1. Seinfeld Had Self-Contained Episodes
WhereasFriendsfocused on season-long arcs that would build toward eventful finales (like Ross getting married to Emily or Phoebe giving birth to triplets),Seinfeldhad a different approach.
Seinfeldpioneered a more episodic style. Sure, it might have had season-long running gags and it might have made callbacks to prior events on the show, but it focused on brand new storylines every week.
It’s this approach that makesSeinfeldso easy to rewatch now. You can hop into any given episode and you can watch it without knowing what transpired in previous episodes. Every episode provides a self-contained story that doesn’t get lost in a greater narrative.
2. Seinfeld Had Larry David
In all of TV history, there has never been a better head writer for a comedy series than the great Larry David.Seinfeldmight bear Jerry’s last name, but it was David’s contribution that made the series special.
His style of bringing back tiny diegetic moments or throwaway lines to mean something? That gaveSeinfeldepisodes a tight comedic strength that no other comedic show has ever matched.
This was made apparent when Larry David leftSeinfeldafter season 7, resulting in an intangible shift in the show’s feel. It was made even more apparent when Larry David came back with his ownCurb Your Enthusiasm, where his brilliance is on full display.
Related:The best TV sitcoms of the 2000s
3. Seinfeld Had Incredible Actors
I don’t deny that the cast ofFriendswere perfect for their roles. Over their 10-season run, they truly made their characters their own, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else who could’ve taken their spots.
And whileSeinfeldwas anchored on Jerry Seinfeld, who’s more of a comedian than an esteemed actor, the rest of theSeinfeldcast were pound-for-pound better actors than theFriendsbunch. (Aside from perhaps David Schwimmer, who is astoundingly good.)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of the greatest comedic actresses of all time and has hauled in more awards than can be counted. Jason Alexander’s career on stage has been phenomenal, even going so far as to win a Tony Award. And Michael Richards was doing quite well until his infamous incident at the Comedy Club.
4. Seinfeld Mastered Observational Comedy
Seinfeld’steam of writers was brilliant at picking out small moments in life that drive you crazy and exaggerating them to great ends. It was observational comedy in a way that wasn’t done before on TV.
Other TV sitcoms up until this point always focused on the character relationships and dynamics, using their interactions to find the drama and stir up tension.
Seinfeldwent in a different direction and simply assumed that the foursome’s friendship was unbreakable, always approaching plots with the notion that it was them against the outside world.
Cheers,Taxi,Friends, and most other TV sitcoms to this day concentrate on the inter-group dynamics of the cast.Seinfeldlooks outward and pits the cast against the little annoyances of everyday life.
5. Kramer Is a Legendary Character
Friendsgave us many wonderful characters, including wacky favorites like Phoebe Buffay and Chandler Bing. But no character onFriendscan stand up to the unique brilliance of Cosmo Kramer.
Michael Richards' comic creation was the most bamboozling and laughable aspect ofSeinfeld, in that he was an undeniably lucky idiot who would believe anything. His clumsiness and misguided antics were so affable that he became impossible not to love.
In fact, the studio had to stop live audiences from applauding Kramer’s entrances to scenes when they were filming because it was distracting the rhythms of the other actors!
Related:The greatest TV characters from the 90s
6. Seinfeld Nailed the Meta Aspect
One of the unique aspects ofSeinfeldthat sets it apart from most TV shows—not justFriends—is the fact that it’s a meta show. The premise centers on the life of a fictitious comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who in the series writes a show calledJerry, in which he plays himself.
Every character in the series was based on or inspired by a real person in Jerry Seinfeld’s life: George Costanza was based on Larry David; Cosmo Kramer was modeled after an ex-neighbor; Elaine Benes is a real ex-girlfriend of Jerry’s. The show as a whole had several meta layers that instantly makes it stand out from other TV sitcoms.
And to take it further,Curb Your Enthusiasmhosted an in-showSeinfeldreunion in which the meta Larry David and the meta Jerry Seinfeld bring back the show for a special, where the fictional versions of themselves play themselves playing their characters… Yeah.
Related:The best Curb Your Enthusiasm guest stars
7. Seinfeld Launched Guest Stars' Careers
Many pre-famous actresses appeared onSeinfeld, stepping in to fill the running gag of being one of Jerry’s girlfriends-of-the-week. These appearances helped launch them into stardom.
The list of actresses who appeared onSeinfeldbefore they were famous is staggering, and includes the likes of Anna Gunn, Debra Messing, Jane Leeves, Amanda Peet, Catherine Keener, Teri Hatcher, Lori Loughlin, and evenFriends’own Courtney Cox.
The show also introduced us to Bryan Cranston, who’d later play Walter White as the greatest drug kingpin in TV history.
Of course,Friendshad its fair share of notable guest stars—including standouts like Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Stiller—but many of them were already famous before coming on the show.
8. Friends Stood on Seinfeld’s Shoulders
Seinfelddebuted in 1989 whileFriendsdebuted in 1994. If you spot any similarities between the two shows—particularly with regard to certain plot points and premises—it’s becauseFriendslearned a lot fromSeinfeldand built off of it.
Home base is an apartment unit? The neighbors live across the hall? The second main location is a coffee shop? It all takes place in New York City? A gang of friends where one is quite kooky? You can spot all kinds of things, and the more you find, the more you see thatSeinfeldinfluencedFriendsquite a bit.
Friendsdeserves credit for its success, and it’s certainly not a clone ofSeinfeldor any other TV show.Friendsdid a lot of things right, and fans are right to love it. But withoutSeinfeld, who knows ifFriendswould have been able to do as well as it did?
