SaysWho? Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 57 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said: Seinfeld is great but it is obviously not timeless. It is timeless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarSolo Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Seinfeld and Frasier are all time greats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, SaysWho? said: It is timeless. Seinfeld was ahead of its time so it’s aged well, but... it’s an incredibly white show, it has a laugh track, etc. It’s not any more timeless than something like The Mary Tyler Moore show. That show was great, but people aren’t going back and discovering it now, and they won’t with Seinfeld, either. It’s not timeliness, humor just doesn’t work that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyPiranha Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Nothing is timeless, we just happened to be around when it was relevant. You know how many Seinfeld episodes would be over immediately or never even begin because of cell phones and the internet? The soup nazi? Uber Eats that shit. Can't remember your date's name? Facebook. Bathroom book? Yes, the bookstore market is thriving. Damn, how will we ever find ourselves in this huge parking garage? Oh right, text. Oh shit, I need to call my girlfriend but the only payphone is busy! What the fuck is a payphone? I mean for fuck's sake, Jerry lives in a palatial apartment on a stand up comedian's paycheck and Kramer lives in a similar apartment with no actual job. The New York city they live in just doesn't exist anymore. The jokes are still funny, but it shows its age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclumber1 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 5 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said: Seinfeld was ahead of its time so it’s aged well, but... it’s an incredibly white show, it has a laugh track, etc. It’s not any more timeless than something like The Mary Tyler Moore show. That show was great, but people aren’t going back and discovering it now, and they won’t with Seinfeld, either. It’s not timeliness, humor just doesn’t work that way. My wife and I have been watching Seinfeld lately, and our 10 year old daughter will watch it a bit, and isn't completely bored or disinterested in the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclumber1 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 3 minutes ago, LazyPiranha said: Nothing is timeless, we just happened to be around when it was relevant. You know how many Seinfeld episodes would be over immediately or never even begin because of cell phones and the internet? The soup nazi? Uber Eats that shit. Can't remember your date's name? Facebook. Bathroom book? Yes, the bookstore market is thriving. Damn, how will we ever find ourselves in this huge parking garage? Oh right, text. Oh shit, I need to call my girlfriend but the only payphone is busy! What the fuck is a payphone? I mean for fuck's sake, Jerry lives in a palatial apartment on a stand up comedian's paycheck and Kramer lives in a similar apartment with no actual job. The New York city they live in just doesn't exist anymore. The jokes are still funny, but it shows its age. That's actually a good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marioandsonic Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Jason said: The Simpsons is though, since it's still being made. I would say that the older classic seasons were mostly timeless, but the newer seasons are definitely not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 I also genuinely don’t understand why “timelessness” would be considered a positive quality for something like a sitcom. I love Cheers, but that shit is dated as fuck. I love Frasier as well, but one of the female characters is described as so shrill and terrible that she wasn’t ever seen on screen, it’s... pretty bad in that respect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 15 minutes ago, LazyPiranha said: Nothing is timeless, we just happened to be around when it was relevant. You know how many Seinfeld episodes would be over immediately or never even begin because of cell phones and the internet? The soup nazi? Uber Eats that shit. Can't remember your date's name? Facebook. Bathroom book? Yes, the bookstore market is thriving. Damn, how will we ever find ourselves in this huge parking garage? Oh right, text. Oh shit, I need to call my girlfriend but the only payphone is busy! What the fuck is a payphone? I mean for fuck's sake, Jerry lives in a palatial apartment on a stand up comedian's paycheck and Kramer lives in a similar apartment with no actual job. The New York city they live in just doesn't exist anymore. The jokes are still funny, but it shows its age. Well obviously the jokes are funny because it makes sense within the context of the time period. Obviously if the show was set in 2020 the show would be flawed and the jokes wouldn't make any sense. But because it was set in the '90s doesn't detract from the show's quality. How about jokes that don't require old technology, like a toothbrush falling into a toilet? As an aside, they did have cell phones in the later episodes. The cell phone walk and talk! (which seems to be normal now) I think if they redid that one it would be the cell phone walk and talk with the phone on speaker so everyone can hear your conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 23 minutes ago, LazyPiranha said: Nothing is