Average standup comedian before he got his own show. The real stars of the television show were the characters Kramer, George and several of the side characters, especially Newman. Seinfeld himself (and Elaine) are not all that funny. I also suspect that Larry David was the real creative genius behind this show.
I tried. I really tried to get into Letterman. I remember watching him almost every night for about six months while I was in grad school. I learned that he is not only not funny, he is also an egomaniac in love with the sound of his own voice. It is often clear that he is not the least bit interested in what his guests have to say. I got the strong impression that his popularity originally stemmed from being some sort of anti-Carson, the underdog. It became "cool" to like Letterman.
Another mediocre standup comedian who managed to get his own show. Only, the show is only about half as funny as Seinfeld.
Was never funny. Proof that people will watch whatever you throw in front of them. Yes, I understood what he was trying to do. No, it wasn't funny, or even all that clever.
Seinfeld
ethan on 2004-11-28T07:51:41
I agree that Jerry isn't the funny guy in that show in his own right. However, you need a seemingly average and normal person (him) that contrasts with the neurosis and paranoia of George and Kramer. The same is true for Elaine with her boyfriends. I mean, the monosyllabic David Puddy is just hilarious...but only because he's with her.
Seinfeld is just a show about how people can make a fuss over meaningless things. For that you need strong stereotypes of which the Seinfeld show has plenty. Unlike other sitcoms (think Friends) it deals with them in a very clever way. Also, I love how the different separate plots of a Seinfeld episode are usually linked together in the end.
Btw, is there anyone else who loves the BBC series back from the 70s, "Fawlty Towers" with John Cleese? Now, THAT is comedy as it should be.
Re:Seinfeld
pudge on 2004-11-30T23:06:48
Yeah, Seinfeld knows he is just a standup comedian who got lucky. He knows he is not the funny part of that show, but that he helps the others make the show funny. As to behind the scenes, it really was a melding. Larry and Jerry both contributed significantly to the writing and the direction of the show.
That said, I like Curb Your Enthusiasm better than Seinfeld.
