American comedies have a fairly decent record this side of the Atlantic. Friends was a phenomenon but we have also taken to Cheers, MASH, Happy Days and even Frasier. All very funny but once a dark cloud hung over the star spangled banner. A black, Seinfeld shaped cloud.
It was the early 90s and the BBC announced a hot new American comedy that had taken the states by storm.
Anticipation grew and here it was at the peak viewing time, the show the BBC had cleared the decks for, Seinfeld. Anticipation caved, the BBC moved it to a later time slot, then onto its second channel and before the end of the first series it was doing the graveyard shift, shunted to the time slot usually reserved for art shows.
I don't know why Seinfeld tanked so badly here, but for me it just wasn't funny. It was smarmy, pretentious and whiny and apart from Kramer (who always reminded me of the doc from the Back to the future films), i just wanted to bang their heads against that fake wall Seinfeld stood in front of not being funny.
Rumours are that there is talk of reviving the programme. Don't do it America. The World is just starting to like you again after George W Bush, don't go throwing it all away by bringing back the other George and his gang.
If you are going to remake anything from your television past, bring back Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
11 comments:
I agree (on both Seinfeld & BtVS). Yet I know Americans who can't get enough of it... Strange.
Such a personal thing, humour! I reckon Seinfeld was miles better than the other shows that you name, particularly Friends, which I thought was a crime against humanity. Curb Your Enthusiasm was better still though. (Not to mention the animated classics like South Park and Family Guy).
But that's just me!
Seinfeld was one of the best sitcoms ever. It just proves that your just a bunch of Anti-Semites, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Shucks, now you've made me wonder whether my liking of Seinfeld amounts to ratting on my Palestinian soul-brothers, Cody :(
Never liked the show either, and I am a rarity among my friends. I love Larry David, though. Especially Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The sitcom Seinfeld ain't ever coming back. What you've heard about is a reunion of the Seinfeld cast on Curb Your Enthusiasm. and for the record, Seinfeld is a quintessential American sitcom. It wasn't made for you peeps over there. Just so you know, we find a lot of British sitcoms cliche and boooooring. Except The Office. That was bloody brilliant.
I think it was Seinfeld himself Cheezy, he just looked smug. It's like Noel Edmonds, you just want to slap him around the chops for no reason except he is there.
Maybe it would be the funniest sitcom ever if the only other sitcom ever made had been Terry & June. We like Stephen Fry and he is Jewish so i can put my pipe down again.
To be fair Jefe i heard it second hand and just went bah humbug, bloody seinfeld. I agree, it obviously wasn't made for us over here. Keep it there.
Who's Stephen Fry?
A British comedian. Most famous for Blackadder and going mad a few years back.
The best and edgiest (and most surreal) English humourist over the last few years, in my humble opinion, is definitely one Chris Morris. He lives near me.
Feel free to Google him, if you have a minute. A whole world of subversive pleasure awaits.
Brass Eye was a very under-rated show. The paedophile thing ruined it all, as brilliant as it was.
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