# Was "Seinfeld" The First Show To Do This?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 1, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365 "2012-02-01T00:39:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/1 "2012-02-01T00:39:52Z")

</div>

(Play a few chords when opening again after a break?  
It seems to have been adopted by quite a few TV shows after Seinfeld.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/2 "2012-02-01T02:20:36Z")

</div>

Welcome Back Kotter would play the opening notes of its theme all the time during act breaks etc.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/3 "2012-02-01T02:22:38Z")

</div>

The Bob Newhart show did it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/4 "2012-02-01T02:39:50Z")

</div>

> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> (Play a few chords when opening again after a break?  
> It seems to have been adopted by quite a few TV shows after Seinfeld.

Can you give us some recent(since 1998) examples aside from the famous Seinfeld one?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/5 "2012-02-01T03:15:05Z")

</div>

Taxi and Brady Bunch both did this.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/6 "2012-02-01T04:09:27Z")

</div>

It was done in sitcoms as far back as the 50s.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/7 "2012-02-01T05:42:19Z")

</div>

I believe **Gilligan’s Island** also has these.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-seinfeld-the-first-show-to-do-this/611365/8 "2012-02-03T00:28:07Z")

</div>

This is so incredibly common, I can’t imagine how anyone would think Seinfeld was the first.