I am on a mailing list which Kenny Kramer (the real Kramer) is also subscribed to. He recently posted this interesting explanation of what has happened to our favorite show. Very enlightening.
In a message dated 97-11-02 14:38:17 EST,[email] wrote: <<You may have seen a snippet of me on Hard Copy or Extra. My comment about 40 seconds long became a 4 second sound bite. Here is what I didn't get to say on air.
When Larry David was the shows executive producer he supervised every aspect of the show. The writing, casting, filming, editing, sweetening, everything. It was Larry's show and Larry's comedic sensibility directed the stories. Larry's sense of humor is very dark. Grounded in reality, Larry likes to show people in their worst moments of selfishness, insincerity, insecurity and depravity. When Larry left the show Jerry stepped in as Executive Producer and now it's Jerry's sense of humor that runs the show and Jerry, is not a dark guy. The writing remains good because over the years Larry and Jerry recruited and nurtured some of the best writers ever. Most of them are still there. But its the little nuances that are now different. In one of the first shows of season 96-97 AD (After David) there were some jokes through which we discover that Jerry and George are Treckies. That would have never happened on Larry's watch and I think that subtle shift is very telling. Larry's stories are usually reality based, Jerry can go with being zany. I don't think ones better than the other, just a different sensibility. I go with Graucho, some prefer the 3 stooges.
Since Larry left the show I don't think there's any questioning the fact that Jerry has come out of any shadow he was under and proved he can run his own show. He has had some great episodes. The Peterman Reality Tour one has to be one of my favorites, but I'm sure you can understand that.
Giddy-Up!!!
kenny kramer
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