Seinfeld (1990-98)
Seinfeld was a 1990s sitcom that originally aired on NBC. It starred Jerry Seinfeld as himself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.
The story centers around a stand-up comic in New York City. He and his friends have many misadventures doing everyday things.
What made this show work was that it was unlike any show before it. There was no plot. Each episode focused on the unusual things and people we may encounter just doing everyday things, like parking a car or going out to a movie. It was funny because most of it was, in fact, true. One particular episode involved waiting in a Chinese restaurant for dinner. That was the entire episode. It was one of the most well-known of the series because it was so simple and basic, although the things that happened were anything but that.
Despite the fact that the show was centered around Jerry Seinfeld, it was really the other characters that made the show a success. For instance, we have Kramer, perhaps the most recognizable character. He is the typical neighbor who borrows things and never gives them back. But he also has many crazy ideas about what to do with his free time. In one episode, Kramer converts all of his money to change because he enjoys the feeling of warm clothes fresh out of the dryer. As he walks, viewers can see his pants pockets sagging and affecting how he walks. Later in that episode, he has his coat put in a pizza oven so it would be warm. His coat gets burned and now smelled of calzones.
One of the classic episodes was the one with the character called the "Soup Nazi". He ran a local soup kitchen that was quite successful. The Soup Nazi was a perfectionist. His soup was outstanding. The downside of going there was that he had a certain code of conduct for his customers. If someone violated it, he would shout out "No soup for you!" and in some cases ban customers for a certain length of time. One time, Elaine didn't take the warnings about the Soup Nazi seriously and ended up getting banished for one year.
To wrap, Seinfeld was one of the most popular TV sitcoms of all time! And it continues to entertain a very large audience in syndication.
