![]() ![]() On the issue of religion, Frank Costanza proclaimed a new holiday with a “Festivus for the rest of us!” There was also Puddy accusing Elaine of stealing his Jesus fish and reprogramming his gospel radio stations. And when Jerry dated a Native American, he caught himself on questionable phrases (dinner reservations, ticket scalpers) before she called him out, “Like what?” An Indian Giver?!?” Jerry replied: “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with that term.” On the issue of civil rights, LGBT themes were introduced with the line, “We’re not gay! Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” In race relations, the show taught us to “look to the cookie” for black-and-white harmony. More often than not, there was a biting subversive edge beneath the scenarios that delved into some daring social commentary. Of course, it wasn’t all clever fun and games. More regularly, they introduced four seemingly unrelated storylines at the start of each episode, only to tie them all together in the end (“Is that a Titleist?” … “And you want to be my latex salesman”). Occasionally, this would come in bold narrative choices (a backward episode, an opposite episode). All four protagonists are inextricable: Jerry Seinfeld as himself (“I don’t wanna be a pirate!”), Jason Alexander as George Costanza (“A George divided against itself cannot stand!”), Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes (“Get out!”) and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer (“Serenity now!”).Īs for writing structure, Larry David and team routinely took chances. It’s impossible to pick one as more important than the others. The biggest joke, of course, was always on our main characters, who had their own lovably neurotic issues. ![]() More than catchphrases, it changed our vernacular, altering the way we describe people as high talkers, low talkers, close talkers, two faces, sidlers, mimbos, re-gifters, bad breaker-uppers, those with man hands or jimmy legs, and those who eat their peas one at a time. Others unwittingly reference it without even knowing they’re doing so (“No soup for you,” “Yada, yada, yada,” “Bizarro World,” “Hellooo Newman,” “That’s gold!”). Die-hard fans lovingly quote the show on a daily basis around the office to keep the legacy alive (“Hellooo! La la la”). Today, two decades after it left the air, “Seinfeld” remains ubiquitous in our pop culture. Jerry once said there was something overstated about double digits, so he wanted to leave after nine years, just like The Beatles. “The Office”), “Seinfeld” left at the absolute peak of its popularity. “Friends”) or hang around after their star steps away (i.e. “Happy Days”), play the dating game with their various characters (i.e. While other sitcoms often “jump the shark” (i.e. He wanted it to go out on top, and I feel like it did.” “Jerry always said the show treated him so well that he wanted to treat the show well. “It was really more of a reunion show than anything else,” Steve Hytner aka Kenny Bania told WTOP over a glass of Roundtine at Mendy’s. Not only did its highlight reel provide misty-eyed glimpses of empty apartments set to the world’s first taste of Green Day’s “Time of Your Life,” it also found a creative way to bring back all of its famous characters to return for one last hurrah - testifying against our beloved foursome. Reaction to the finale was mixed at the time, but in hindsight, it holds up quite well. By 1998, 76.3 million people tuned in to watch the finale as Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer were convicted by a court of their peers and locked in a jail cell to repeat the same shirt-button discussion that had opened the pilot. ![]() WASHINGTON - Thirty years to the day after the “Seinfeld” pilot “The Seinfeld Chronicles” debuted on NBC on July 5, 1989, the situation comedy remains the Master of its Domain, recently voted by the Writers Guild of America as the best-written sitcom in television history.ĭespite critical acclaim, its popularity built slowly over the first few seasons, until it became a ratings juggernaut and pop culture sensation. See our WTOP staff picks of their favorite “Seinfeld’ memories at the bottom of the article. WTOP's Jason Fraley salutes 30 years of 'Seinfeld' ( Jason Fraley) Business & Finance Click to expand menu.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |