Once again, Jerry Seinfeld hints that the possibility of a Seinfeld revival exists. He does this about once a year, perhaps to energize his Seinfeld base and keep them watching a show that hasn’t produced a single new episode in 20 years. Before we cheer or jeer at the possibility, let’s look at a list of facts about the show.
- Seinfeld went out on top. There is no dispute about this.
- In a reunion on Oprah Jerry Seinfeld was said to have told the cast that when people remember the how, they will remember the entire cast. Seinfeld was never the “star” in the traditional sense.
- The show was a foundation for the single lifestyle. The one possibility of someone getting married got killed off on the show— literally. The cast consisted of one pro-abortion, romp from-bed-to-bed woman, an entertainer who had a new girlfriend every week, a guy who never had a job, and a guy who found lying and manipulation to be assets in the pursuit of personal happiness.
- None of the characters used drugs or drank excessively.
The current response of the ides of a reunion ranges from “who cares” to “one more time!” to “don’t ruin a good thing and let it alone.” The show has enough devoted fans for any type of revival to be successful. If such a show were to come together, it is clear none of the cast would be doing it for the money, as they all continue to benefit from the show’s constant airing on TBS, CW, and a host of other cable stations. There is a huge advantage to going out on top, which is one reason a revival is highly unlikely.
The vast majority of the under-30 demographic would respond with a collective gaping yawn, if social media and discussion boards are any indication. Seinfeld was never a politically correct show, though it did have a fair amount of liberal leanings in its content. What made this show so successful was that whether you agreed or disagreed with its political leaning, you either found yourself imitating the life of one of the characters or knew somebody who did. But it is no secret that the PC culture has influenced most areas of entertainment, including comedy.
Perhaps the biggest problem with a revival of the show is where would you go with it? One suggestion has been to pick up where the show left off with the four trying to adjust to a digital world. In the series there were car phones, not smartphones; CRT monitors, not tablets; and answering machines, not voice mail and texts. No one, not even Seinfeld followers, want to watch a bunch of old people trying to adjust to new technology. It would suffer the death of the remake of M*A*S*H*- After M*A*S*H*.
There is no real way for the show to end well, even with a one hour special. Any of the characters getting married makes no sense, and for any of them to die would anger their core followers for life. The dating escapades would fizzle out since nobody wants to watch 50-somethings trying to get a date. The evidence is that it was a show for 30-somethings in the 1990’s. Today’s Millennials have very little in common with the 30-somethings of the 90’s, and the antics of the 30-somethings of the 90’s no longer resonate with today’s 50-somethings.
There are some who would say that you can never count out the comic genius of Larry David, especially given his success with the more modern Curb Your Enthusiasm show. Maybe he is good for one more go around with Seinfeld But Julia-Louis Dreyfus is battling breast cancer and Michael Richards angered a goodly number of people who apparently are not willing to forget and forgive, limiting the potential of any show.
There is nothing wrong with going out on top.
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