A poll, of sorts.
It’s been my experience that men are much more likely to be huge Seinfeld fans than women.
I didn’t watch Seinfeld at all when it was on, apart from catching the final episode. I had a grudge against it that I can’t really explain. I started to catch it a bit in syndication and admit that it was funny.
I will, however, still argue with anyone who tries to tell me that it’s better than Cheers. I *heart* Cheers.
Now, Rand has been buying Seinfeld on DVD, and I’ve been watching it a bit more. Again, I admit that it’s funny. It makes me laugh. But it’s still probably not something I would want to watch over and over and over again.
I’ve known plenty of women who feel the same way I do. But I don’t know that I’ve ever encountered a man who doesn’t *love* Seinfeld.
So basically, there are three questions:
1. Where do you stand on Seinfeld?
2. Do you think there is a gender distinction, and if so, what do you think it’s about?
3. What’s your favorite sitcom? (current or past)
1. Hatehatehatehate Seinfeld. It annoys me to no end.
2. No, no gender distinction in the like/dislike of the show.
3. Arrested Development
1. Where do you stand on Seinfeld?
Slightly to the left and about a half-step back. But yeah I watch it every night on TBS. Last night was one of my fave episodes: “The Opera.” “A crazy clown is after you? Oh that’s rich.”
2. Do you think there is a gender distinction, and if so, what do you think it’s about?
It might be a stupid humor thing or a low-art/high-art thing. I personally love stupid humor, sly humor, whatever — so long as it’s funny. I find “Seinfeld” funny. Much of the humor is character-based, which is what I like to read as well. It could be that fewer women cop to digging “Seinfeld” b/c it’s not high-art enough, if that makes any sense. I love me some Austin Powers, I love me some “South Park” and I love me some “Seinfeld.”
As unfortunately stereotypical as it is, I think more women would admit to watching shows like “Mad About You” (remember that pile of poo?) or “Raymond” or some other mix-n-match sitcom than a show like “Seinfeld.” I honestly don’t get why more women don’t like it.
3. What’s your favorite sitcom?
I would have to say “Seinfeld,” if forced to choose one. Recent faves that come to mind are “Friends” “The Office” (UK is better but US is quite good) “Scrubs” “My Name Is Earl” (can’t miss it) “The Drew Carey Show” (early episodes). When I was a toddler, my parents couldn’t tear me away from “Sanford and Son.”
1. I ::heart:: Seinfeld. Started watching it before it was popular & still watch it. I can relate anything to a Seinfeld episode.
2. Don’t think so. See #1.
3. I still love Seinfeld. Favorite current sitcom: Arrested Development.
1. I can take it or leave it. If nothing else is on, I’ll watch it.
2. Now that you mention it…all the guys at the office LOVE it. I think it is similar to the 3 Stooges theory. Anything funny wil entertain men for hours, but women have to really appreciate a joke to laugh. Seinfeld has enough well crafted humor that women like it, but men really like it.
3.I’m more of a Drama girl myself.
Neither Matt nor I like it.
I don’t know about gender: I just felt it was a show featuring four very unpleasant characters, and as I already worked with very similar people, I wasn’t going to give my free time over to them.
Hmmm…we’re not actually watching many funny shows these days.
I adore Coupling (BBC version, not the crap produced by NBC), I really liked Kitchen Confidential (FOX sucks), I still laugh at M*A*S*H, and have fond memories of Soap and Benson.
Oooh…Mad About You. One of the only comedies I ever taped.
I agree, Stephanie…I liked Mad About You too. 🙂
My favorites (current) are Arrested Development (pffft to Fox) and Scrubs. Past favorites include Friends and, of course, the aforementioned Cheers. I also liked Wings.
🙂
Current fave sitcoms:
Jeff & I don’t have cable tv, but we borrow tv shows from friends. Our current favourite: Arrested Development.
Past fave sitcoms, in no particular order:
Frasier
Dick Van Dyke (I guess that kinda dates me, eh?)
Fawlty Towers
MASH
Ally McBeal
Newhart
I Love Lucy (the date thing again)
Sorry, forgot the other two questions in my excitement to discuss the last one.
1. re: Seinfeld. I feel the same way as you.
2. re: gender distinction. Hm, don’t know.
Oh, Frasier was great, too!
I’ve never cared for “Seinfeld”. Just found it too mean-spirited for me.