timeless, we just happened to be around when it was relevant. You know how many Seinfeld episodes would be over immediately or never even begin because of cell phones and the internet? The soup nazi? Uber Eats that shit. Can't remember your date's name? Facebook. Bathroom book? Yes, the bookstore market is thriving. Damn, how will we ever find ourselves in this huge parking garage? Oh right, text. Oh shit, I need to call my girlfriend but the only payphone is busy! What the fuck is a payphone? I mean for fuck's sake, Jerry lives in a palatial apartment on a stand up comedian's paycheck and Kramer lives in a similar apartment with no actual job. The New York city they live in just doesn't exist anymore. The jokes are still funny, but it shows its age. You can say the same about a lot of the plot points in Mad Men making no sense in the age of cell phones and that was written once we already had cell phones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Rudy Attempts to Shush His Own Unhinged ‘Witness’ During Election Fraud Hearing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenVectron Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 11 minutes ago, Jason said: Rudy Attempts to Shush His Own Unhinged ‘Witness’ During Election Fraud Hearing Excuse me, this thread is about Seinfeld now. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, CitizenVectron said: Excuse me, this thread is about Seinfeld now. But these lawsuits are a sitcom about nothing. 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, CitizenVectron said: Excuse me, this thread is about Seinfeld now. What’s the deal with Rudy Giuliani? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Just now, Kal-El814 said: What’s the deal with Rudy Giuliani? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Just now, Jason said: He acts better than he practices law, and he can’t act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclumber1 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 7 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said: Excuse me, this thread is about Seinfeld now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Kal-El814 said: Seinfeld was ahead of its time so it’s aged well, but... it’s an incredibly white show, it has a laugh track, etc. It’s not any more timeless than something like The Mary Tyler Moore show. That show was great, but people aren’t going back and discovering it now, and they won’t with Seinfeld, either. It’s not timeliness, humor just doesn’t work that way. Doesn't matter that it's white (do you not know any actual black people? Many dig that show), and I prefer shows with audiences. There's no sitcom with a live audience that feels old because it's like that. If anything, because it's a stage, you're more likely to get stronger actors like Caroll O'Connor and Jason Alexander who feed off the audience. 1 hour ago, LazyPiranha said: Nothing is timeless, we just happened to be around when it was relevant. You know how many Seinfeld episodes would be over immediately or never even begin because of cell phones and the internet? The soup nazi? Uber Eats that shit. Can't remember your date's name? Facebook. Bathroom book? Yes, the bookstore market is thriving. Damn, how will we ever find ourselves in this huge parking garage? Oh right, text. Oh shit, I need to call my girlfriend but the only payphone is busy! What the fuck is a payphone? I mean for fuck's sake, Jerry lives in a palatial apartment on a stand up comedian's paycheck and Kramer lives in a similar apartment with no actual job. The New York city they live in just doesn't exist anymore. The jokes are still funny, but it shows its age. This argument needs to be laid to rest. NYC was expensive then. That's not age; you just have to accept that the show isn't filled with nuclear physicists. If you want the jokes to not "age," then do a period piece like That 70s Show. I understood Goodfellas despite the fact that there's a payphone in it and when he stood her up at a date, Pesci never texted him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarSolo Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Kal-El814 said: I also genuinely don’t understand why “timelessness” would be considered a positive quality for something like a sitcom. I love Cheers, but that shit is dated as fuck. I love Frasier as well, but one of the female characters is described as so shrill and terrible that she wasn’t ever seen on screen, it’s... pretty bad in that respect. To be fair, they did the same thing with Norm’s wife on Cheers. She never appeared. And in the case of Maris, they never showed because when it came time to cast her, no actress would fit the description they gave her over the course of how many seasons by the time they actually wanted her to appear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iculus Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 2 hours ago, SuperSpreader said: What about perfect strangers? Mark Linn-Baker is an asshole for faking his disappearance during the departure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, MarSolo said: To be fair, they did the same thing with Norm’s wife on Cheers. She never appeared. And in the case of Maris, they never showed because when it came time to cast her, no actress would fit the description they gave her over the course of how many seasons by the time they actually wanted her to appear. It's also funnier because it's left to the imagination. At one point Frasier goes to meet who you think is Maris, and then you think you see her but it's actually the cleaning lady behind her. Doesn't work with an actor playing her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uaarkson Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 This thread sucks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 3 minutes ago, Uaarkson said: This thread sucks. