Has Seinfeld Aged Badly - Does It Need To Be "Fixed"?
Seinfeld is one of the most iconic TV comedies of all time, but has the show stood the test of time? Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) Seinfeld premiered in 1989 and changed television forever. Frequently described as “a show about nothing,” Seinfeld remade the template for the American sitcom with its irreverent humor and slice-of-life style. While still at the top of the ratings, the show ended in 1998 after nine years of critical and commercial success.
As social attitudes about humor evolve over time, aging sitcoms frequently experience a change in public opinion. Sometimes this happens simply as comedic sensibilities shift, with jokes that were once seen as daring and inventive now being viewed as hacky or passé. Other times, a modern outlook puts older comedies under the microscope for content that might now be seen as inappropriate or offensive. With Seinfeld now on Netflix after making its original debut more than 30 years ago, the show is being discovered by a new audience with a brand new perspective.
While Seinfeld’s influence on comedy isn’t going anywhere, the series is showing its age. It is to be expected that a show about the minutiae of everyday life would become at least somewhat dated, as the world changes, but Seinfeld faces a number of unique challenges. From the sense of humor to the real world cast, much of what gives Seinfeld its identity simply looks different through a modern lens.
During its nine-year run, Seinfeld created a number of iconic scenes and lines of dialogue that have gone on to gain cultural relevance outside the scope of the show. While Susan's death in Seinfeld's seventh season might still garner a laugh, many of the show’s most memorable moments have taken on uncomfortable associations. Even the titular character from Seinfeld season 7, episode 6, “The Soup Nazi," who is one of the show's quintessential figures, has received scrutiny because the Nazi comparison feels inappropriate for modern sensibilities.
Jokes that were comparatively progressive for the time are also showing their age. Seinfeld season 4, episode 17, “The Outing,” created the memorable punchline “not that there's anything wrong with that.” This was specifically meant to avoid offense and show that the characters weren’t homophobic, but it’s also rooted in a level of discomfort around gay relationships that can feel antiquated to a modern audience watching Seinfeld on Netflix. It is one of many lines in the series that tackle sensitive subject matter with a wry self-awareness, but with growing social consciousness, these same jokes can feel more prickly than intended.
Throughout the 1990s, the cast members of Seinfeld became inseparable from their television personas. This was so true that in the wake of the show’s end, that extreme level of association with their characters became known as “the Seinfeld curse.” Despite their talent and fame, the cast members all seemed to struggle to find other successful shows. While Julia Louis-Dreyfus has long since broken the supposed curse with both The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep being hits, the cast now poses a fresh concern for new viewers.
In the years since the Seinfeld finale, multiple members of the cast have been embroiled in controversy for offensive or dated views. Michael Richards, beloved for his portrayal of Kramer, had an infamous breakdown at a comedy club in 2006, going on a shocking racist tirade. While Jerry Seinfeld hasn’t done anything so dramatic or outright offensive, he’s clashed with the media over what he perceives to be overly politically correct attitudes toward comedy. While an aging joke in a sitcom might feel largely excusable, viewers may have a harder time shrugging it off when the performer has also appeared in a real-world controversy.
From its fashion sense to its soundtrack, all nine seasons of Seinfeld are completely timestamped as a product of the '90s. In fact, the show was such a phenomenon that it did more than its fair share of shaping '90s culture in the first place. But that means the show’s identity is tied to the past and the ideas and attitudes that were present at the time. From its handling of romantic relationships to its depiction of different ethnic groups, the series features a sense of humor that was completely at home at the time but can feel insensitive in a modern context.
Many of the classic Seinfeld bits just aren’t relevant today due to a technology gap. An entire episode revolves around an answering machine, while many of the predicaments facing the characters could today be quickly resolved with a text. In one episode of Seinfeld, the Kramer character assembles the Merv Griffin Show set in his apartment, and while the reference was already a throwback in the '90s, it’s practically ancient history today. Some of Seinfeld’s humor is timeless, yet just as much feels married to a particular point in time.
While much of Seinfeld’s nine-season run feels like a time capsule, that doesn’t mean the series is entirely unenjoyable. The show’s hyperfocus on minutiae means that some of the particulars have become irrelevant, but the basic foibles and frustrations remain the same. George (Jason Alexander) coming up with a commercial jingle to make a woman remember him might reference a 30-year-old ad campaign, but his pitiable deviousness is as bizarre and hilarious today as ever.
Seinfeld was a groundbreaking sitcom, in large part due to its atypically unlikeable main characters. Most stories feature one or all of them doing or saying something terrible. That style of humor helps Seinfeld feel funny, even if some elements of the stories have aged poorly. In Seinfeld season 4, episode 15, “The Visa,” Jerry accidentally has someone deported. It’s an awful situation and one that is only made more uncomfortable with a modern sensibility. Fortunately, the show doesn’t depict Jerry doing this as some kind of heroic act. It was always a bad thing, and Jerry was never supposed to be celebrated for doing it. While some modern viewers might struggle with accepting deportation as a subject for levity, the act doesn’t break Jerry as a character, and the comedic premise still works.
In a recent interview about Seinfeld’s move to streaming on Netflix, Jerry Seinfeld expressed awareness of the show’s age, saying of some of its episodes, “There’s a number of them that I would love to have a crack at.” While he went on to disregard the entire concept of regret, it’s clear that even to him, some of the show just doesn’t hold up. Still, the aging series isn’t a glaring example of something society should forget; it’s just a reminder that all things have their time, even a show as great as Seinfeld.