Seinfeld: Show About Nothing?
Introduction
It could be argued that Seinfeld is one of the most influential situation comedies of all time. This show entertained tens of millions of Americans every week throughout its nine-season run, and it became an integral part of our culture. Even today, more than four years after the show’s last episode aired, it continues its tenure as a smash hit in reruns. Seinfeld’s success is most often attributed to its innovativeness. The show’s unique focus on the minutiae of the everyday lives of four middle-class, single urbanites was one that had not previously been explored in a contemporary sitcom. As a show whose primary focus lies in seemingly inane details, Seinfeld has earned a reputation as the “show about nothing.” On the surface, it may seem that Seinfeld is indeed about nothing — nothing worth thinking about, anyway (Long). However, upon further analysis of the show, it can be deduced that it also serves as a satire, both of the rules and mannerisms of society and of the dark characteristics inherent in all of us.
Seinfeld as a satire of the rules and mannerisms of society
It is apparent that Seinfeld serves as a satire of the rules and mannerisms of the society in which it takes place. More specifically, it “takes as its main interest the social codes and manners of an urban, middle-class American lifestyle, and comically elevates them into highly absurd situations.” For this reason, the show has been compared to the comedy of manners, a genre that flourished during the English Restoration period and that is associated with satirizing contemporary social conditions (Pierson).
One aspect of society Seinfeld satirizes is the current state of the dating scene. One characteristic of the dating scene that is frequently highlighted is fear of commitment, and a complete lack of interest in getting married and having a family. For example, when George becomes engaged to a woman whom he acknowledges is an attractive, wonderful person, he is willing to do anything to get himself out of it, from picking up a cigarette habit to asking her to sign a prenuptial agreement. Another example is when Elaine asserts that she and her boyfriend will never get married, and that they’re “just having a good time.” This tendency to shy away from commitment has grown in recent years, as many young people have chosen to put their careers first and explore alternative options to marriage.
Another aspect of the dating scene that is satirized is its high degree of selectivity. For example, over the course of the show, Jerry dates a number of attractive, obviously younger women, and he breaks up with many of them for arguably ridiculous reasons, ranging from their physical characteristics —such as having “man hands” —to aspects of their behavior —such as eating peas one at a time. Another example can be observed when Elaine becomes interested in Jerry after learning how much money he makes. This theme is significant because, perhaps partially due to increasing reluctance to commit, many singles are very selective in who they date, perhaps more so than in the past.
Another aspect of society that Seinfeld satirizes is the interdependence of people’s actions, as well as the potentially absurd results. Seinfeld episodes often involve a number of seemingly unrelated subplots, in which “one person’s unintentional acts or social blunders cause irrefutable comic damage across a diverse range of interweaving narrative situations” (Pierson). For example, in one episode, Jerry hosts a marathon runner in his apartment the night before the race he plans to run in. However, Kramer, who lives in the same building as Jerry, has recently installed a hot tub in his apartment, which blows a fuse in the building, resulting in the runner oversleeping. This interdependence of characters’ actions is an appropriate theme for Seinfeld to satirize, because such situations occur all the time; just about all of us have found ourselves in a situation in which the actions of another person led to our own downfall.
In addition, Seinfeld also satirizes the role of political correctness in society, demonstrating that even in one of the most reputably liberal cities in the country, there are certain things that should or should not be said (Pierson). For example, there is an episode in which Jerry dates a Native American. During this period, he faces the constant challenge of avoiding terminology that might offend her, such as “Indian giver” and “ticket scalper.” In another episode, a reporter doing a story about Jerry comes to believe that he and George are engaged in a homosexual relationship. Both characters assert that they are most certainly not gay, but then quickly add, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” In this episode, the two characters recognize that if they do not add the politically correct disclaimer, they may come across as bigots. Satirizing these kinds of situations is a very effective comical device, since political correctness is an issue that most members of society encounter on a regular basis.
When it comes to Seinfeld’s role as a satire on society, it should be noted that the show is “extremely egalitarian in its satirical thrust,” highlighting the idiosyncrasies of a wide variety of characters (Pierson). The presence of a female main character in addition to the male main characters demonstrates that quirks and pet peeves are present in both genders. The show also demonstrates that personal idiosyncrasies transcend social boundaries through the portrayal of such characters as Mr. Pitt, Elaine’s independently wealthy employer, who is observed eating a candy bar with a knife and fork. The show also satirizes the personality-related quirks of people of a variety of races and ethnicities, an example of which can be found in the Argentinean-born restaurateur whose strict ordering rules lead to him being called the “Soup Nazi.” By satirizing the quirks of all kinds of people, the show demonstrates that personal idiosyncrasies are not characteristic of only a certain ethnicity, gender or social class; rather, they are inherent in everyone in society.
Seinfeld as a satire of our dark characteristics
In addition to satirizing various aspects of society, Seinfeld is also quite successful in satirizing the dark characteristics inherent in all of us. This is done by exaggerating a variety of undesirable traits in each of the main characters. One such characteristic is immaturity. This trait is exhibited through all four of the main characters.
Immaturity is exhibited among the main characters through their lack of desire to “grow up” in an emotional sense; that is, to do things that adults typically do. As was previously mentioned, none of the main characters are interested in long-term commitment, marriage, or having children. In addition, none of the characters appear to have a high work ethic (Hirsch, et al.). Of the four characters, only Jerry has a steady career throughout the show, and even he does not seem to work particularly hard. Elaine holds several jobs over the course of the show, but some of them — such as working as Mr. Pitt’s personal assistant — do not seem like very ambitious positions for as intelligent a woman as she appears to be. George, hardly the poster boy of ambition, is unemployed and lives with his parents throughout much of the show. Even worse, Kramer has no job at any point during the series, aside from small tasks such as posing in a police lineup for $50. Due to this lack of work ethic, the characters have lots of free time, which they spend hanging out in Jerry’s apartment and at a local coffee shop. The characters’ immaturity serves to satirize the fact that all of us, no matter how “grown up” we may be, sometimes just want to forget about our responsibilities and hang out with friends all day.
Another negative characteristic frequently demonstrated in Seinfeld is venality. This trait is also frequently demonstrated by all of the main characters through their lack of good will towards others. The main characters exhibit this characteristic in the episode when Susan, George’s fiancée, dies from licking poisonous glue on the envelopes of their inexpensive wedding invitations. When the doctor tells the four main characters of her untimely passing, it is clear that her death does not bother them at all, because they are happy that George has gotten out of getting married (Hirsch, et al.). Another example of the characters’ demonstration of venality occurs in the last episode of the series, when they observe an overweight man being robbed. Rather than helping the man, they watch him get robbed and make wisecracks to one another. This exhibition of venality leads to the characters’ ultimate downfall, when they are arrested and imprisoned for violating a local “Good Samaritan” law. The prevalence of the theme of venality in Seinfeld serves to satirize the fact that while many of us may consider ourselves to be good people, we frequently turn a blind eye to the misfortunes of others, even if we don’t realize it.
A third dark characteristic exhibited by all four of the main characters of Seinfeld is narcissism. One way in which this trait is exhibited is through the characters’ frequent selfishness. One of the most memorable examples of selfishness in Seinfeld is an episode in which George is at a children’s birthday party, at which a fire occurs. In response, George runs out of the apartment in a panic, knocking over every child and elderly person in his path. In another episode, Elaine hoards a case of discontinued contraceptive sponges, refusing to sleep with her boyfriend until he could prove that he was “sponge-worthy,” as well as refusing George’s desperate pleas to borrow one. The theme of selfishness satirizes the fact that in America, as in any free society, even the most generous people must exercise some self-interest in order to survive.
Another way in which the main characters exhibit narcissism is by superficially obsessing over their own bodies (Hirsch, et al.). George constantly complains about his body, calling himself “short,” “fat,” and “bald.” In one episode, significant attention is paid to the concept of “shrinkage,” the diminution of the male genitals after swimming. In another episode, Elaine becomes very self-conscious over her self-described “giant freak head.” This theme is clearly a satire on people’s growing self-consciousness over their bodies, and the commonly held belief that one’s appearance can greatly impact his or her success in any facet of life.
Conclusion
Seinfeld is one of America’s favorite contemporary sitcoms. On first glance, the reasons why the self-proclaimed “show about nothing” has enjoyed such success may not immediately be apparent. However, after some consideration, it is a trivial matter to determine why Americans have such an easy time relating to the show.
As a satire of middle-class society, Seinfeld allows us to take another look at the implicit rules about our society, and wonder why we are expected to behave the specific way we are expected to behave. Many of us find that some of the ideas satirized by Jerry and his friends are concepts we have questioned ourselves in our everyday lives — questions such as, why does society expect us to be married with 2.5 kids and a dog by middle age?
As a satire of the dark characteristics inherent in all of us, Seinfeld depicts the personal flaws we all have in a highly exaggerated way. Undoubtedly, many of us will relate these negative characteristics to our bosses or our mothers-in-law. However, the wisest among us will instead relate it to ourselves, allowing us both to identify our own personal imperfections and to recognize the humor inherent within them.
Works Cited
Hirsch, Cara and Hirsch, Irwin. “Seinfeld’s humor noir: A look at our dark side.” Journal of Popular Film & Television. Fall 2000: 116-123.
Long, Rob. “Jerry built.” National Review. 9 Feb. 1998: 32-34.
Pierson, David P. “A show about nothing: Seinfeld and the modern comedy of manners.”
Journal of Popular Culture. Summer 2000: 49-64.