I’ve watched Friends religiously since the seventh grade.  When I started understanding more and more of the jokes told, my dad started saying, “You have to watch Seinfeld.”  After my dad told me many times to watch the sitcom, and after hearing about it from other people I’ve talked to, I decided to give it a try about a year ago.  I’ll be honest, it took me by surprise!  Prior to watching Seinfeld, I knew it was “a show about nothing.”  I’ve always asked, “What does that mean?” and “How can a run for so long as as successfully as Seinfeld if it’s ‘about nothing?”  And it’s just that – because the show was “about nothing”, it became a form of comfort for those that watched.  This will sound harsh, and before the Seinfeld fans start yelling, let me finish: lack of depth, no change, no plot, just a simple show that you can pick up from anywhere.  Mr. Walton says, “Seinfeld‘s unwavering commitment to its core principles of preventing any character from learning lessons”, despite exploring major life themes managed to be “funnier” than Friends “and remained a comedy throughout its run. Friends became a comedy/drama.”  He also believes that Joey from Friends was a terrible character and I beg to differ.  Back to the matter at hand, Seinfeld‘s comedic consistency over the course of nine seasons built a strong fanbase that Jerry Seinfeld would headline a show unlike any other.

If you’re a regular reader of The Viking Times, you’ll know that I wrote an article back in September about the 30th anniversary of Friends.  In the form I sent out then, I received feedback regarding Seinfeld, how that humor was better than Friends’.   I decided to take a step back an evaluate the two shows while interview some members of the Winthrop High School staff.

Friends was a comedy show that started out in 1994 that took on dramatic undertones as the seasons went on and as the characters progressed.  The show is heavily based on companionship and the relation between others, especially between the group of the six.  One of the biggest drama plots was between Ross and Rachel, and this lasted nearly the entire series.  “People who were looking for… escapist TV gravitated towards Friends.  The other things is the Internet, which happened during Friends, but not during Seinfeld,” says Mr. Dixon of Winthrop High School.  “Friends was always the fantasy; it always seemed unfinished, like it was building toward something big, while Seinfeld prided itself on building toward nothing. It didn’t try to say anything profound. It was just funny.”

Seinfeld, contrasting to Friends, consisted of more unlikeable characters, if you will.  Jerry, George, and Elaine were a little more self-centered, and some could argue narcissistic.  Kramer was there for the comic relief element and in ever scene he was in, he delivered.  Seinfeld‘s humor was a lot drier and socially satirical than Friends.  Overall, the show was more “organic”, and in the sense that nothing was really “centrally planned” Mr. Dixon said.  The show also differed from other TV shows that were popular like Roseanne and Married… With Children.  Mr. Parsons pointed out that Seinfeld was a “non-family based sitcom.”  This element coupled with the unusually dry dialogue made for a show that stood out during it’s time.

Both Friends and Seinfeld have contributed massively to American pop culture.  Friends brought on the ongoing battle of whether or not Ross and Rachel were on a break, the romantic “friend zone” stage of a relationship, Ross’s screaming of “Pivot!”, and Joey’s “How you doin’?”  Seinfeld brought classic moments, from the Soup Nazi, to George’s photoshoot, Jerry’s white puffy shirt, marble rye, and Elaine’s infamous “Little Kicks.”  Ms. D’Agostino says that Seinfeld is “so quotable and there’s so many things people will say an they’ll know it’s from Seinfeld.”  If I’m being completely honest, “yada yada yada” was said so often in my house that I had no idea it was a Seinfeld reference until a few years ago!  Whether you prefer the comfort of the orange couch at Central Perk or the cozy diner booth at Tom’s Restaurant, both Friends and Seinfeld have made their marks in American pop culture.

Which show do you prefer?