Seinfeld, one of the most successful and iconic television sitcoms of all-time, gained notoriety for its unique format and dialogue. While many sitcoms focus on zany situations and moral values, Seinfeld emphasized realism and lack of sentimentality. Though the show's dialogue is sometimes seen as mere frivolous banter, co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld use the dialogue and situations as spot-on mediums to address the quirks and daily occurrences seen in modern society.
The basic formula for a typical Seinfeld episode goes as follows: protagonist Jerry Seinfeld and friend George Costanza are eating together at a coffee shop, discussing an encounter they've previously had (typically with a girlfriend). while this may seem simple, the dialogue is so down to earth that the audience gets the feeling that in a real life situation, they would actually talk like Jerry and George. Because of this, the dialogue resonates with the audience, and as a result, the viewers become so enamored with the plot that they begin to realize that the quirks pointed out in the show are in actuality commonly seen idiosyncrasies. For example, in the episode, "The Mom & Pop Store", Jerry, in an attempt to find out if he actually was invited to a party hosted by a mutual acquaintance, sends his ex-girlfriend Elaine to investigate. After speaking with the acquaintance, Jerry and Elaine are unable to figure if the host actually invited Jerry due to the fact that they are unsure of what word he emphasized:
Why would Jerry bring anything?
How many times have you found yourself unable to figure out if a person's being sarcastic or serious because you didn't know what word they were emphasizing?
The writers of Seinfeld have also used the witty dialogue and familiar situations to express their beliefs. In a subtle yet astute manner, Seinfeld manages to critique beliefs that modern society have labeled taboo. For example, in the episode, "The Outing", a newspaper reporter mistakenly believes that Jerry and George are a homosexual couple. Jerry and George, in an attempt to prevent themselves from being "outed when they weren't even in", try to persuade the reporter to not write the article:
With that iconic statement, the writers of Seinfeld manage to express the dualism between homophobia and militant Political Correctness. By stating "Not that there's anything wrong with it.", the writers have exposed the fact that P.C. has compelled people to state things in a supercilious manner out of obligation and in fear of offending the masses.
The genius of the show's writers (Larry David in particular) have made Seinfeld not only one of the funniest shows of all time, but also one of the most intelligent shows as well.
Although I never got into Seinfeld, my friends have been telling me forever to watch it, and the few episodes that I have seen were pretty funny. It's really impressive that the show is so funny even though they deal with every day occurrences that we all go through.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true how interesting rhetorically this sitcom is. The fact that the dialogues and situations resemble events that we would actual partake in makes the show very relate-able.Larry David has such a way with wit that you can't help but to crack up at the statements the characters come up with. He brings up great ideas that make sense to everybody and words them in such a humorous way.
ReplyDelete"Seinfeld" was indeed one on the greatest televison shows of all time. When I was a kid I was not allowed to watch cartoons, but I always watched "Seinfeld" with my parents (explains a lot I'd say).
ReplyDelete