Jerry Seinfeld is a master comedian, writer, and producer, best known for his work on the sitcom named after himself. The show, which ran for nine seasons, changed the landscape of comedy shows at large and expanded the scope of storytelling.
Seinfeld took inspiration from a lot of mundane places, but he was capable of weaving it into something extraordinary. This is a testament to his comic genius, as proven by the fact that even reruns of the show are popular, even if they seem ordinary. Moreover, he went The Honeymooners‘ way with his answer when asked about the longevity of his work.
Jerry Seinfeld answers why his show is still so popular
Jerry Seinfeld has been in the show business for nearly five decades. In that time, he has managed to evoke laughter like no other, and has also managed to make his audience weep. His ability to arouse such visceral reactions is one of the reasons he is considered to be among the best in the business.
The show Seinfeld is one of the most important pieces of television history. The comedian, who also wrote the script, borrowed extensively from his own life experiences. Larry David, another influential comedian who worked on the show. He too, wrote his experiences into the script, and the results were often hilarious.
The show ran from 1989 to 1998, but even after it ended, Seinfeld’s popularity did not wane. In fact, the show remains one of the most watched even today. The studio had also tried to bring Seinfeld back with a lucrative offer, but he refused.
In 2020, Jerry Seinfeld opened up during an interview on Q with Tom Power. He spoke on a variety of subjects, some of which related to his show. He had a very simple answer when the question about the show’s longevity came up.
“I’ll give you the Jackie Gleason answer because he was asked this question about The Honeymooners his entire life. People would always ask, “Why do you think these shows are still on?” And he had a two word answer: “they’re funny,” he said.
Seinfeld may have ended over 25 years ago, but its impact on popular culture cannot be denied. To this day, it remains influential, even if, as a show, it went nowhere.
How did Seinfeld affect popular culture?
The show is set in Manhattan. It chronicled the lives of four friends, Jerry, George Costanza, his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes, and his neighbor Cosmo Kramer.
NBC Studios wanted the show to be shot in front of a live audience to capture the laughter tracks. David and Seinfeld, the masterminds behind the show, wanted more breathing space to work with. The duo wanted to use a single-camera setup, unlike the multiple-camera setup the studio wanted. To achieve this, they started shooting outdoors more often. This idea helped birth the possibility of expanding cinematographic skills.
The show dealt with a number of topics that were considered taboo back then, very sensitively. This meant subjects like antisemitism, homosexuality, and such. Even the main characters were far from perfect and went on to inspire the protagonists of several shows, such as Arrested Development and Breaking Bad.
Jerry Seinfeld’s work is still studied and appreciated to this day. Even though the story was set in the 1990s, it was ahead of most others in every possible way.
