There is no doubt that Seinfeld has reshaped the world of comedy, but the breadth and scope of its influence is practically immeasurable. The world of TV is now eternally divided into two eras: pre-Seinfeld and post-Seinfeld, clearly marking the nine-year run of one of the greatest sitcoms ever created.
Aside from stellar comic timing, generating a convoluted network of arcs as themes within itself, as well as it’s perfect cast, Seinfeld‘s popularity stems from a number of other factors, the most important of which are mentioned in the list below.
10 The Plot Inconsistency
This is not a bad thing at all; in fact, Seinfeld‘s focus on sketches over narrative enhancement is what makes it unique. To take some of the weight away from the main cast, several supporting characters populate the show; each personality is delved into with as much sophistication as the plots surrounding them.
In addition, the fact that Kramer, George, Jerry and Elaine are just there: they refuse to improve themselves, evolve, or even exhibit the slightest desire for change; their roles are significant because they mirror the stagnation that real life actually feels like.
9 The Focus On The Small Details
The great thing about Seinfeld episodes is that they don’t paint the picture in broad strokes like many other sitcoms do, but rather expose the most mundane activities for the sources of comedy they really are.
Elaine discusses this at one point, claiming that she’s exhausted from having to “pore over the excruciating minutiae of every single daily event,” but that’s exactly what they all continue to do, regardless. The series takes mundane ideas like eating, shopping, going to work, and weave beautiful, intricate anecdotes around them.
8 The Single-Camera Sitcom
At first, Seinfeld was shot in three cameras, but Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld decided to overturn the “ban on single cameras” placed on them by NBC. More and more scenes were shot using only one camera, for instance, those with the characters outside, until it became practically impossible to keep the multi-camera sitcom standard afloat.
In fact, this feature is probably one of the most dynamic precedents set by the series, and was soon followed by a considerable number of shows appearing on network television.
7 The Meta-Narration
Seinfeld has established itself as a self-aware sitcom, breaking the fourth wall in ways nobody imagined possible. In “The Pitch”, Jerry is asked by NBC to pitch his own show, which George automatically decides he wants to be a part of.
This is almost exactly what happened in reality, except it happened to be Larry David instead of George Costanza (obviously.) In “The Raincoats”, Jerry and his girlfriend get caught making out while allegedly watching Schindler’s List (1993), which is supposed to be thinly veiled reference to Steven Spielberg’s dependence on Seinfeld humor while directing his extremely depressing opus.
6 The Hottest Cultural Commentary
Rather than play on ancient memes and tired references, Seinfeld has the audacity to take on topics that were trending around the time. For instance, Jerry’s irrational hatred of the Levi’s ad for its Cotton Dockers was actually based on how audiences actually responded to the same ad (even SNL did a parody of it.)
Elaine dates a man named Joel Rifkin, who unfortunately shares his name with a serial killer caught in 1993 in NYC. Elaine’s “maybe the dingo ate your baby” alludes to an incident in the Australian desert during which a dingo did, in fact, ate a baby. Finally, most of “The Big Salad” is a gigantic poster for the O.J. Simpson 1994 murder case, trial, and subsequent acquittal over lack of evidence.
5 The Absolute Shamelessness
The series talked about things that nobody else was talking about, but also did it in a way that it was impossible to confirm what they were actually talking about. For example, in “The Contest”, the gang discusses the “challenges” facing masturbation control by referring to the idea indirectly.
In fact, Seinfeld attempts to tackle all sorts of taboo topics, including Antisemitism, queerness, masturbation, and loads more — building these concepts up over the course of the respective episode before the entire structure comes collapsing down (exactly on time and exactly as planned.)
4 The Influence On Genre
One of the major modifications of art of TV — the acceptance of morally ambiguous, or even downright malicious, characters — has its roots in Seinfeld and its fab four.
None of them, not even Jerry (who is the least objectionable), can be called a decent human being (let alone a good person.) Elements of this subjective immorality can be seen in later series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and, to an extent, Walter White in Breaking Bad.
3 The Mockery Of The Audience
Viewers were livid when they watched the series finale, believing it to be a betrayal of everything the nothingness stood for. This was, in part at least, an intentional choice, as the showrunners wanted to flip the whole thing on its head by teasing the conclusion of Seinfeld and then unceremoniously taking away the satisfaction of closure from the audience.
In this, it truly became what it set out to be: a show that refused to hold back just because there might be some people who find it annoying or disconcerting. In fact, the script even completes a full circle, with the final discussion as per shirt button location being the exact same one described in “The Pilot.”
2 The Eternal Relevance
The relatability is so high that people who don’t know anything about NYC, or how to speak English, would find mirth in the form of Kramer’s eccentric body movements.
Seinfeld has never once stopped producing profits for everyone invested in it, mostly Warner Bros., due to its continuously updated syndication rights. This exorbitant financial accomplishment only reflects audience interest in the show, making it one of the few 90s sitcoms that might actually stand the test of time (for now.)
1 Elaine Benes
There have been very, very few sitcom characters (or TV in general, to be honest), that even come close to the slapstick majesty that is Elaine Benes. It wasn’t her unbridled independence that was pathbreaking, it was the idea that women in comedy could, in theory, be as offensive/appalling as anyone else.
This, coming at a time when women were still not acknowledged as equal to men in the context of satire, basically destroyed the mold. Julia Louis-Dreyfus re-encapsulates this nature, albeit very differently, as President Selina Meyer in Veep, but her most influential inheritor has to be Tina Fey from 30 Rock.