Theme and Plotlines

Many theorists (e.g., Vassar 2006) argue that Seinfeld as a postmodern television series broke the conventions of mainstream television. According to Vassar (2006: 115), Seinfeld can be described as a “show about nothing”. This phrase is first introduced in the fourth season of the show when NBC tries to convince Jerry Seinfeld to promote ideas for the show. In this episode, Jerry and George consider their ideas for a sitcom as a “show about nothing”. However, what does “a show about nothing” mean? The answer to this question can be found in George’s utterances when he says “nothing happens on the show. You see, it’s just like life. You know, you eat, you go shopping, you read. You eat, you read, you go shopping”. This is an obvious central concept in Seinfeld. For example, the episode “The Parking Garage” was shot entirely in a parking garage while the four main characters were searching for the car. Another example is “The Chinese Restaurant” where the whole episode takes place as the characters struggle to find a table in the restaurant (Carey 2003).

In Seinfeld, most episodes revolve around the disastrous results of the daily interactions between the four main characters and sometimes people from the outside world. In other words, in some episodes, a new character is brought into the show and one of the main characters interacts with this outsider, who, in many instances, is rejected because of his unacceptable behavior. An example of this is when Jerry dates a girl and finds that she has manly hands. He goes back to his apartment complaining to Elaine about the incident. Jerry’s ‘reaction’ in his apartment with Elaine suggests that the characters in Seinfeld are a tight group that helps and cares for each other. It also suggests that the family’s role in the life of each character is missing. This suggestion is supported by Hibbs (1999: 144) who states, “Whereas the family supplied the dramatic and moral structure to the plot for earlier comedies, Seinfeld focuses almost exclusively on the lives of single individuals, for whom family life seems improbable, if not impossible”.

According to Skovmand (2008: 210), Seinfeld has a simple narrative in which the show, in many instances, begins and ends with Jerry’s standup comedy, and the characters having conversations in two locations: Jerry’s living room and the booth at Monk’s Diner. He states that the comedy in the show is generated by the situations rather than by the dialogue between the four main characters or any other guests. Peter Mehlman, a Seinfeld scriptwriter, shares the same conviction of Skovmand and argues that “there are no jokes in the show”. Peter’s statement, as

stated by Skovmand, means that the “situations” in Seinfeld “generate the comedy rather than witty dialogue in itself” (ibid.). However, Skovmand and Peter seem to ignore that not only situations that generate humour in Seinfeld, but also other features such as wordplay and catchphrases are used in the dialogue between the characters to provoke laughter. McFedries (2003: 1) argues that Seinfeld is a show about language, in which there is an excessive use of wordplay, catchphrases, and neologisms which are utilised to amuse the intended audience.

The simplicity in Seinfeld’s narrative is obvious as all the episodes in the nine seasons do not normally feature ongoing plots or situations that require “explicit knowledge from episode to episode, as actual actions and events rarely carry across episodes” (Mittell 2006: 34). Nevertheless, in season three, there was an attempt to use a narrative structure in which some elements carried on from one episode to another. For example, in the sixth episode of the third season, “The Parking Garage”, Kramer tells George that he is wearing the jacket of his mother’s ex-boyfriend who left it at his mother’s house. The jacket becomes a plot device in the next three episodes in which it is stolen back by the ex-boyfriend and re-stolen back by Kramer. Despite being a “show about nothing”, some episodes of Seinfeld reflect the writers’ real-life experiences.

4.3.3 Culture and Judaism

Americans have been exposed to various Jewish themes, such as Jewish weddings, anti-Semitism, and Hanukkah. In fact, these themes and other related to Jewish practices appeared on countless television programmes because Jews have been important players in film and entertainment industry. A living example of these shows is Seinfeld, which represents, in some of its aspects, the relationship between humour and Jewish culture. The Jewishness of the show can be seen in the life of a Jewish standup comedian (Jerry Seinfeld) who lives in New York with his friends. The topic of Judaism is not presented in all episodes, but it comes up in some, which are clearly “imbued with a sense of New York Jewish culture”, as Seinfeld’s parents (Morty and Helen Seinfeld) are portrayed as Jewish characters (Karesh and Hurvitz 2006: 459). Despite being a living example of New York Jewish culture, it can be argued that the Jewishness of Seinfeld is not explicit throughout the series. According to Myers (2010:18), in the absence of any direct references to Jerry’s religion (except four episodes in the series), Jerry’s actions, behavior and attitudes indicate his Jewishness and make the audiences aware of such fact.

Jewish culture is explicitly presented in some episodes of Seinfeld in which the whole episode revolves around Jewish customs and holidays. For example, in the episode, “The Bris,” circumcision, a common Jewish practice in the Jewish faith, is presented in a very funny way. Jerry and Elaine visit their Jewish friends who had a baby and are asked to be godparents to the

new-born boy. Elaine’s task is to look for a mohel - the Jewish person who circumcises the newborn - and Jerry’s is to hold the baby during the circumcision. Things get funny when the mohel turns out to be a crazy character who shouts at people and mistakenly cuts Jerry’s finger while performing the circumcision. However, despite the fact that the episode contains a great deal of humour, some writers argue that the Judaism was portrayed in a “negative” way through an absurd ceremony that ridicules Jewish “religious practices” (Litwack 2006: 73).

Another episode that discusses a religious theme is “The Yada Yada”, in which the issue of converting to Judaism is portrayed in a funny way. Dr. Tim Whatley converts to Judaism, and Jerry is not happy, especially when he hears his doctor cracking Jewish jokes, which is the reason Jerry believes Dr. Tim converted to Judaism. According to Litwack (2006: 74), the religious conversion in the episode is ridiculed and “unfairly” represented as “insignificant”, especially when Jerry says that his doctor’s conversion does not insult him as a Jewish person but “it offends me as a comedian”.

Despite being full of Jewish cultural references, Seinfeld introduces a penetrating and interesting phenomenon to both American culture and other world cultures. The Festivus holiday is invented in the episode “The Strike” (Salkin 2004). George’s father invents this holiday because he hates all the commercial and religious aspects of Christmas. Like any other holiday, Festivus has unique traditions, including the Festivus dinner, an undecorated pole, feats of strength and the airing of grievances. Surprisingly, this holiday is now celebrated in many parts of the USA, such as Washington, Austin and Ohio. Thoma (2010) quotes a Chicago restaurant publicist who held a Festivus party, as saying, “This year many more people, when they got the invite, responded with, ‘Will there be an airing of the grievances and feats of strength?’”. This fact illustrates how audiences, in some instances, absorb and adapt different aspects of popular culture.