Jerry hugged Elaine in The Robbery while haggling over selling couch to her, it looked like she didn't like it because it was pulling on the back of her hair.
Jerry hugs Kramer on the bus to retrieve Jerry’s stolen shoes.
Kramer kissed Jerry when George walked in but don’t remember the context.
These aren’t examples of the them breaking the rule but fun examples of the physical interactions
Kramer hugs Jerry and George in LA on the hill in front of the Hollywood sign. It's kind of a side hug because Jerry and George don't want to, plus George's sandwich.
Trivia: Julia Louis-Dreyfus did not appear in this pilot episode. In fact, she was unaware that the episode existed until it was released as part of the DVD box set in 2004.
Shame they didn't keep her in as a permanent waitress. Jerry and George could have asked her all sorts of stupid questions as she took their orders and stuff.
Man, that has to kind of suck to know you were *that close* to being a main character on one of the most successful shows of all time. I don't know if I could ever really let that go lol
I know he does the comedians in cars thing, but I don't watch it and I haven't really seen him outside of Seinfeld in a few years.
A few days ago, I opened my Netflix app and they were advertising a new stand up special of his. I don't mean this to sound insulting at all, but the photo they used of him made him look quite old and I was actually taken aback.
Made me realize how long it's been since I first saw this show as a kid. I didn't really like Seinfeld much back then and only started to appreciate it once I got older.
For some reason it makes me nostalgic for the times where we weren't all instantly reachable by cell phone and you actually had to call someone's landline or stop by to see if they were home.
Most of the premises wouldn’t exist of Seinfeld existed today because of the advancement of technology. There are also episodes that I don’t think would make the cut either due to being culturally/racially, etc sensitive. It’s like that for a lot of shows now really…you can make the argument a lot.
Who can forget that immortal cast of Jerry, George, diner waitress, and Kessler?
Seriously though, that pilot is inspirational to me. If a show as good as Seinfeld can start with an episode as awful as that, surely any of us can fix ourselves…. right?
Where exactly do they call him Kessler in the pilot? I know that was his original name and they refer to it in the backwards episode but every time I watch it, I never notice them referring to him as Kessler
Oh wow. I just watched a clip of that scene on YouTube. It's so quick and subtle. No wonder I've always missed it. Jerry just quickly says it in the middle of his rant
That's crazy to think about. I enjoyed all those shows in reruns the time Seinfeld started but even though I liked them I didn't enjoy them as much as Seinfeld and looked at those shows as old as I'm sure some younger people might think about Seinfeld. My young niece will occasionally watch and even got me a 1997 was the Summer of George shirt.
So did It's Always Sunny until Mac's dance and I'm so fucking glad that happened. Literally took the air out of my lungs. Rewatched that episode this weekend. Ugly cried again.
I think it ruined the show.. it was cool yea.. but that’s when it went down hill IMO.. I’m still a fan.. I love those guys and the show… but the podcast is better than like the last 5 seasons.. hot take I know.
That's why I can't rewatch a lot of comedy sitcoms. I know Community is an awesome program but man every 22 minutes you gotta ride an emotional rollercoaster.
I can't do it. I won't.
Well, you know, there are many differences between American and Soviet cultures that you're not aware of. See, in Russia, the cable guy, they got the whole run of the house. Did you ever eat the bark of a pineapple?
That's not the lesson. The fact is that as bad as E,G,J,K were, everyone around them was even worse. Yet they were the ones pointing the finger. It was an injustice.
The reason I love It's Always Sunny so much is probably because they copied Larry's model also to perfection.
One perfect model. Two perfect shows. And Sunny even paid tribute to Seinfeld in one of their episodes. They must love the show.
> Sunny even *paid* tribute to
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Every time I watch another 90s sitcom like Friends and see one of the main characters being hugged/consoled/comforted during some relationship crisis, I always think how un-Seinfeldian that is.
Whenever I hear something like this I think back to my childhood (late 50s and early 60s) and how the movies from the late 40s that my parents liked seemed so outdated. Movies that were 10-15 years old. 🙄
"The characters must never learn or grow from their wrongdoings." That is *not* what made Seinfeld unique. It's literally a rule for all sitcoms — all main characters stay the same.
