In the history of American television, everything prior to 1990 can be considered B.S. — “Before Seinfeld”, that is. Because when the series made its debut, it was unlike anything that had come before, and it went on to influence nearly every American sitcom to follow, from Friends to Frasier.

American comedies used to focus on a family (Roseanne) or a place (Cheers). Seinfeld was wholly about its characters: four single friends in New York City. There’s Jerry Seinfeld, the stand-up comedian who plays himself; George (Alexander), his neurotic best friend with a knack for saying or doing the wrong thing; Elaine (Louis-Dreyfus), Jerry’s pushy, straight-talking ex; and Kramer (Richards), his ridiculously over-the-top neighbour who lives a charmed life.

Individually, none of them is the sort you’d want next to you on a long-haul flight. But unlikeable doesn’t mean unwatchable. These four, together with the constant stream of quirky supporting characters, were always entertaining enough to carry each episode.

And they had to be, because the stories were never that important. As the co-creators Seinfeld and Larry David freely admit in How it Began, this was fundamentally a show about nothing — an idea they brilliantly spoofed in later series. Though neither had written sitcoms, both Seinfeld and David (who later created the cringingly funny Curb Your Enthusiasm) displayed an uncanny knack for spinning the surreal out of the mundane.

Seinfeld regularly tops polls of the best American sitcoms. If anything, this DVD has made a good thing even better.

DVD extras How it Began documentary, Kramer v Kramer feature, outtakes, deleted scenes, promos, commentaries, interviews.

Robert Burrow

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