Why Jerry Seinfeld thinks comedy doesn’t last
Jerry Seinfeld has held a healthy perspective on how his comedy will be remembered.
Love him or hate him, Jerry Seinfeld changed comedy forever with the way he adapted his wry, observational sense of humour into the basis of an endearing sitcom. While comedy shows prior to Seinfeld had been given the same trappings of their dramatic counterparts, Seinfeld was confident in making “a show about nothing.” Just look at the countless Seinfeld impersonators and rip-offs to see how poorly that premise can go without a charismatic star at the centre.
Seinfeld is responsible for a wide variety of iconic jokes that have gone down in popular culture history, and some of its phrases have simply become accepted as part of the language; there’s a fair amount of younger people who weren’t even born when Seinfeld aired its final episode, yet still are aware of what the concept of a “Soup Nazi” is.
Even though he is the titular character in the show, Seinfeld hasn’t had quite the same career as his former co-stars. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has gone on to become one of the most celebrated television actors of all-time, having won six Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance in Veep. Jason Alexander has continued to have a significant career on Broadway, and Seinfeld’s co-creator, Larry David, created an even more endearing comedy series with Curb Your Enthusiasm, which ran longer than Seinfeld, and without a significant dip in quality.
Seinfeld may still be doing his stand-up tour, but there’s a risk that his brand of humour may no longer connect with contemporary audiences. Seinfeld lacks the edge of many of today’s leading comedians, but he has also avoided discussing any overt political topics.
His film career has also been somewhat of a disaster; even though The Bee Movie, which he wrote and voiced the lead character in, became a viral meme a decade after its release, it was still considered to be a disappointment. Likewise, Seinfeld’s sole directorial credit is the Netflix film Unfrosted, which has been referred to by some critics as one of the worst films ever made.
Seinfeld’s public appearances are often in support of other comedians, such as when he recently appeared in a documentary for Apple TV about Steve Martin, which was directed by Morgan Neville. Seinfeld reflected on one of his own inspirations and may have been inadvertently honest about how his own career has evolved.
“Idolatry is so fleeting,” Seinfeld said. “When I was a kid, there was this comedian, Joe Penner, whose catchphrase was ‘wanna buy a duck?’ If you said ‘wanna buy a duck?’ everybody would fall down laughing, and now it’s embarrassing, so I don’t invest too much in that stuff.”
Seinfeld seems to be aware that what is considered groundbreaking for a previous generation might now be seen as “cringey” by contemporary audiences because of how differently the culture has changed. Even if Penner had a significant impact on Seinfeld’s trajectory as an artist, his name is obscure by today’s standards.
What’s most interesting about Seinfeld’s comments is that he’s appearing alongside Martin, who has proven that the opposite can be true. Even if Martin’s silly brand of stand-up comedy, which originated in the ‘70s, wouldn’t be as successful today, he has reinvented himself for a new audience with his work on the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building.