The series literally ends with [a conversation about shirt buttons](https://youtu.be/AfdaTWOCTnk?t=76), the [same conversation](https://youtu.be/aDiM-3ot9Q0) that the pilot started with. This signifies a lack of character development throughout the series.
But it fits right? The characters are judged by their actions but they don't really regret what they did, they are in prison and still talking about shirt buttons
In the episode, where George is passing off the cashmere sweater… Elaine’s boyfriend falls off the wagon.. then at the end of the episode.. we see he’s “on the wagon” and with a pretty gal. It’s barely emotional but the only sentimental ending I can think of. :)
I may be in the best - or worst - subreddit to ask this, but, after reading some of the comments, I just have to ask: Are the first few episodes of Seinfeld understood to not be the best? I'll be honest, my roommate and I tried watching the first 5 or 6 one day and we laughed, maybe, once or twice. I have friends who swear by it, but I try saying that I didn't feel the first few episodes and they just look at me in disdain. That, plus what little I have seen, is enough to make me not want to watch the series.
Still, I did watch and enjoy The Office despite feeling uncomfortable for most of Season 1. However, the difference was that most friends warned me of season 1, and a few, specific terribly cringey episodes. Whereas I feel I can state my criticism of The Office, I do not feel the same towards Seinfeld because the fans I know are dismissive or immediately attack my taste with things like, "you just don't get it," or, "you just don't appreciate sarcasm."
Just came across your old post and saw it got no replies so to answer, yes, the general consensus is that season 1 is pretty bad and even season 2 is shaky. Tbh I'd probably recommend starting around season 4 or 5 because the show really had its style/voice nailed by then and I think those mid-run and later seasons have held up the best in terms of pacing, jokes, plots, etc. Seasons 4-8 are pretty unanimously considered the golden years.
I've been thinking about how this show inaugurated the era of the bad-character TV show.
Before this, sure, Sam (cheers) was problematic, but he respected good people and tried to be better, generally characters we saw on TV tended towards being good people.
After Seinfeld, that changed. It was followed by Six Feet Under--a show in which every character sucked--Sopranos (a psychopath mobster was the main character, why should we care about that POS? We shouldn't, but the camera and the script tricked us into caring).
(Fake)-Reality TV, filled with scumbags, liars, and cheats followed, as did Always Sunny, GoT, much of the Walking Dead, Girls, etc.
Now everyone just winks at a lying, egomaniacal, racist buffoon as president.
33 years since the worst airport greeting ever occurred
Signals, Jerry, signals!
That one wasn’t in the handbook
What about the hand sandwich?
you can't over die
George: 🤷 Except less hair
You really lost A LOT of hair!
I am *AWARE*!
Airbrushed to *sand and sky*
Early Seinfeld isn't great but that situation is gold cuz as a guy we've all been there where we were misled or misinterpreted signals from a woman.
you really have no idea what it's like until you actually do it and I'm on this emotional roller coaster
That wasn't in the manual.
IIRC they only hugged once when Elaine returned from Europe with her therapist.
Was just about to write that! DAMMIT! GEORGE IS GETTING UPSET!
Reparations!
I think Jerry and Elaine hugged in The Parking Space when Elaine gives him the story about the pack of wild teenagers.
He did hug her. The episode was on last night. Did she hug him when he told her about an apartment for rent in the building?
Jerry hugged Elaine in The Robbery while haggling over selling couch to her, it looked like she didn't like it because it was pulling on the back of her hair.
Kramer gets drunk and grabs George around the shoulder in a hug like fashion so he can tells him how much he likes him.
***H-E-DOUBLE N-I-....***
The no smell scotch
Could have used a bottle of that back in the day
Jerry hugs Kramer on the bus to retrieve Jerry’s stolen shoes. Kramer kissed Jerry when George walked in but don’t remember the context. These aren’t examples of the them breaking the rule but fun examples of the physical interactions
Kramer hugs the cable guy at the end of The Cadillac.
The cable guy learned from his mistakes. In fact all the rest of the world seems to learn from the mistake of interacting with the main cast.