Sitcoms I’ve liked:
MASH
Cheers
Wings
Murphy Brown
WKRP in Cincinnati
Frasier
Newhart
The Monkees
The Partridge Family
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Wonder Years
Spin City
Malcolm in the Middle
The only sitcom I watch semi-regularly right now is “Everybody Hates Chris”. Good writing, good characters.
1. I’ve watched it, but never by choice
2. The majority of people I know who still watch are men
3. Too tough
Allison’s reminded me of some other sitcoms I’ve really enjoyed:
The Monkees
The Partridge Family
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
And I’m horrified to realize I left “Cheers” off my list.
1. Weighing in on male side of the question: hate it. The episodes I’ve seen present deeply unpleasant characters doing trivial things leading to painful embarrasment (often leaning heavily on catch phrases like a late 90’s SNL sketch as it goes) and expect that since this banal theater of cruelty is labeled comedy it will, on the strength of that, be funny.
2. Not that I’ve seen. Three Stooges? Sure. But not Seinfeld.
3. All time…I’ll have to go with Yes, Prime Minister. Which probably says something about just how far out of touch my taste in sitcoms is. My favorite American network sitcom is, of course, The Simpsons. Also like the original Coupling (not the justifiably short-lived American version), MASH, Soap, and Police Squad. I remember being very fond of Night Court and Cheers, but after seeing reruns in recent years, I don’t think they’ve aged well for me.
1. I’ll watch it if nothing else is on but it’s not one of my favorites.
2. personal experience: yes. My husband LOVES Seinfeld.
3. Friends (especially the early years), Cheers, Mad About You — but none of them come near my all-time favorite show: NYPD Blue, which was a drama.
1. Great show. One of the best sitcoms I’ve ever seen. 2. I think guys tend to obsess more about shows like Seinfeld/Family Guy/etc and so you get huge passion for stuff wheras the only shows I’ve heard girls really rave about are Friends and Sex in the City…so yeah, small gender distinction. 3. Seinfeld or Scrubs.
You guys just keep reminding me of shows I liked! Murphy Brown and Spin City were among my favorites as well.
Thanks for all the responses! 🙂
Cool poll!
1. YAWN!
2. I haven’t noticed one.
3. The Office (British version, of course)
!) I love Seinfeld. It has become “comfort food”, the tv version of mac and cheese. And I think it has completely permeated society. I’m sure many readers do not go through a full day without a “Seinfeldism”
2)Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but my husband (Kevin J. Hosey) hates it.
3) Family Guy
If there are so many people who mentioned “Arrested Development” (its one of my favorites), why is Fox being so stupid?
Oh, Val…if only we could answer that question, I’ll bet we could also bring about world peace and end hunger.
😉
Don’t forget Kitchen Confidentail…showing, again, how stupid FOX is.
Another male viewpoint.
1) I do not like or enjoy Seinfeld.
2) I agree with others that your sense of humor is more important than your gender to liking it.
3) I like a number of the show that were listed above, but one that I really liked and even bought the series was SportsNight.
Christopher G.
1. Never really cared for “Seinfeld.” I’ve only seen perhaps a dozen episodes and was not all that impressed. It’s a touch clever at times, sure, but in an overly self-conscious way, I think — and the characters are all too unlikable to identify with. Not that characters necessarily need to be likable to be appreciated — Larry Linville’s performance as Frank Burns on “M*A*S*H” was brilliant — but there does need to be at least one entry-point perspective for the viewer to identify with. That ostensibly was Jerry, but he was a bit too mean-spirited and neurotic to truly identify with, at least for me.
2. Haven’t really noticed a gender distinction — the men and women I know seem to like or dislike it in near-equal numbers.
3. All-time favorite remains “M*A*S*H.” Although “The Simpsons” is in the running, and “Taxi,” “Cheers” and “WKRP” certainly had some great ensemble casts.
1. Where do you stand on Seinfeld?
Can take it or leave it. I think it’s reasonably amusing, but hardly essential.
2. Do you think there is a gender distinction, and if so, what do you think it’s about?
No idea. There is a sort of “boys club” feel to it. Even Julia Louis-Dryfuss is one of the guys, so that may feed into it.
3. What’s your favorite sitcom? (current or past)
All time? Probably the UK comedy “Coupling”. Currently? “How I Met Your Mother”, which is about three times better than it has any right to be.