Over the years, there have been many funny, clever sitcoms that have been written for television. Some of the classic comedic TV shows include, "The Honeymooners", "M*A*S*H", "All in the Family", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Carol Burnett Show", "Burns and Allen", "Friends", "Cheers", "Frazier", etc. By far, the one sitcom that stands well above this classic list is the "Seinfeld" sitcom.
The Seinfeld series produced 180 shows over a 9 year span, coming to a close in 1998. However, the show (reruns) continues to flourish in syndication, and continues to gain in popularity. The show was created by comedian Jerry Seinfeld and writer Larry David.
The premise of the show focuses on the daily lives and escapades of 4 neurotic misfits in New York City: Jerry, George Costanza (actor Jason Alexander), Cosmo Kramer (actor Michael Richards), and Elaine Benis (actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The interactions of these four main characters provided a comedic synergy, never seen before in a sitcom.
The popularity of this television sitcom has been unmatched to date. The overall viewership of each episode far exceeded any of its classic rivals. This, in itself, is a testament to the show's extreme popularity, and to it's overall ranking of Best Television Comedy ever.
Some other supporting evidence for this show's extreme popularity includes the following:
Idioms have crept into the language - Many Seinfeld-generated idioms, sayings, and mannerisms have crept into the English language, which is a direct function of the show's world-wide popularity.
Show about Nothing - Each show's plot was truly about a totally trivial topic. The show's popularity grew by large dimensions due to each episode's plot "about nothing".
Comedic Synergy - The show's 4 stars uniquely were able to bond and seamlessly integrate into a comedic force. The actors' and actresses' ability to play off one another, created an unparalleled comedic force, second to none.
Role Stereotypes - The stereotypes portrayed by each of the 4 stars of the show were uncanny. Jerry played the part of the successful playboy, George played the part of the perverbial loser, Kramer played the part of the eccentric neighbor, and Elaine played the part of the sophisticated, yet neurotic former girlfriend.
Syndication - The show's tremendous success in syndication is testimony to the show's phenomenal popularity and "cult-like" following.
Paraphernalia - The show continues to generate revenue from assorted Seinfeld "accessories" including DVD collections, books, posters, and other various items.
Trivia - The show's popularity has resulted in many Seinfeld trivia contests and tests being born. Trivia from the show is invariably discussed at parties all over America.
Clearly, the above evidence adds credence to the show deserving the "Best Television Comedy Ever" accolade. We may never again see a show produced that has the same level of comedic value as Seinfeld.
Douglas Hayman, President of Expert Software Systems, is a database expert, web designer, and comedy aficionado, who has developed numerous informational websites, including:
