Response to Jake's Post
I have heard of the show Seinfeld countless times, especially when people bring up The Office because supposedly the two are very similar shows, but I have yet to watch an episode or clip. After watching the clips Jake had in his post, the show actually seems very funny and unsurprisingly similar to The Office since they were made around the same time. When you mentioned they kept the same characters and did not bring in many new ones, it somewhat reminded me of Friends since they mainly stick to their friend group and occasionally bring in other characters. It does seem like Seinfeld has even less new characters, which is not something I look for in a show, because I like when they bring in new characters every once in a while. Seinfeld truly sounds like a purely comedic show and is centered around laughs and not emotional events. I personally enjoy shows that include comedy, emotions, and relationships, like Friends and The Office, because it is the best of both worlds. I think it really depends on someone’s sense of humor. There are many people out there that love pure comedy and not the fluffy stuff. This would make Seinfeld perfect for them, and I still think I would find it enjoyable just not as enjoyable as other comedy shows. I would assume that the type of humor in Seinfeld is mainly incongruity theory because one would expect people to have many basic emotions and feelings, but it seems like the show is just jokes. After watching the clip of George finding out his fiancee died in the hospital, I really got a grasp of what Seinfeld is. They try to brush off feelings, like sadness and depression, and pretend everything is fine. This is another example of incongruity theory and why this specific scene was so funny. One would expect George to be mourning his dead future wife, instead he brushes it off to get coffee with his friends. I still want to try watching Seinfeld, but I believe I will still prefer The Office to it, but I definitely need to give it a chance.
Awesome post! I loved how you related Seinfeld to other shows through the different comedic styles. I was especially intrigued by your analysis at the end of the way the characters "brush off feelings". This could also relate to relief theory because the characters deal with great life stressors by suppressing emotions, which is the opposite of what most viewers would do in the same situation. I think this instead forces the repressed material out through the jokes they make, allowing the audience to laugh through relief theory.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you distinguish pure and mixed comedy. I've never really thought of comedy in those terms. It's interesting that Seinfeld almost flaunts its coldness and its pure unashamed comedy. It would be interesting to contrast pure comedy more with other forms.
ReplyDeleteWhen reviewing my post later, yes I would agree that Friends managed to stick with the same 6 characters, that is true. But when it comes to friends, when one of the 'friends' gets into a relationship they usually are around much longer than any Seinfeld ex. From Ross' two (or three if you consider Rachel) ex wives to the actress Joey & Chandler both date, to even the professor Joey dates. They stay around for much longer, which is what I meant by the addition of new characters. They may not be main characters but they certainly have more importance than any Seinfeld side character.
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