I was LOL at "The Serenity Now", but it appears as though a lot of people on this NG think this whole season has been a bust. In that case, let me pose a question to you: was "The Serenity Now" worse than "The Seinfeld Chronicles"? Or ANY of the episodes in the first two seasons? Because as far as I'm concerned, those eps were some of the worse shows I've ever seen. "The Busboy" was so off it's not funny. I guess all those Larry David worshippers forget that he wrote all of Seinfeld's horrible episodes.
Two, the show is still heads and shoulders above the rest of the television sitcoms on TV. I know that is said a lot around here, but it really does apply to Seinfeld. Try watching a few hours of the new sitcoms and (save for Dharma and Greg) you'll see what I mean.
There is a HUGE difference between the first two seasons and this season. For one, it is expected that the first seasons of a sitcom aren't going to be top quality. But I do feel that the writing in the first two seasons really wasn't that bad at all. For example, I felt that the characters in the first two seasons were very realistic. I really felt like I was watching the lives of four people living in New York City. The show was relaxed and real - though, the first seasons did in fact lack laughs. Now that the show has been on for nearly a decade, shouldn't we expect and demand that the episodes be top quality? These writers and actors are veterans of television, plus they are being paid millions of dollors a year. They ought to be producing better episodes. Some people might enjoy the cartoonish characters, and the wacky, unrealistic plot lines, and the cheap laughs of today's episodes. And there are others, like myself, who long for what once was - realistic plot lines, realistic characters, and intelligent writing. Are this season's episodes better than any other sitcoms on TV? Well, unfortunately, there isn't much that can compete with Seinfeld's mediocre comedy this season. But I feel there a few comedies out there that easily can - such as Fraiser, The Simpsons, and fledgling newbies, such as Everybody Loves Raymond.
The simple fact is, people all want the current season to be like "the old days", and they reference episodes like The Parking Garage, The Bubble Boy, and The Contest, forgetting that those same seasons produced shows like The Bris, and The Stranded. The past has shown us that not every episode will be a classic, and most shows have parts we like, and parts we don't.
This is silly logic. If time makes a writer great, why did Cheers not last forever, or The Cosby Show? Why is Cosby's new show not number one now? Look at the past few episodes and compare them to the first few--which are better? Most would say that these last four are better than the first four, right?
In the past, we've had plots like Jerry ending a relationship because his date likes a "Dockers" commercial, and there was a detective-like librarian tracking down books 20 years overdue. These are hardly realistic. Newman as a dog "hitman"? Realistic? Come on! There were cartoonish characters like the Soup Nazi (everyone's favorite), a man who wanted to be called "Maestro", and Poppie. One character spoke of himself in the third person! Hell, Kramer is the most cartoonish of them all, and he's a main character! I'd say most of the show is about outladnish plots, and characters with normal habits and quirks of human personality blown to unrealistic proportions!
You want to know why shows end? Because we begin to expect too much. We begin to associate Seinfeld with The Bubble Boy and The Contest, and every week, it has to be just that funny, or it's not funny at all. Watch a week of reruns. Each show will have some funny parts, and then there will be parts that are not so funny. Can you tell me that you haven't laughed at all these last few Thursday nights? Elaine and her bet with Jerry over David Puddy? Or Kramer's intern for Kramerica Enterprises? Jerry choosing the right to speak in a funny voice over a beautiful woman? That's what Seinfeld is all about! Those all had me laughing! How about you?
Watch this week's show with a little more relaxed mind, don't expect it to be as funny as The Outing or The Switch, because few ever are. Just enjoy! You'll laugh some, and I think you'll just find yourself smiling through the whole show. After all, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer--they're your friends! Relax, and long live Seinfeld!
yes---all good points, but the past two seasons didn't have the same chemistry as before. they had simple, funny plots....even the ones that weren't as good are more watchable then the new stuff because the characters had better chemistry. how can you watch reruns of SEINFELD(first 6 season--some of 7th season) and say it hasn't changed. it has changed a lot, and i still like it, but the older episodes are better. i can relate to them more, it's like were just watching life, not a tv show. plus now the actors are so over paid, they should be doing a better job. dan
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion of the new season, but in your criticism of those of us who think the quality of the show has declined, you have rebutted your own argument. You claim that the first four episodes were poor. Yet you condemn most of the new shows, and I don't think any of them have reached their fifth episode. You are essentially saying that a show in its 9th season can have bad episodes at the beginning because of longevity, but a new series cannot be given a thumbs despite the same poor start.
Waiting for a good episode this season. Rich
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While I admit that these scenes were pretty funny, both of these shows lacked the humour that a lot of whiners on here (hi Justin) keep complaining about regarding the new shows. Neither of these shows kept me entertained for 30 minutes, and I don't see why one scene makes the show any better than some of the new ones.
There have been some good scenes in the new episodes, and yet people still proclaim it to be the worst show on TV. The real problem is, their expectations are so high that Seinfeld is bound to fall short. Until someone else on TV, or someone else on this newsgroup can write anything better, I'll stick to watching the new episodes any and every day.
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But other than that, was ANYTHING funny about this show?! This is, without a doubt, the worst Seinfeld episode I've seen so far. I don't think anyone on this NG has ever said anything positive about this show (outside of this particular 5 second segment).
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I know I'm going to get flamed to a crisp for this, but I didn't find the Chinese Restaurant funny. I've been told that you really have to be in this position to appreciate the humour (and I suppose the fact that I hate Chinese food might have something to do with it) but I didn't enjoy it at all. This ep was nothing to write home about, IMHO.
how can you find GEORGE fater screaming SERENITY NOW and HOOCHIE MAMA funny, but not appreciate the clever writing of THE CHINESe RESTARAUNT? thats the difference betweeen old and new episodes, the old ones were much more clever.
The episode wasn't JUST about a Chinese restaurant - it could have been any restarant. Are you gonna tell me that the joke wouldn't have worked if it had been set in an Italian restaurant and Elaine was going to take a piece of garlic bread? A Chinese restaurant was chosen simply because it was a place that MOST people can identify with, and that does have times when you have to wait (obviously the episode wouldn't work if it was set in McDonalds! Jason