Analysis of a Current TV Comedy Show, Seinfeld.

Analysis of a Current TV Comedy Show

Seinfeld

It is definitely Seinfeld's unmatched take on life's most mundane moments that makes it a tremendously successful comedy. Seinfeld is a TV comedy often ironically referred to as "the show about nothing," which actually details the lives of four single people living in New York City. It is the cleverly written plots, snappy dialogue and crafty, genuine characters that make Seinfeld distinct from other similar TV situation comedies.

The first specific element that makes Seinfeld such a successful comedy is that of characterisation. The show's central character is Jerry (played by Jerry Seinfeld), a stand-up comedian who spends his time floating from gig to gig and whose personal life is filled with never-quite-right girlfriends. Most of the action takes place in the living room and kitchen of Jerry's Manhattan apartment. The aspects of Jerry's nature that make him a unique character on the show are his constant focus on the trivial things about every day life and his superficial attitude toward relationships.

Photo of Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the Emmy Awards.

Jackie Chiles

Jerry Seinfeld (character)

It is Seinfeld the actor who makes this character particularly funny. Jerry is overacted, with endless big gestures and forced expression. However, it is often these things that, instead of detracting from the character, make the character authentic. It could be argued that it is the shallow nature of the character that makes that overacting and forced expression necessary to make the character himself believable.

Joining Jerry in the show is his childhood best friend, George Constanza, (Jason Alexander) who is a character easily deemed the stereotypical loser. The direct juxtaposition of Jerry's success and George's failure leads to the big laughs. George is exactly the kind of person the audience can relate to; even if they are not like him, they are sure to know someone like him.