Seinfeld, depending on who you're talking to and whether you're talking to them about the titular Jerry Seinfeld or the show, is bound to elicit either loud applause or groans. While it was definitely at its peak popularity during the 90s when it was airing, it's seen a bit of a resurgence even among people who were barely alive yet when it was on TV.
There's something about it that is timeless, as we suppose a show about nothing should be. While it might not have aged well in every way, the blend of Larry David's sardonic humor and Jerry Seinfeld's observational comedy has made something wonderful, but which is better?
Seinfeld: The Standup
One of the best things about Seinfeld is listening to Jerry's standup and realizing how far comedy has come. That's only a joke! Jerry's standup is a great addition to the show since a lot of the plot often centers around Jerry's misadventures as a standup comedian and sometimes the standup segments even prefigure moral dilemmas that Jerry or the other characters might have to deal with later in the episode. There's also just this sense that without Jerry's standup at the beginning and usually the end of the episode, it really wouldn't be the same show. Even when Jerry's standup is bad, it's nice to have.
Curb: The Sarcastic Feel
One of the best things about Curb Your Enthusiasm is Larry's unflinching readiness to tell almost anyone that he has a problem with what they're doing, even if that only makes matters much worse. When Leon Black is introduced in season 6, this problem of Larry's only intensifies since his new friend is more than willing to be blunt, and if Larry isn't, he'll help. There's also the fact that George in Seinfeld was a self-insert for Larry David when writing, so if George is your favorite character and you haven't yet checked out Curb Your Enthusiasm, you should.
Seinfeld: George Costanza
Perhaps the most relatable character from Seinfeld (did we say that? Don't relate to these characters.) is George Costanza. A depressed, balding man who can't really ever make things work for himself romantically or as far as jobs go since we see him having multiple and being unemployed for a period of time.
When we look at the way Seinfeld was made and also look at Curb Your Enthusiasm, it becomes clear that George was included as Jerry's best friend so that Larry David could insert himself into the show.
Curb: Larry David
Larry David's character which is a very heavily fictionalized version of himself is someone that Larry David said he wishes he could be more like. While this might actually affect him for the worst in the long run, it's always fun to imagine being a bolder and brasher version of yourself that's completely unbending on your principles. The only thing is, as Larry finds out, this probably isn't the best idea since it just ends up making him seem like a jerk. Then there's the fact that while he's usually doing some pretty innocent stuff, it almost always appears that he's done something gross or completely unacceptable.
Seinfeld: Kramer
If we're to take the idea that It's Always Sunny In Philidelphia is just Seinfeld with all of the faults of the main characters cranked up to 11, Cosmo Kramer is definitely the Charlie Kelly of the group. There's a reason that the canned laughs in the show all clap when Kramer skids his way into Jerry's apartment in a towel and eats all of his cereal, and that reason is that Kramer is perhaps one of the main reasons that we watch Seinfeld.
Not only does he constantly get himself into rough spots because of bad business deals, bad trades, some off-color remark he made to someone, but there's just something unabashedly charming about Kramer's character because even though he's a weirdo, he's absolutely a weirdo that's honest.
Curb: Improv
Improvisational comedy isn't something that everyone's familiar with, but it just might be the best part of Curb. Since a lot of the guest stars are professionally trained comedians, they have the ability to come up with a sketch on the spot. Improv isn't exactly sketch comedy but improv in its purest form is writing a sketch on the fly, off the top of your head with no preparation other than about a 400-page rulebook and some training courses. A lot of the show features improvised conversations between characters and then a plot for the episode is thrown together later, which is a big part of why it's so excellent, and probably a big part of why the dialogue feels organic.
Seinfeld: The Music
While this may or may not be the first thing you think of when you think of Seinfeld, you must realize that the music is one of the best parts. The slap-bass lines coming in at the beginning of a scene or at the end of the show do such a good job at introducing the wacky and kind of outdated antics that you're about to watch on screen.
Hearing the quirky Seinfeld music is like being instantly transported back into the 90s, sitting down and making sure your antenna is in the right spot, and having a seat in the booth with Jerry, Kramer, George, and Elaine for a cup of coffee.
Curb: The Title
The title of the show itself refers to two ideas. One of these ideas is that Larry David thinks that people are usually pushing this false enthusiasm about what's going on in their personal lives or what's going on in the personal lives of others, which absolutely doesn't jive with his cold and grounded demeanor. There's also the fact that he absolutely can't stand small-talk. The title also refers to the audience, telling them "Hey, listen! I know I wrote for Seinfeld, but don't get your hopes up, okay? Sorry if you're disappointed."
Seinfeld: All The Memorable Episodes
Seinfeld is nothing if not memorable for being a show about nothing. While most of the plots revolve around completely trivial things like not being able to find your car in a parking garage or not being able to have the best soup in town, you can say a phrase like "No soup for you!" and everyone is immediately thrust back into the Soup Nazi episode. Seinfeld is a bit of a cultural touchstone for anyone who lived a decent portion of their lives in the 90s to reference.
Curb: Larry's Jewishness
One of the other things that the show has been praised for is that it depicts the life of a Jewish man in the 21st century really honestly. From personality quirks in Larry David that might be considered "Jewish" to showing us how being Jewish can have effects on his everyday life and his interactions with other people. Some have even gone as far to say that Larry David in the show actually does a good job at portraying a character archetype from Jewish folklore called a Schlemiel which is basically an incompetent fool who's always getting himself into the worst possible situations on accident. Sound familiar?