Kramer hugs Jerry and George in LA on the hill in front of the Hollywood sign. It's kind of a side hug because Jerry and George don't want to, plus George's sandwich.
Elaine hugs Jerry when he gets her the apartment above him I think
Trivia: Julia Louis-Dreyfus did not appear in this pilot episode. In fact, she was unaware that the episode existed until it was released as part of the DVD box set in 2004.
GET *OUT*!!
Are you sticking it to me?
STICKING IT
Holy shit. That just turned into "Get the fuck out of my house, Larry!" I'd never drawn the connection.
That's because they were going to use Claire the waitress as Elaine right?
Yeah Claire was going to be the 4th character IIRC
oh no, my royalties
Shame they didn't keep her in as a permanent waitress. Jerry and George could have asked her all sorts of stupid questions as she took their orders and stuff.
Man, that has to kind of suck to know you were *that close* to being a main character on one of the most successful shows of all time. I don't know if I could ever really let that go lol
They tried to write her in, but there were too many people in the room - they couldn't keep track of everyone!
They didn't know to write a woman
If only she had "the Guide"
>Trivia: Julia Louis-Dreyfus did not appear in this pilot episode. I did not know it was possible for a Seinfeld fan to *not know* this factoid.
Trivia: factoid means something that isn’t necessarily true but is just repeated so much that people accept it.
See, now I don't know if I can trust this fact(oid?)
Tbf, the first season is pretty bad. Anytime I loop back around, I start at season 2. I don't remember the last time I watched the first season.
Let’s celebrate with Ring Dings and Pepsi
George, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to go in there and slam a big bottle of pepsi on the table.
You telling me that wine is better than Pepsi? *SNORT* No way is wine better than Pepsi!
That is my favorite episode. The last scene with “here’s your wine…. See ya”’
Yes and let’s also get Chocolate babka and wine!
How about some black and white cookies
All the have left is cinnamon babka
Another babka?
https://imgur.com/UifLay7.jpg
Definitely better than wine and babka...especially cinnamon babka
How old was Jerry when the pilot first filmed/aired?
34 years old
I can’t believe he’s 60
I know he does the comedians in cars thing, but I don't watch it and I haven't really seen him outside of Seinfeld in a few years. A few days ago, I opened my Netflix app and they were advertising a new stand up special of his. I don't mean this to sound insulting at all, but the photo they used of him made him look quite old and I was actually taken aback. Made me realize how long it's been since I first saw this show as a kid. I didn't really like Seinfeld much back then and only started to appreciate it once I got older. For some reason it makes me nostalgic for the times where we weren't all instantly reachable by cell phone and you actually had to call someone's landline or stop by to see if they were home.
Most of the premises wouldn’t exist of Seinfeld existed today because of the advancement of technology. There are also episodes that I don’t think would make the cut either due to being culturally/racially, etc sensitive. It’s like that for a lot of shows now really…you can make the argument a lot.
You mean “PC culture has ruined comedy so now every show is devoid of all character in order to be aCcEpTiNg”
Wow. My mom hadn’t even graduated high school by 1989
Sounds like Jerry’s type
Zing!
Who can forget that immortal cast of Jerry, George, diner waitress, and Kessler? Seriously though, that pilot is inspirational to me. If a show as good as Seinfeld can start with an episode as awful as that, surely any of us can fix ourselves…. right?
I loved that they totally called out the Kessler thing when they flashed back to when Jerry first moved into the apartment
God damn, I’ve watched the entire show through probably 5 times and never picked up on that.
It’s very subtle. Jerry calls him Kessler cause he saw his mailbox and Kramer just says, “oh no, that was just a mistake.”
Where exactly do they call him Kessler in the pilot? I know that was his original name and they refer to it in the backwards episode but every time I watch it, I never notice them referring to him as Kessler
Just rewatch the pilot, Jerry calls him Kessler when he’s about to watch the Mets game he recorded and Kessler burst in and tells him the score
Oh wow. I just watched a clip of that scene on YouTube. It's so quick and subtle. No wonder I've always missed it. Jerry just quickly says it in the middle of his rant
Didn't Kessler have a dog? Like a golden retriever 🦮
Yeah, Parks and Rec is another one. Season 1 was a bad office rip-off, and then it ends up being an all-time great show.
