Before you submit your death threat in the comments, hear me out! I love Friends, and it was one of the first “adult” sitcoms that I could watch and therefore holds a special place in my heart. I have since re-watched the full series twice and have watched reruns I don’t know how many times. However, my parents kept Seinfeld off my “allowed” shows so I did not get to experience it for all of its greatness until I was an adult. Taking nostalgia off the plate for Friends and Seinfeld won me over and continues to each time I re-watch an episode and listed below are my top reasons why.
5. Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer (yes even him) were real people facing real things
Don’t get me wrong, Monica’s OCD rings true for a lot of us just like Joey’s love for food. But the deep development of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer’s characters made them flawed, sometimes unlikeable, but often funny individuals. They were each unique and one could not replace the other and the show would not have been the same without each character. They were funny because they were living through everyday events, relationships, and awkward encounters that we find ourselves in as adults. Seinfeld did not need over the top plots or schemes that Friends often used to get a laugh. Simply losing your car in a parking garage was enough for Seinfeld.
4. Humor
Every single time I watch Joey doing lunges with all of Chandlers clothes on I laugh, but as time has gone on, I have realized that the humor in Friends was the obvious insult or punchline. Enter Seinfeld and a more sophisticated level of comedy and sarcasm. If you aren’t paying attention you may miss the joke altogether because its not just a one liner but has been built over the course of the episode. Teenage me watching loved the over the top jokes and Chandler’s one liners, but 30 something me appreciates the effort put into a well-crafted episode long punchline.
3. Longevity & Relatability
It amazes me every time I watch Seinfeld how the show is still relevant all of these years later. Sure, there are some problematic opinions here and there, (what show from this time period didn’t have them?) but all in all you could change some style choices and make the show work in current times. Seinfeld’s realistic approach to the character’s lives also make it something that people can watch and think about being younger and dealing with the same situation or, like me, now facing some of those same things at the same age as them. However, the unrealistic settings and lives that the characters in Friends have make the shown entertaining but unrelatable. I am pretty sure a friend of mine working a retail job in the small city I live in could not even afford to live with just one roommate, yet Rachel could afford to live in a GIANT New York apartment. And Chandler made enough money to just support him and Joey for years? When George lost his job he eventually had to move back in with his parents…how many 30 somethings are facing that situation RIGHT NOW?
2. Seinfeld doesn’t have a Ross
YES, everyone hates Ross. I know that isn’t uncommon knowledge and is probably one of the most agreed upon television opinions. I could write a doctoral thesis on why Ross sucks, but my point is a little bit more focused than his general annoyingness. Seinfeld didn’t need a Ross in the dynamic in order to have a steady stream of comedy, bad luck, and poor decisions. Each of the four main characters were allowed to be flawed enough to have an occasional “Ross” moment. Albeit George often provided several of them, his cast members called him out for it. They did what you would do in real life to a friend like that, called him out on his crap and tried to help him be a better person.
1. Seinfeld has Elaine
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the sh*t and if you don’t agree why don’t you go count her awards and nominations and rethink your opinion. Elaine is smart, funny, confident (with just the right touch of self-doubt to be real), and honest; everything that a teen girl should have been watching. Julia’s amazing acting and comedic timing bring every character to life in an undeniably amazing way. Seinfeld might have been about Jerry, but it would have been nothing without Elaine. I don’t feel like I can say that about any one character on Friends. Sure, if Chandler had left I would have missed his one liners or if they had killed off Ross like so many of us had wished we wouldn’t have learned as many random dinosaur facts (did anyone ever fact check him?) but would the show have failed upon their departure? My guess is probably not because I know I still would have watched. If none of my other reasons have swayed you to my side, this one should.
And if you haven’t given Seinfeld a shot because you’re a diehard Friends fan, I am begging you to do so with an open mind. I still love friends as much as teenage me did, but Seinfeld holds that top spot. You can love both shows, I promise you won’t spontaneously combust due to how conflicted you will feel after watching.
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