# Seinfeld or Friends? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2019, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204 "2019-08-25T07:43:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/21 "2019-08-25T15:32:23Z")
I like them both very much, but _Seinfeld_’s first season or two were pretty uneven, and I found _Friends_ to be consistently funny from start to finish. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/22 "2019-08-25T15:32:38Z")
Seinfeld by a mile. I’ve never watched an entire episode of Friends. I am kind of a fan of Matt LeBlanc though, he was great in _Episodes_. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/23 "2019-08-25T20:53:35Z")
I like 'em both, but if I were on Death Row and had to choose, “Seinfeld” is my choice. ---
**Author:** ![Premislaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f0a364/32.png) [@Premislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Premislaus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/24 "2019-08-25T21:05:50Z")
Seinfeld. Friends is just an average cliched sitcom that hasn’t aged well. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/25 "2019-08-25T22:08:01Z")
Voted for Seinfeld. There’s lot of great quotes still in use (“I’m out!” “Moops” “Not that there’s anything wrong with that”) but I can’t think of too many from Friends. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/26 "2019-08-25T22:32:28Z")
1000% for Seinfeld. (I admit I loathe Friends more than any other tv show I’ve ever seen, and that includes Fox News.) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/27 "2019-08-25T23:19:47Z")
_Seinfeld_, by a mile. It was the _I Love Lucy_ of the nineties. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/28 "2019-08-25T23:33:22Z")
Friends is 100% raw sewer garbage. Seinfeld isnt the best, but it is at least in consideration for top 10 best shows ever. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/29 "2019-08-25T23:40:06Z")
Friends. I loathe Seinfeld. Friends was a solidly executed if unoriginal sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/30 "2019-08-25T23:45:33Z")
Seinfeld was so innovative for its time and there have been many shows that wanted to be like it, that I think sometimes people forget how original it was at the time. That said Jerry Seinfeld, even from the beginning of the show, and as a person seems like an arrogant prick, but there was something about him I always found funny. I’m convinced that Curb Your Enthusiasm was what Seinfeld always wanted to be, but being on basic cable and the time period couldn’t be that risqué. Larry David is one of the funniest guys ever in the context of just his contrarian nature, way of speaking, and whole manner, though he was never an exceptional stand-up comic, I doubt he really had much interest in stand-up. After watching Curb Your Enthusiasm I’m convinced that Seinfeld’s whole schtick was really sort of lifting from Larry David’s personality, even though George was the character that was supposed to emulate him. I don’t think Friends deserves to even really be in contention, it’s just a cliched, pap, filler kinda show, Everyone Loves Raymond is a similar sort of bland, unoriginal show, where every episode feels the same. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/31 "2019-08-26T00:15:57Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I don’t think Friends deserves to even really be in contention, it’s just a cliched, pap, filler kinda show, Everyone Loves Raymond is a similar sort of bland, unoriginal show, where every episode feels the same. I voted Seinfeld for many of your reasons, but I think (a) Friends preceded Raymond, and I never identified with Raymond. He was married, inlaws, blah-blah-blah. Despite not living in NYC, we accepted that we didn’t live in NYC, but had many of the same issues. Brothers and sisters. Work. Significant others. It was the single life, and as they started to pair off, we did, too. Seinfeld wins versus Friends, because it appeals to Gen X and Boomers. Everyone loves Raymond is beloved by Boomers, and Friends is definitely Gen X. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/32 "2019-08-26T00:41:35Z")
This thread inspired me to go back and start watching Seinfeld again. I’m up to S2E2, “The Pony Remark”. Early in the episode he’s talking to his father about his softball game, and when I saw [this](https://photos.app.goo.gl/H27WjJpjgs4b67ck6), I just had to hit pause and grab a screenshot! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/33 "2019-08-26T01:37:18Z")
> [@Premislaus](#): > > Seinfeld. Friends is just an average cliched sitcom that hasn’t aged well. > [@DinoR](#): > > Friends. > > I loathe Seinfeld. Friends was a solidly executed if unoriginal sitcom. I think Friends has held up _much_ better because of its solid execution. Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow were comedically brilliant, and Jennifer Anniston and (the hated) David Schwimmer could reach down and put genuine emotion into the interminable Ross/Rachel story. Put it this way. The 10 best Seinfeld episodes are probably 300% better than the 10 best Friends episodes. But the 236 Friends episodes are better than the 173 Seinfeld episodes. > [@Balthisar](#): > > Seinfeld wins versus Friends, because it appeals to Gen X and Boomers. Everyone loves Raymond is beloved by Boomers, and Friends is definitely Gen X. Well, I’m a Boomer, and I prefer Friends. ELR is not beloved by Boomers; Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts are what Boomers loved about ELR. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/34 "2019-08-26T02:31:02Z")
Seinfeld is one of the best sitcoms ever made, as a whole. Friends is disposable garbage with no actual humor. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/35 "2019-08-26T02:59:34Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Neither show appealed to me, but I absolutely can’t stand Jerry Seinfeld. So if forced to choose, I guess it would have to be Friends. I find it hard to believe that a comparison is even being made. _Seinfeld_ (the show) was revolutionary, while _Friends_ was a poorly executed shameless wannabe. I still rewatch _Seinfeld_ occasionally, though not every episode was stellar, and I find some of the supposedly highly rated early shows to be stilted and annoying. But they really got into their stride after a few seasons. I just tend to avoid the occasional shows during the height of their popularity where they sometimes become annoyingly self-important, as if some quip on the show is going to launch a new cultural meme. I do know what you mean about Jerry Seinfeld, though. Something about him really grates on the nerves. Yet somehow on the show, his lackadaisical attitude, practically wallowing in his inability to act and snickering at his own jokes, somehow just made it funnier. > [@bobot](#): > > The shows were not in the same league. Friends was the Seinfeld Triple A affilliate. My thoughts exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/36 "2019-08-26T04:04:18Z")
I may be mistaken, but I’m detecting an ever-so-slight preference for _Seinfeld_. A good show, but it was no _Friends_. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/37 "2019-08-26T04:09:11Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I may be mistaken, but I’m detecting an ever-so-slight preference for _Seinfeld_. A good show, but it was no _Friends_. That’s good. Because Friends is sewer garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/38 "2019-08-26T04:22:48Z")
I’ve found Friends and Seinfeld both to be the comfort food of television. Like choosing between meatloaf with mashed potatoes or pepperoni pizza with a pitcher of Coke. Both remind me of happy times from my youth, both offer memories of satisfaction that are greater than the reality they deliver when consumed today, and neither leave me wanting more. Neither can be judged too harshly nor dwelt upon for too long. And with that, it’s Seinfeld by a country mile. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/39 "2019-08-26T04:29:16Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Both remind me of happy times from my youth, both offer memories of satisfaction that are greater than the reality they deliver when consumed today … Dunno, but for me, _Friends_ may feel fresher, because apart from a single episode watched in a Kuala Lumpur hotel room in 1999 (before the TV set literally blew up and we were left without one), I’d not watched it before returning to the US three years ago. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204/40 "2019-08-26T04:59:16Z")
I never missed either one when they were on, and I hated the last seasons of both. So it’s hard to differentiate. But the way the Friends cared for each other showed. They weren’t just foils for each other’s set-up lines the way the Seinfeldians were. They felt like real people. The scene that came to mind was the group of them diving on Rachel to put the drops in her eyes. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7lCLXFFp9s) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfeld-or-friends/839204.md?page=3)