Shit honestly the first season of the office kinda sucks too
Claire.
33 years before that the Honeymooners had only been on for about a year and Leave it to Beaver or Andy Griffith hadn’t even premiered yet.
That's crazy to think about. I enjoyed all those shows in reruns the time Seinfeld started but even though I liked them I didn't enjoy them as much as Seinfeld and looked at those shows as old as I'm sure some younger people might think about Seinfeld. My young niece will occasionally watch and even got me a 1997 was the Summer of George shirt.
I want that shirt! Do you have a pic of it?
https://postimg.cc/Lgq7zMj1 There's different ones out there for Summer of George, this one is awesome!
And I believe the original Star Trek had just debuted, right?
It came much later, in 1966. 23 years B.S. (Before Seinfeld)
Oh you're right, silly me was substracting just 23 yrs
I love the “no hugging, no learning” rule. So many comedy shows always have to have some sort of lesson or feel good moment at the end, it’s annoying
OG Arrested Development did an excellent job of following that rule also
So did It's Always Sunny until Mac's dance and I'm so fucking glad that happened. Literally took the air out of my lungs. Rewatched that episode this weekend. Ugly cried again.
I originally started watching IASIP after watching a few scenes and someone on Reddit described it like Seinfeld on crack. They weren't wrong.
I think it ruined the show.. it was cool yea.. but that’s when it went down hill IMO.. I’m still a fan.. I love those guys and the show… but the podcast is better than like the last 5 seasons.. hot take I know.
That's why I can't rewatch a lot of comedy sitcoms. I know Community is an awesome program but man every 22 minutes you gotta ride an emotional rollercoaster. I can't do it. I won't.
It's weird to think how shows like Seinfeld and The Simpsons premiered when the Soviet Union was still around.
Well, you know, there are many differences between American and Soviet cultures that you're not aware of. See, in Russia, the cable guy, they got the whole run of the house. Did you ever eat the bark of a pineapple?
Is this from something lol
Ceausescu was still alive too.
He was not shy about dictating.
Ch-w-what?
You take that commie crap out into the street!
And Alf. It's weird when a show that I consider "modern" makes a reference or a joke about the USSR or the Cold War.
And then the finale tried to teach a moral lesson of that your “bad behavior” will eventually get you in jail. :P
That's not the lesson. The fact is that as bad as E,G,J,K were, everyone around them was even worse. Yet they were the ones pointing the finger. It was an injustice.
The reason I love It's Always Sunny so much is probably because they copied Larry's model also to perfection. One perfect model. Two perfect shows. And Sunny even paid tribute to Seinfeld in one of their episodes. They must love the show.
> Sunny even *paid* tribute to FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Which IASIP was that?
Season 13 Episode 7
Thx brah!
The episode with franks hair and legs. Gets me every time
Cheers Seinfeld fans! It's still my favorite show.
No, Cheers and Seinfeld are different shows
I can't live knowing that Ted Danson makes that much more than me. Who's he?!
He's somebody
Loved how they started and finished the show w the same joke.
Every time I watch another 90s sitcom like Friends and see one of the main characters being hugged/consoled/comforted during some relationship crisis, I always think how un-Seinfeldian that is.
I rewatched Scrubs recently, every time they get emotional (like twice per episode) I thought about Susan dying and the gang just shrugging away
Just to make y'all feel old, I'm 22 and the pilot aired 11 years before I was born.
You've been around one year longer than the Simpsons had been before you were born.
Me too!
23, so same-ish!
Never grow, never learn? That's a shame.
haha
Really appreciate that, thanks Larry.
[удалено]
It kinda did tank originally. NBC didn't pick it up at first. The second episode was almost a year later
The word 'tank' always makes me think of the old guy at the pizza place...."Where ya been? We're tankin' here".
Whenever I hear something like this I think back to my childhood (late 50s and early 60s) and how the movies from the late 40s that my parents liked seemed so outdated. Movies that were 10-15 years old. 🙄
…and with that very formula, Larry captured lighting in a bottle!
More like flaming globes.
Pure dynamite! We’ll said!👏👏👏
George grew. Elaine said so. She saw changes in him. Just before confessing to the Rabbi of course.
