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Seinfeld - The Best Show Ever, Period!
Date of Review: Jan 31, 2008
The Bottom Line: You've gotta watch this show or you will be missing out on a big piece of sitcom history...it's a must! Comedy for all ages, and a timeless hit!
Seinfeld is probably the best show that's ever been on television. It's a very brilliant show about 'nothing.' Unlike other shows, there's no heartwarming message, no very special episodes, and what I like best is, they rely on smart humor.
Unlike most comedies, this sitcom doesn't get cheap laughs because of a dumb 'typical' blonde with huge breasts or, a big, beefy workout god… there is no 'duh, what?' dumb-dumb on the show and that makes for a lot more real humor than bs! Intelligent humor is my favorite kind and Seinfeld is full of it. The show was written by Jerry Seinfeld and his long time friend Larry David, who was the basis for the George character. As for Kramer, well, he was a neighbor of Jerry's and a lot of the stories came from his actual life… unbelievable, and funny!
There's four equally interesting and hilarious in their own way characters, also known as an ensemble cast. There's Jerry Seinfeld, the comedian, basically playing himself. Elaine Benes, who works for a variety of companies, most of the time working in publishing. She's a former flame of Jerry's and now a good friend. Then there's George, who started out in real estate and eventually becomes unemployed, living with his parents, even, at one point. Finally, there's Kramer… he goes by just one name, but eventually we find out his full name is Cosmo Kramer. He's an enigma, an interesting neighbor of Jerry's who has weird habits and no obvious source of income. Apparently, at one point he worked at the popular New York bagelry, H&H Bagels, but from then on, who knows?
The series revolves around the lives of the main characters… Jerry's many loves who only seem to last one episode most of the time, and they're always very pretty. Some of the guest stars who played his love interest have been Jane Leeves and Terri Hatcher.
Elaine is one of the most crazy in the bunch. When she gets over-excited by something a friend says, she shoves them and says, "Get out!" She cannot seem to keep a man, and even loses one because she's not sure he's 'sponge-worthy.' (When it was discovered her fave birth control, the sponge, was being discontinued, she bought up as many as she could and insulted her man by suggesting he wasn't worthy of using up her supply.)
George Costanza is the other nut in the bunch. At times, he goes by his alter-ego 'Art VanDelay' who is either an importer/exporter or an architect…he uses this invented character to impress people…pretty pathetic. He is balding and heavy set and has issues finding a woman to date him. When he finally finds the girl he thinks is the one, he asks her to marry him, then has second thoughts as the wedding approaches. His soon-to-be-bride ends up dying because of his terminal cheapness. You see, the glue in the very cheap wedding invitation's envelopes was toxic.
The very popular and bigger than life character is Kramer. He does so many bizarre things, he is practically a cartoon character, more than a person. He decides to use butter to condition his skin in the jacuzzi and making his friend (the mailman, Newman), hungry… finding him hard to resist (he even pictures him as a big turkey). Kramer also decides to sell his stories about his life to Elaine's boss (much like the REAL Kramer sold his stories to Jerry and Larry David I'd suppose) and eventually, he realizes these stories are important to him and he wants them back. Since he can't do that, he sets up the Real Kramer Bus Tour around the city, telling people about his life. Thing is, this REALLY happened with the REAL Kramer (Kenny Kramer), too. He said he mainly used it to get women!!
There are so many funny episodes throughout this series. There's the contest, where they decide to see how long it will take for them to break down and 'take care of themselves.' It's so funny, all the euphemisms they come up with for masturbation, and they never actually use that word. Hilarious.
Another great episode involves the Soup Nazi… another REAL guy with great soup in New York. (Trust me, sooo good. I've tried the Mulligatawny and Lobster Bisque, OMG wow!) Don't upset the Soup Nazi, just place your order, pay and move along. No questions, no jokes, no nothing or you could get banned. "No soup for you!"
George has problems with an Italian place in another episode, a place his boss loves to get calzones from. George puts money in the tip jar, but the guy behind the counter doesn't notice. George being as cheap as he is, wants credit for his tip, so he goes to fish it out and try to tip again in front of the guy. Welll, he gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and gets thrown out as well. Too funny!
Thing is, anything and everything in this show can be made into something really special and hilarious. The timing, the actors, it was just a perfect meshing of the right cast with the right writers. There are episodes spent entirely waiting for their name to be called at a Chinese Restaurant and in a parking garage trying to find a lost car. Everyday things made into humorous, memorable episodes. The phrase "Yada yada yada" or calling people by nicknames like "Re-gifter" or "Close Talker" became talked about 'did you see that?' moments when the show originally aired.
That's what made Seinfeld so great. I have a feeling it will be one of those shows that people will always have a fondness for, like Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy before them… It's a show about nothing and a show about everything ...friendship, life, love... done brilliantly and timelessly.
The box set is really nice and has so much to offer besides the original 9 seasons....
- 32 DVDs that contain all 180 episodes
- Over 100 hours of amazing extras
- The Official Coffee Table Book: an anthology filled with photos, quotes, and trivia from every episode
- A bonus disc with the cast reunion, plus Larry David's thoughts on the anniversary of the series finale
- Documentaries on all 9 seasons
- Lots of inside looks and bloopers, as well as deleted scenes (Including the 'Not That There's Anything Wrong With That' bloopers, 'Yada Yada Yada' commentaries, 'Sein-Imation' cartoons, and lots of comments about the show's running joke-theme: nothing)
The set comes in a nice collector's case that will come in handy... it's a lifetime of laughs, available at a moment's notice! :) Share it with someone who missed the show the first time around or someone who misses those wacky and memorable 'Seinfeld-isms.'
Barnes and Noble
