Board 8 > Watching Seinfeld for the first time

(+) Yeah! (+)

We've been watching it at home. It never got that big in Danmark, so I never watched it on TV. We are now two seasons in, and I can see the first two are shorter than the rest.

Does it get much better?

It's not at all bad. I just haven't really been caught by it either. Season 2 had some alright episodes. I also started feeling the main characters a bit, except Jerry himself, who is a pretty dull lead tbh. Does that change?

Season 3 is where the show really hits its stride.

ctesjbuvf posted...

except Jerry himself, who is a pretty dull lead tbh. Does that change?

That never really changes, but everything else really picks up in season 3.

I just did this earlier this year!

it became easy watching tv for me. Generally amusing, some laugh out loud moments. I can see why it had the cultural impact it did

A Seinfeld topic where I have to be wary of spoilers makes me uncomfortable lol.

Season 1 and 2 are NOTEABLY weaker than 3 onwards. When I'm picking a random episode on a night to night basis, I typically don't open the tabs for 1 and 2.

2 is stronger than 1 and both have a few all time famous episodes, but there's also a lot of misses by Seinfeld standards. 3 is absolutely where we reach the critical turning point of "no more bad episodes in the series". It's also where they stop trying to pretend Kramer is a human being and he starts to evolve into the cryptid he was always meant to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpwJE5DEk7U

It's so bizarre going back to some of the earlier episodes, and you've got plot lines like...hey are Jerry and Elaine gonna get back together??

Still trying to pretend it's a show about something and not a show about nothing.

And people say Jerry is the weak link but honestly his presence as the straight man who's still loud and insane himself sometimes is vital.

https://youtu.be/ol4ukdjxdUM

But even this clip shows what a drastically different character Kramer becomes, because this scene with him coming and legitimately apologizing in a down mood and feeling bad is like....who is this lol.

Jerry is a great straight man

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

But even this clip shows what a drastically different character Kramer becomes, because this scene with him coming and legitimately apologizing in a down mood and feeling bad is like....who is this lol.

Yeah, Kramer was originally supposed to be the building's weirdo who never left his apartment. I'm not even sure it was supposed to be a main role. But then Michael Richards kinda ran with it and the character evolved into what he became.

I like early seinfeld and the more down to earth characterizations, though it does get sharper writing in middle seasons.

Later seasons get a little too goofy

I think it's also important to watch Seinfeld with the understanding that it's the originator of a lot of modern comedy. If something on the show feels cliche, it's probably because that's where the cliche started.

I just straight up skipped the first two seasons on my recent rewatch. I think there's actually a lot of stuff in the first two seasons I've never seen, but yeah, season 3 is where it gets good.

I watched the first three seasons awhile back and kind of stopped but I don't remember why

but anyway Jerry was my favorite of the bunch

The Robbery is the only S1 episode I still watch sometimes, and it's mostly just for that first half.

There's a few Season 2 episodes I will watch, but at the end of the day a lot of them I would rather just pull up the good clips from the episode on YouTube. Even The Chinese Restaurant, one of the more famous episodes, is mostly held up by nostalgia.

Mid run Seinfeld is some of the best TV.

Just understand, as someone else said, the "cliches" you see were most likely started here.

only watched through it once, but i think S4 is very noticeable better than S3, even - and that's where the show becomes GOAT stuff

Oh I haven't minded any cliches or anything.

I also happened to watch Seinfeld for the first time this year. The first two seasons were a struggle, but I eventually fell into its rhythms and absolutely love it now that I've finished.

Oh, I actually do have ONE issue with S3 and on Seinfeld.

For a few seasons in the middle, I forget exactly which, they started pumping in applause box audio every time Kramer first busts into Jerry's apartment in an episode for the first time.

This can get annoying because, again, just feels off for the type of show this is at that point.

Seinfeld is a lot like Simpsons in that the first season is pretty meh, but not bad. Season 2 starts to build and has some good to great episodes.

Season 3 is where both take off with classic after classic after classic.

Seinfeld however ended before it ever started to really decline, while Simpsons is still going somehow.

Actually Married with Children also has sort of the same arc. Season 1 is kinda weird and then it just goes to an insane level of quality until it ends.

Whiskey_Nick posted...

Seinfeld is a lot like Simpsons in that the first season is pretty meh, but not bad. Season 2 starts to build and has some good to great episodes.

Season 3 is where both take off with classic after classic after classic.

Seinfeld however ended before it ever started to really decline, while Simpsons is still going somehow.

Actually Married with Children also has sort of the same arc. Season 1 is kinda weird and then it just goes to an insane level of quality until it ends.

This is basically every good episodic sitcom. Weird/mediocre first season -> Good/great seasons -> Massive decline unless it ends before that happens

I don't actually know what Seinfeld would have been like if it had kept going, because honestly on paper some of the episodes in 8 and 9 are absolute dumbass nonsense and feel like shark jumps, but they're some of the best episodes in the entire series. Same with some of the characters introduced. I always forget Putty didn't become a recurring character until near the end of the show, he feels like a staple.

So like...yeah I just don't know how far it would have had to go before the supports fell lit from under it, because it sure felt like those supports were holding strong.

married with children is better early on than later but it's just not as good of a show as the best sitcoms

UshiromiyaEva posted...

they started pumping in applause box audio every time Kramer first busts into Jerry's apartment in an episode for the first time.

Honestly this made me feel like he was kind of an overrated character at the time, even though he's still great.

I do like that apparently Kramer's 100th entrance is: "I'm out!"

I don't remember the seasons but I do remember individual episodes. I think the parking garage episode was in one of the first two seasons. Jerry urinating and getting caught is the highlight of those two seasons.

The show improves dramatically when more and more side characters get introduced.

GranzonEx posted...

I don't remember the seasons but I do remember individual episodes. I think the parking garage episode was in one of the first two seasons. Jerry urinating and getting caught is the highlight of those two seasons.

The show improves dramatically when more and more side characters get introduced.

It's actually season 3. I think The Chinese Restaurant is the only episode from the first two seasons typically held up as a classic.

FoolFantastic posted...

It's actually season 3. I think The Chinese Restaurant is the only episode from the first two seasons typically held up as a classic.

I think I know why I thought that episode was early Seinfeld. It's because it had that season 1 orange glint.