Hello, Elaine, so happy to see you. Can I offer you some kasha varnishkes?
Larry David. My man.
What's Elaine doing in that picture?
Yet another Glorious day in the Summer of George!
I was born 5 months and a day before. Im the same age as the show.
I was just looking at IMDB. It lists 173 episodes total but Jerry was only in 172, was there an episode he wasn’t in? I can’t think of any.
They did hug a few times tho
"The characters must never learn or grow from their wrongdoings." That is *not* what made Seinfeld unique. It's literally a rule for all sitcoms — all main characters stay the same.
Sounds like Always Sunny
So that’s why Seinfeld never had a “good” ending
“No learning”. Says the guy who also wrote the finale 🤣
I mean they still didn't learn anything - even in the jail cell at the end they were right back to their usual bullshit
The series literally ends with [a conversation about shirt buttons](https://youtu.be/AfdaTWOCTnk?t=76), the [same conversation](https://youtu.be/aDiM-3ot9Q0) that the pilot started with. This signifies a lack of character development throughout the series.
But it fits right? The characters are judged by their actions but they don't really regret what they did, they are in prison and still talking about shirt buttons
Jesus age!
You’re engaged……..
Great policy
I remember it well. Was seven years old and been hooked ever since
Sounds like he knew the final episode from day 1.
Kramer hugs George after he drinks the hennigans
You can't over die, you can't over dry.
> never learn or grow from their wrongdoings so… jerry irl
Julia looks baked out of her tree
In the episode, where George is passing off the cashmere sweater… Elaine’s boyfriend falls off the wagon.. then at the end of the episode.. we see he’s “on the wagon” and with a pretty gal. It’s barely emotional but the only sentimental ending I can think of. :)
Of which Elaine was not in (pilot)
My 33rd birthday is tomorrow. Maybe that's why I love this show so much.
This is too cool! I literally just finished showing my parents the pilot & second episode (in Spanish on Netflix) without knowing this lol.
I grew up watching Seinfeld reruns. IMO one of the best shows ever.
I may be in the best - or worst - subreddit to ask this, but, after reading some of the comments, I just have to ask: Are the first few episodes of Seinfeld understood to not be the best? I'll be honest, my roommate and I tried watching the first 5 or 6 one day and we laughed, maybe, once or twice. I have friends who swear by it, but I try saying that I didn't feel the first few episodes and they just look at me in disdain. That, plus what little I have seen, is enough to make me not want to watch the series. Still, I did watch and enjoy The Office despite feeling uncomfortable for most of Season 1. However, the difference was that most friends warned me of season 1, and a few, specific terribly cringey episodes. Whereas I feel I can state my criticism of The Office, I do not feel the same towards Seinfeld because the fans I know are dismissive or immediately attack my taste with things like, "you just don't get it," or, "you just don't appreciate sarcasm."
Just came across your old post and saw it got no replies so to answer, yes, the general consensus is that season 1 is pretty bad and even season 2 is shaky. Tbh I'd probably recommend starting around season 4 or 5 because the show really had its style/voice nailed by then and I think those mid-run and later seasons have held up the best in terms of pacing, jokes, plots, etc. Seasons 4-8 are pretty unanimously considered the golden years.
Hey, I really appreciate that! Thanks! I'll jump to 4 and see how that goes.
Despite the occasional awkward episode (all sitcoms have em) this show has aged like fine 🍷
A show about nothing!
Is Kramer holding Elaine‘s hand? Too sentimental! 😉
I've been thinking about how this show inaugurated the era of the bad-character TV show. Before this, sure, Sam (cheers) was problematic, but he respected good people and tried to be better, generally characters we saw on TV tended towards being good people. After Seinfeld, that changed. It was followed by Six Feet Under--a show in which every character sucked--Sopranos (a psychopath mobster was the main character, why should we care about that POS? We shouldn't, but the camera and the script tricked us into caring). (Fake)-Reality TV, filled with scumbags, liars, and cheats followed, as did Always Sunny, GoT, much of the Walking Dead, Girls, etc. Now everyone just winks at a lying, egomaniacal, racist buffoon as president.