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 29 minutes ago, SaysWho? said: Doesn't matter that it's white (do you not know any actual black people? Many dig that show) lolwut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joestradamus Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 My irrelevant 2 cents.... All of these shows suck. The Office especially. Seinfeld got old fast. Friends was okay during the first few seasons but turned to shit quickly. Cheers just never got into it so I won't say anything about it. What else did I see above...? That 70's Show was great in the beginning but also turned to shit. The simpsons too. Fuck them all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Sitcoms should've ended after "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons". There is simply no reason for them to exist after those shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 9 hours ago, SaysWho? said: Pesci never texted him. Typical Pesci move. smh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 "Timeless" is a word that can have different meaning, imo. If your comedy is outdated because the culture has moved past where the show was to an extent where the jokes are offensive, then yeah, definitely not timeless. But I don't think having a payphone in your show means that it's not timeless. That's silly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 7 minutes ago, Joe said: "Timeless" is a word that can have different meaning, imo. If your comedy is outdated because the culture has moved past where the show was to an extent where the jokes are offensive, then yeah, definitely not timeless. But I don't think having a payphone in your show means that it's not timeless. That's silly. At a certain point there's not much of a distinction between a show made in the 90s and a current show that is set in the 90s. If you watch an old show or watch a show set in an old time, you're going to instinctively understand that technology will be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexy_shapiro Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Seinfeld is obviously a better show than Friends, but Friends has been able to be fairly popular with Gen Z kids in a way that Seinfeld hasn’t. So I guess one could argue that Friends is a more timeless show because it adheres closer to sitcom norms and thus is able to exist easier outside of the decade it was popular in. I love Seinfeld, but it is definitely a product of its time. To better appreciate it one has to be aware of the context of other shows of its time and why it was so revolutionary for its time. It’s sort of like Citizen Kane in that regard - it’s truly only appreciated by those who know of what came before and how it changed what came after. Removed from its context it’s simply a good movie. I work with students of varying ages and nobody is really watching Seinfeld anymore, however The Office is actually REALLY popular with middle schoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marioandsonic Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Gotta love these tangents this thread takes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneticBlueprint Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 My wife grew up in a third world country without a TV and she loves Seinfeld and rewatches it constantly. You don't need to have any larger cultural or sitcom context for that show to be funny simply because all of the characters are brilliant and the writing is top notch. She also fucking hates Friends. Probably why we get along so well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarSolo Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 23 minutes ago, sexy_shapiro said: Seinfeld is obviously a better show than Friends, but Friends has been able to be fairly popular with Gen Z kids in a way that Seinfeld hasn’t. So I guess one could argue that Friends is a more timeless show because it adheres closer to sitcom norms and thus is able to exist easier outside of the decade it was popular in. I love Seinfeld, but it is definitely a product of its time. To better appreciate it one has to be aware of the context of other shows of its time and why it was so revolutionary for its time. It’s sort of like Citizen Kane in that regard - it’s truly only appreciated by those who know of what came before and how it changed what came after. Removed from its context it’s simply a good movie. I work with students of varying ages and nobody is really watching Seinfeld anymore, however The Office is actually REALLY popular with middle schoolers. A lot of it has to do with Netflix. Up until this year Friends was readily available on it. Office is a constant on there. Seinfeld is on Hulu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_m_b_m_b_m Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 46 minutes ago, sexy_shapiro said: The Office is actually REALLY popular with middle schoolers My friend's 9 year old loves the office and I don't really understand for so many reasons 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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