Seinfeld vs Curb Your Enthusiasm

[bigchiefbc]

I haven't watched as much Seinfeld as I have Curb. I do like Seinfeld as a show but to me Larry as a character wins over Jerry. Though people are right about Seinfeld being more than just about one person; that works well, but I think a lot of the characters in Curb, though not the center of the story, are just as funny and entertaining, if not more, than Larry.

Watching the Palestinian Chicken episode right now. Season 8, Episode 3

To me, George is the most important character in Seinfeld, Jerry just basically plays his straight-man. And the George character is based on Larry anyways.

[Faldoe]

I haven't watched as much Seinfeld as I have Curb. I do like Seinfeld as a show but to me Larry as a character wins over Jerry. Though people are right about Seinfeld being more than just about one person; that works well, but I think a lot of the characters in Curb, though not the center of the story, are just as funny and entertaining, if not more, than Larry.

Watching the Palestinian Chicken episode right now. Season 8, Episode 3

To me, George is the most important character in Seinfeld, Jerry just basically plays his straight-man. And the George character is based on Larry anyways.

Ya, I think thats right. Maybe I'll have a watch right now.

[snipelfritz]

Now that I think about it, is there really a straight man in Seinfeld? Each character kind of acts as their own straight man as they kind of acknowledge how strange they are and knowingly try to justify their actions often before even doing them. Occasionally a character will acknowledge how inappropriate they are, but it's typically very brief and only serves to solidify the absurdity they've been quite openly exploring the entire time.

The only memorable side characters are just as (if not more) silly than the main cast. The one exception being Susan, and she never fit in the show anyway. In fact, she is the exception that proves the rule that all of Seinfeld is an exploitation of the mild absurdities of daily living. The main characters simultaneously define what is "normal" to themselves while knowingly defying these expectations.

The fact that they aren't all just one super neurotic focal point of the show serves two vital purposes:

First, it allows the characters to discuss their reality with one another. We get an insight into how the characters interpret a situation even when we just witnessed it ourselves. The characters often act as their own competing internal pressures bouncing various points of view of each other in the effective microcosm of a tight unit. It's almost like the four main characters can be viewed as different thoughts in the same head as no outsider truly is let into the group and when they do it's through one skewed perspective which is often met with disdain and repulsion.

Secondly, and far more simply, by having four different characters you are able to allow for more (and more varied) situations to be explored, often simultaneously.

Ok, well I'm about done pooping so I'm going to finish this post now.