Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Palimelon]

The thing is, characters can be annoying but also can still be still funny. Seinfeld was like that in the first 4 or 5 seasons for me, after that they just crossed over into being mostly annoying. But Frank Constanza was definitely a "nails on a chalkboard" character for me, no matter the season.

[Bastet]

To this day, if I find ants in the house, flies get in, anything like that, I channel Frank Costanza and declare to my cat, "That's it, we're moving -- I will not tolerate infestation!"

[Affogato]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

To this day, if I find ants in the house, flies get in, anything like that, I channel Frank Costanza and declare to my cat, "That's it, we're moving -- I will not tolerate infestation!"

To which your cat replies :”You’re no fun..” and tries to lure mice into the kitchen. 

[Katy M]

7 hours ago, Dimity said:

I found all the characters on Seinfeld and on King of Queens to be annoying.  Hardpressed to say if I even liked one of them!  The thing with the Jerry Stiller characters was he was essentially playing the same person though on both shows.  I half expected George to show up as Carrie's long lost brother.

Yeah, all the characters on Seinfeld were horrible.  On King of Queens, I liked Deacon, and Doug had some good episodes, he just also had some bad ones.

[proserpina65]

On 10/5/2024 at 7:30 AM, Haleth said:

To be fair every character on that show was annoying.

That's one of the reasons I hated Seinfeld.

On 10/6/2024 at 12:46 PM, Dimity said:

I found all the characters on Seinfeld and on King of Queens to be annoying.  Hardpressed to say if I even liked one of them! 

Lou Ferrigno was cool on KoQ.

[bluegirl147]

On 10/6/2024 at 7:47 PM, Katy M said:

Yeah, all the characters on Seinfeld were horrible. 

When it was on NBC airing once a week during the TV season it was easy for me to just laugh at them.  But when I watched  reruns every day I didn't find them as funny.  First I found them annoying then I just outright despised them.   I so identified the actors with their characters I still mostly dislike any character they play.  

 

I could never quite figure out if the audience was supposed to think the Seinfeld characters were horrible or not.  I feel like we were supposed to think yeah they suck but so what.

[Palimelon]

I think they first half of the show they were mostly ok people who were flawed, some more than others (George, for example), and while Kramer could be annoying, the writing of many earlier episodes was good enough to cover it up. But definitely in the last few seasons they were all horrible, and the decline in writing meant the show just wasn't as funny as it used to be.

[Egg McMuffin]

I watched Seinfeld in first run and enjoyed it. It’s a great, clever sitcom. However, I have little desire to rewatch it. When it comes to classic TV, I want to visit with characters that I enjoy and like. That’s not the Seinfeld gang.

[Irlandesa]

18 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I could never quite figure out if the audience was supposed to think the Seinfeld characters were horrible or not.  I feel like we were supposed to think yeah they suck but so what.

I think the proposed hook of the show is 'no hugging and nobody learns.' I think it was one of the first sitcoms where they didn't necessarily ask that you root for the characters.  Sometimes you're on their side.  Often times you're not. Sometimes things work out for them.  Other times things don't.

And in the end, they went to jail for being awful people.  I think that sums up how the creators wanted you to view them.

[Ohiopirate02]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

And in the end, they went to jail for being awful people.  I think that sums up how the creators wanted you to view them.

After a trial where all of the witnesses were characters from close to every season coming back to spell out how awful the four main characters were. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

The soup Nazi episode and the one where Jerry failed the truth detector test about not watching Melrose Place will always be my favorite episodes. In the latter, when Jerry goes unhinged on his rant about Sidney, I think it was.

[badhaggis]

24 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

The soup Nazi episode and the one where Jerry failed the truth detector test about not watching Melrose Place will always be my favorite episodes. In the latter, when Jerry goes unhinged on his rant about Sidney, I think it was.

"That Jane makes me so mad!" Lol

[Palimelon]

The best part is at the end where they are watching MP, and Jerry starts bobbing his head to the MP theme song.

Quote

 

Quote

In the latter, when Jerry goes unhinged on his rant about Sidney, I think it was.

It was actually Jane.

 

Edited October 9 by Palimelon

[Affogato]

I think the only episode I saw was the soup Nazi and that was accidental. I also never watched ‘Friends’.  I was at a computer show once where I think IBM had a presentation based on ‘home improvement’ and no one in the audience recognized it or had watched the show. Well, that fell flat. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

30 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

It was actually Jane.

Oh, Right! 

[Ohiopirate02]

I've said it before that I think Jerry was the weakest link on Seinfeld and I prefer both George and Elaine. This remains one of my favorite Elaine clips--

 

[Wiendish Fitch]

Never liked Seinfeld, but I do kind of appreciate how Elaine is getting her due these days. I realize my bias is showing, since I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but still...

[DXD526]

[DrSpaceman73]

On 10/9/2024 at 2:49 AM, Irlandesa said:

I think the proposed hook of the show is 'no hugging and nobody learns.' I think it was one of the first sitcoms where they didn't necessarily ask that you root for the characters.  Sometimes you're on their side.  Often times you're not. Sometimes things work out for them.  Other times things don't.

