unlikable, but if nothing else the finale makes it clear that Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine weren’t supposed to be nice people. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/35 "2015-09-20T21:36:44Z")
Hilarious. Was surprised somewhat when I found it years later as to how polarizing it was. I still catch a rerun every once in awhile and it seems just as funny to me now as it was twenty plus years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/36 "2015-09-20T22:48:15Z")
Hated it. Unfunny show that pulled its humor from obnoxious and un-real characters being put in obnoxious and un-real situations. Also the infuriating “show about nothing” BS drives me up a wall. It’s a show about a comedian in New York and the adventures he has with his friends in various situations in the city. There. I solved the problem. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/37 "2015-09-20T23:05:26Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > In the 90s, “Mainstream network” was still 90% of TV. Cable channels were producing much original content yet, especially not sitcoms for a Thursday night audience. Something pushing the boundaries then (Seinfeld, Married with Children, Roseanne) actually mattered because that’s what people were watching even if it’s “boring” by modern standards. No doubt, but it’s not like there wasn’t comedy being produced in other venues, it was edgy for people who watched network sitcoms. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/38 "2015-09-20T23:14:44Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > No doubt, but it’s not like there wasn’t comedy being produced in other venues, it was edgy for people who watched network sitcoms. Arguably, “slightly subversive” reaching tens of millions is worth more than “very subversive” reaching thousands if you’re looking to change things. > [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Also the infuriating “show about nothing” BS drives me up a wall. It’s a show about a comedian in New York and the adventures he has with his friends in various situations in the city. There. I solved the problem. For what it’s worth, the “show about nothing” schtick was [never intended by the creators](http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/debunking-the-biggest-myth-about-seinfeld/). It was a joke in the show that got (mis)applied to the show by its audience: > [@](#): > > One could be forgiven for the misapprehension—as Seinfeld’s entire fourth season is a meta-commentary on the idea—but it’s simply not true. In a Reddit AMA earlier this year, Jerry Seinfeld clarified that he and co-creator Larry David pitched the idea to NBC as a “a show about how a comedian gets his material,” and according to Seinfeld, he and David were initially surprised that the “show about nothing” tag took over the discourse the way it did. In fact, it would be more apt to say that it’s a show about everything. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/39 "2015-09-20T23:17:20Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Hated it. > > Unfunny show that pulled its humor from obnoxious and un-real characters being put in obnoxious and un-real situations. > > Also the infuriating “show about nothing” BS drives me up a wall. It’s a show about a comedian in New York and the adventures he has with his friends in various situations in the city. There. I solved the problem. Unlike say, “Married with Children”? Sunny in Philadelphia? Weeds? ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953/40 "2015-09-21T00:11:52Z")
Loved it. It still makes me laugh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-seinfeld-or-hate-it/731953.md?page=3)