There’s Something About Jerry
Yes, readers, fans, loyal followers, secret stalkers, whoever you are. I know how invested you all must be in my obviously very entertaining very newsworthy love life. And I can imagine the look of shock on your face reading that title, but it’s true. I have finally found love, and his name is Jerry.
Jerry Seinfeld, that is. He really does have one of those names where you have to say both the first and last. Never just Jerry. Or Seinfeld. It has to be all or nothing.
On October 1, 2021, Netflix put the 1990s award-winning NBC sitcom, Seinfeld, on their streaming service. Now I know what many of you are thinking. “Alex, it’s been years since Seinfeld has been on TV, we’ve all seen it, what’s the big deal?”
Well, I have some shocking and quite honestly embarrassing news. Despite the fact that I have studied film and spend most of my free time watching television, which then dictates most of my conversations, and almost always without a doubt bring up the fact that I was voted class clown in high school every chance I get and am slightly snobby when it comes to judging other people's opinions in film.
I had yet to watch Seinfeld.
No, I was not living under a rock. Yes, I may be living in my parent’s house in my childhood bedroom… but I wouldn’t call that rock bottom. At least not yet.
Seinfeld was on air for a total of 9 seasons from the years 1989-1998 and would go on to change and influence the future of sitcoms. The all-star cast stars Jerry Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld, who is pretty much the PG version of a douchebag guy in his 20s and 30s who is deeply afraid of commitment and growing up. Jason Alexander as George Costanza who has the act down of playing someone you’re really not supposed to love but somehow end up loving (His character is also based on comedic genius and co-creator Larry David). Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, who would go on to star in the HBO shows Veep, which in my opinion is the best political satire show on television ever (and my snobby film personality trait makes an appearance). Michael Richards as Kramer whose character has never failed to make me laugh with my entire body, just like how he does all of his bits, with his entire body. If that isn’t enough for you the list of supporting roles & guest stars on the show have Santa shaking in his boots just looking at it. So there is no shock it has the cult following it has which I am now a proud member of (it’s a very righteous application process, from knowing quotes to quizzes on characters, yada yada yada).
I watched all 9 seasons faster than I would like to admit, but I will admit I’m not mad about it. Though some jokes may be dated and go over my head and I find myself sitting there watching different scenarios thinking this could never happen now. All they needed was a cell phone and there would be no show. But, the situational comedy, the comedic timing, the relationships, and the character development made this “show about nothing”, everything, in so many ways.
The show was filled with comedy gold and iconic lines like “No soup for you!” from the ever-memorable Soup Nazi episode.
It influenced future comedians, altered the path and opportunities they were able to have as well. Nick Kroll recently talked about the episode “The Contest” where the group makes a bet about masturbation.
In his Instagram post, he wrote, “I was 14 when Seinfeld's "The Contest" brought masturbation comedy to the mainstream. That episode completely changed what you could talk about on a sitcom and paved the way for Big Mouth and countless other shows. We're lucky to be creating during a streaming era when you can get away with almost anything, and few things are more fun than nodding to the great shows that came before us. #NoNutNovember”
In his new season of the Netflix animated adult comedy Big Mouth, Kroll pays tribute to this episode and does his own version of it. Kroll is just one example of how Seinfeld has influenced not just comedy as a whole, but many comedians on a personal level as well.
The co-creator and writers Jerry Seinfeld & Larry David were friends before the show and long-time friends after. Once the show ended, the rest of the cast, along with David and Seinfeld went on to have very successful careers. David finally starred in a hit show of his own Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO where he plays himself. It is absolutely hilarious and recently returned for a new season (My current daydream is running into him on the streets of New York and for some reason, he wants to become best friends, kinda like Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building vibes, check out the image to the right for a glimpse of what I meant and to see my amazing editing skills). He has also had numerous cameo roles, like in HBO’s Entourage.
Seinfeld went on to continue doing stand up comedy, further pursue his career in film (I mean have you seen The Bee Movie, the most Oscar worthy performance of any picture to date) and of course, his talk show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which is my current Netflix obsession.
Somehow, despite the fact that I don’t think I would ever really date Jerry Seinfeld if it came down to it (in all reality he would find out something quirky about me within the first two minutes, hyper-focus on it until he obsessed over it to the point where he decides he can’t get past it), he somehow wormed his way into my heart, just like he did with his audience in the 90s.
Seinfeld, the cast, creators, and everyone else who worked on it are pioneers in the world of comedy. These icons represent that era of comedy and they do so with pride. The respect the comedic world has for names like Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Larry David is something they not only deserve but anyone in the industry should strive to receive.
As for the influence it’s had on me, maybe I’ll give stand-up a try. This would give you all the opportunity to throw tomatoes and heckle me, just keep in mind, don't dish out what you can't take. Who knows, maybe my shtick will be throwing tomatoes back at the audience.