And in the end, they went to jail for being awful people.  I think that sums up how the creators wanted you to view them.

Having grown up in the 80s, the era of the family sitcom and the VSE, it was DEFINTELY different than sitcoms before it. 

 

I really don't think they were awful people though.  They wrote just typical people who didn't always do the right thing or what was expected.   We are all like that.  There was no coming around to a happy resolution.   It was truly like no other show before it

 

There was also no will they / won't they make female relationship except briefly with jerry /Elaine.  That was also new with a male and female lead. 

 

If you compare them to say the characters of always sunny though no they weren't awful people.  And no more awful than many of the characters they interacted with.  

[Crashcourse]

I liked the Seinfeld characters because they knew they were assholes, and they played it well.  They even knew in their hearts that they deserved to go to jail.  

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I really don't think they were awful people though.  They wrote just typical people who didn't always do the right thing or what was expected.   We are all like that.  There was no coming around to a happy resolution.   It was truly like no other show before it

They were awful and only very rarely the least bit like real people.

[andromeda331]

14 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I liked the Seinfeld characters because they knew they were assholes, and they played it well.  They even knew in their hearts that they deserved to go to jail.  

That's one reason I like King of Queens Carrie and Doug knew they were assholes.

[Ancaster]

On 10/10/2024 at 7:25 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

Having grown up in the 80s, the era of the family sitcom and the VSE, it was DEFINTELY different than sitcoms before it. 

 

VSE?

[Palimelon]

Very Special Episode.

[Ancaster]

47 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

Very Special Episode.

TY 😁 

Edited October 12 by Ancaster

[DrSpaceman73]

4 hours ago, Ancaster said:

VSE?

Very special episodes. 

Arnold and Gordon jump pedophile on different strokes. 

Matthew Perry drunk driving on growing pains. 

Alcoholic tom hanks on family ties. 

Date rape on the facts of life. 

Plus after school specials like Not my kid

No wonder gen x turned out so jaded

[bluegirl147]

39 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

 

No wonder gen x turned out so jaded

We aren't jaded.  We are just over it all and always have been.  

[DoctorAtomic]

Diff'rent Strokes did a lot of VSE. I remember one about smoking too. 

I don't think jaded is the correct term, though I take the point. I think it's more taking things in stride and not really buying into or spreading nonsense in general (not necessarily politically speaking) frankly. 

I love the meme of the woman being hysterical and being held back pointing at the cat with the plate of vegetables. The woman is supposed to be boomers and the cat millennials (or gen z, I don't know nor care to look it up so you can guess me), and then underneath is the boozy woman from Will and Grace with a glass of wine, smirking with Gen X as the caption. 

7 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

We aren't jaded.  We are just over it all and always have been.  

Or because you learned to let yourself in the house on your own after finding your way home from school and knowing how to fix a snack for yourself and get your homework done before dinner, which you probably got most of the food out for so you could watch tv all night when you were 10. 

There's another meme about being able to work the VCR, card catalog but also smartphones and EVs. Or something like that. 

Edited October 12 by DoctorAtomic

[annzeepark914]

Well...I'm *always* waiting for someone to say, "But how can that be?" just so I can respond, "Oh, it be".  I'm a Seinfeldian and got a kick out of so many episodes that were real life experiences. The closest one to my life was The Fix Up. 

[Bastet]

24 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I'm a Seinfeldian and got a kick out of so many episodes that were real life experiences.

That's what boggled my mind in watching/listening to the special features on the DVD set -- learning how many scripts came out of things that had actually happened to the writers or someone they knew.

[DrSpaceman73]

22 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's what boggled my mind in watching/listening to the special features on the DVD set -- learning how many scripts came out of things that had actually happened to the writers or someone they knew.

The book seinfeldia mentioned that too. Seinfeld and Larry David about midway through the series basically brought in a new group of writers each year, churned through them for a season to use them for all their personal experiences and story ideas and then moved on to a new group the next season. 

[annzeepark914]

10 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The book seinfeldia mentioned that too. Seinfeld and Larry David about midway through the series basically brought in a new group of writers each year, churned through them for a season to use them for all their personal experiences and story ideas and then moved on to a new group the next season. 

Hmmm...I don't remember this (churning through new writers each season). I do remember how they were asking the writers (who were also asking/begging 😁 their relatives & friends) for unusual experiences in their lives. That's why the show was more realistic (until the last two seasons when LD was gone & a lot of the storylines became just silly). 

 

[DrSpaceman73]

12 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Hmmm...I don't remember this (churning through new writers each season). I do remember how they were asking the writers (who were also asking/begging 😁 their relatives & friends) for unusual experiences in their lives. That's why the show was more realistic (until the last two seasons when LD was gone & a lot of the storylines became just silly). 

