Has there ever been a better sitcom than Seinfeld? So precisely did it amplify the hilarity of postmodern lives, and with classic plot lines that have become cultural cliché. My favorite episode has to be the one where Kramer digs the old Merv Griffin set out of the trash, and with Newman proceeds to host a number of talk shows – in Kramer's apartment, without a camera or an audience. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxhs-O_9BLc) Can you name your favorite? Elaine eating 80 year old wedding cake? Kramer retiring to Florida and running for community president? George and the Frogger machine? Jerry and one of his many failed relationships? Do you think there is an episode that people of my generation haven't seen? Despite being off the air for 10 years, it continues to run on syndication. I have probably watched more Seinfeld after it went off the air!
Why was it so popular, and why has its appeal continued? I think the answer is simple, but it kind of ruins the fun times: it is because the comedic writing had a way of pinpointing the truly absurd way in which people live and spend their days, obsessing over the details of ATM codes, the neck hole in sweaters, and every personality quirk possible. And in our postmodern culture, this resonated with people who found it to reveal something about themselves and the way they lived – the way we spend our lives and the things that we focus on in life.
If this was such a good show, why is it that when I get to the end of each episode, and Jerry is doing his stand-up routine, I feel an overwhelming sense of sadness? It is because, simply, what made Seinfeld great also makes it truly sad. The show about nothing is actually a show about nothingness. That is, you get to the end of the show, and there they sit – lives full of funny details yet devoid of meaning.
In terms of philosophy, we might say that Seinfeld is a statement of nihilism. While most sitcoms have some relation to a more ultimate sense of meaning – usually in terms of love – Seinfeld is a show that points to the absurdity of existence and the fact that people spend their lives focusing on things that are ultimately meaningless. And this is why it makes me sad, because as I reflect on it, I realize that modern life is itself a 'show about nothing.'
So the next time you watch a Seinfeld re-run, think about why it is so funny. Think of your life, and the lives of your family and friends, and think about what we do with our lives. Do we live meaning-filled lives, or lives that are ultimately absurd? And how do we find meaning in our postmodern world, filled with meaningless information that is ultimately unrelated to our quest for meaning? Be sure, there are no simple Sunday School answers to these questions – but there is meaning out there in the world. It is, in fact, the purpose of our lives to find such meaning. But that doesn't make it easy.
Well, I have sufficiently taken the most frivolous of shows and connected it to the most serious topic that faces people. I know, I should be ashamed of myself.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Why Seinfeld reruns make me happy – and sad.
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3 comments:
They're real, and they're fabulous!
Most sitcoms episodes begin with a conflict and conclude with a resolution and life lesson at the end. Life certainly doesn't work this way. As well, in real life, most conflicts end with a tolerant understanding or with forgetfulness but rarely with a moral lesson learned. I've noticed that the sitcoms that perform best in reruns do not follow this TV life lesson formula. Or, in the case of the Simpsons, make fun of it. Yet, I think with years and years of bombardment by TV on the US culture people expect these lessons in real life. They just don't expect or tolerate that fact that they may be the ones' deserving of the lesson.
Seinfeld was good, the problem was the writers relied on Relationships almost as a crush. The rule on the set was "no hugging, no learning"- a Larry David legislation. if there was also a rule about not having many relationship shows I think the quality would have gone through the roof. I mean all NBC shows in the nineties had the same 'dating' problem with writing.
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