A Review About Nothing

    Now almost thirty years later, one iconic sitcom still holds a solid place in almost any conversation. If you thought the show was “Friends,” then you thought wrong, but not that there’s anything wrong with that. However if the word “Seinfeld” and it’s many iconic lines don’t resonate with you after this, you’ll have the lovers of this iconic 90s sitcom screaming “Serenity now!”

          To begin, the show Seinfeld premiered back in 1989 (George H.W. Bush was President) but the show didn’t really hit home with viewers until linear story-telling was brought in at the end of season three. After that the rest of the show was purely iconic moments, great storylines, and unexpected social cues still used today and of course, yada, yada, yada. 

          Without a doubt the names Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld,) George (Jason Alexander,) Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus,) and Kramer (Michael Richards) will be steadfast in your heart and soul. Essentially their friendship drives the show and oh the show is about nothing as it is very much dialogue driven. This is beyond exceptional as each episode has something specific to offer about society then and if modern technology existed thirty years ago, it’d be almost like looking into a mirror. However it pushes the social norms that would probably and most likely get canceled today. Even when something that could be seen as a turning point happens, it never affects these characters because they don’t grow as people. Despite that, everything they talk about is just enough to guarantee a watch.

          Now I cannot just review the show without discussing some iconic lines (like I didn’t just sneak some into the intro), which created iconic moments. Also I cannot do some very funny running gags.

To narrow it down to a few lines, we have “No soup for you” (season 7 episode 6,) “A Festivus for the rest of us” (season 9 episode 10,) “And you want to be my latex salesman” (season 3 episode 17,) “I don’t have a square to spare” (season 5 episode 12,) “The sea was angry that day my friends” (season 5 episode 12,) “Serenity now” (season 9 episode 13,) “My life is the complete opposite of everything I want it to be” (season 5 episode 22,) “But I don’t want to be a pirate” (season 5 episode 2,) “A George divided against itself cannot stand” (season 7 episode 8,) and “Who’s gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It’s chocolate, it’s peppermint, it’s delicious”(season 4 episode 20.) Now what all these lines have in common is that they set their respective episodes’ story tremendously.

Moving on, with all those iconic lines, there has to be some iconic running gags such as whenever the song ‘Morning Train (9 to 5)’ by Sheena Easton is played (season 8 episode 3, season 9 episode 1.) Particularly my favorite scene from this gag involves George in episode 1 of season 9 which in turns sets up even more consequences that take place later in the story. Also whenever the line “Hello Newman” is said, one cannot think what is the history behind that and again, I love when Jerry’s mom says it in season 5 episode 18; so is the hate for Newman run in the Seinfeld family? Last but not least, the most iconic moment has to be whenever Vandelay, Art Vandely or Vandelay Industries is mentioned. Vandelay has always had a presence in the show thanks to George but in the series finale, a shocking yet hilarious revelation is revealed.

I couldn’t mention all of my favorites as I’d like to save some for those who will surely check out the show. The key thing about the show was that the characters never grew yet they never became stale because there was always something new yet consistent about their adventures. To have an overarching story like George’s wife, Kramer’s Los Angeles adventure, and the hatred Newman and Jerry shared for each other. Adding on to that, we cannot forget the supporting cast whether it be the hilarious Bana, the scheming Newman, the phenomenal lawyer Jackie Chiles, and even the Soup Nazi. It is quite wild but they really bring more life into the show especially with how they act with the main cast. I could literally write an article all about them but I’ll save that for another time. 

          So it’s crazy how much dialogue, pure coincidence, and just random life-like things can carry a show and I really give Larry David the props, in fact all the credit for the most part. 

The line “I know Larry David was the mind behind Seinfeld,” by Kanye West sums up the latter seasons really well. To be specific the show somewhat lowers in quality from where it once was and that had nothing to do with time like other shows; it was due to Larry David leaving the show. Not going to spoiler or set any expectations but the show about nothing left the audience wanting it to be about something; specifically something moving forward. 

          So the show about nothing can still find ways to maintain its popularity in a time where things started to become politically correct. It is astounding how a show about nothing can explore many of society’s complexes, nuances, and struggles as it can seemingly be a show about everything. 

          The quote by George Costanza seemingly wraps it all up,”Nothing happens on the show. You see, it’s just like life. You know, you eat, you go shopping.” Although I mentioned a lot about Georgetown, Kramer may be the one who delivers most laughs or Elaine, maybe Jerry. The sitcom is rated TV-14 for sexual references, language, and for use of alcohol, drugs, and smoking.  You can check it out on Hulu or catch the occasional reruns on television.