 

This is a quote about the book in question and the non seinfeld and Larry David writers

 

And the link to the story. :

https://www.laweekly.com/seinfeldia-shares-lesser-known-stories-from-the-seinfeld-writers-room/

 

 

[annzeepark914]

11 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The book seinfeldia mentioned that too. Seinfeld and Larry David about midway through the series basically brought in a new group of writers each year, churned through them for a season to use them for all their personal experiences and story ideas and then moved on to a new group the next season. 

 

 

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

This is a quote about the book in question and the non seinfeld and Larry David writers

 

And the link to the story. :

https://www.laweekly.com/seinfeldia-shares-lesser-known-stories-from-the-seinfeld-writers-room/

 

 

I'll have to check this out in the book. Maybe the author didn't use words like churning, & dumping writers at the end of each season (I think I'd remember reading something as negative as this...but who knows?!?) It's interesting that the guy who wrote the Junior Mint episode left the business & went to medical school. I bet he had a lot of explainin' to do 😄

 

[Cementhead]

Seinfeld is my favourite tv show with King of Queens being a close second.  I am Gen X and both jaded and over it all.  I am also probably an asshole, so that tracks.  Not a day or two goes by without my husband or I quoting a line from Seinfeld in some random moment to each other.  To us, life really and truly is just one long Seinfeld episode. 

[ABay]

I could never get into Seinfeld because if I wanted to hear asshole NYC people, I can just open a window.

[tearknee]

I hate Jerry and Louis-Dreyfuss as much as Michael. SNL should never have hired L-D. Jerry, and she are like Cleghorne and Hutsell from that worst period of 1990s SNL getting their own show only with one of them gender flipped *shudders*.

 

Jason i can get through only 'cause i grew up with "Duckman".

Edited October 13 by tearknee

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, tearknee said:

I hate Jerry and Louis-Dreyfuss as much as Michael. SNL should never have hired L-D. Jerry, and she are like Cleghorne and Hutsell from that worst period of 1990s SNL getting their own show only with one of them gender flipped *shudders*.

 

Jason i can get through only 'cause i grew up with "Duckman".

I loved duckman. Great show

2 hours ago, ABay said:

I could never get into Seinfeld because if I wanted to hear asshole NYC people, I can just open a window.

This is the thing about the show.....yes the main 4 has their problems but ever other character they interacted with were pretty much a holes too. 

Edited October 13 by DrSpaceman73

[tearknee]

It's like British author (and others) Jacqueline Wilson thinking kids want 'realism' in their books like staying in their homes and being with their families rather than finding magical lands. No -- reality can be far too painful. Narnia and the Faraway Tree are popular for that very reason over in Britain, Ms. Wilson.

 

 

[Wiendish Fitch]

Reality can also be dull as tombs. I like some escapism now and then.

[Anela]

I don't know who she is, so I googled. It looks like her books might be good for some kids, to give them characters they can relate to. 

[tearknee]

But, as i said, realism is not what most kids want.

[Palimelon]

Quote

I do remember how they were asking the writers (who were also asking/begging 😁 their relatives & friends) for unusual experiences in their lives.

Makes sense, I mean, lots of us have experienced the Chinese restaurant episode at some point in our lives, as an example.

It also does raise an eyebrow or 2 about other plot points as well ("You made out during Schindler's List???").

[Ohiopirate02]

4 hours ago, Palimelon said:

Makes sense, I mean, lots of us have experienced the Chinese restaurant episode at some point in our lives, as an example.

It also does raise an eyebrow or 2 about other plot points as well ("You made out during Schindler's List???").

Or like the clip I posted above. Anyone who has dated enough men for long enough has met that guy. And one of my other favorite Elaine moments is also pretty common experience--the "yada, yada, yada" scene where the lobster bisque was better than the sex.

To your second point, I wonder about the true story behind George having a mid-sex sandwich. (not really looking for any confirmation on this).

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Or like the clip I posted above. Anyone who has dated enough men for long enough has met that guy. And one of my other favorite Elaine moments is also pretty common experience--the "yada, yada, yada" scene where the lobster bisque was better than the sex.

To your second point, I wonder about the true story behind George having a mid-sex sandwich. (not really looking for any confirmation on this).

I can certainly relate to the entire gang wandering through a parking garage for the whole episode after forgetting where they parked their car.  

Seinfeld was very good at mocking the stupid little things that are part of everyday life.

[DoctorAtomic]

There's a Curb podcast with Susie and Jeff, where they talk through each of the episodes. Interesting stuff - Jeff will point out if someone improved a line or whether it was scripted. A lot of the commentary is them saying 'This actually happened to LD'. 

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, tearknee said:

But, as i said, realism is not what most kids want.

No. They want adventures, fantasy, etc.

[tearknee]

1 hour ago, andromeda331 said:

No. They want adventures, fantasy, etc.

My childhood was crappy. Mainly cause of an egg donor that saw me as the way to live her child modelling and such dreams. I doubt British kids want "worthy" tales about growing up in the projects.

[Anela]

11 hours ago, tearknee said:

But, as i said, realism is not what most kids want.

But she obviously has an audience. Her books are good for the kids who do want to read them. 

[tearknee]

Yeah. I only personally feel that real life can be just too painful.