American Popular Culture and Comedy - Essay Example

?American Popular Culture and Comedy Seinfeld was a TV sitcom that was initially aired in NBC television. The sitcom was created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. The show was first aired in July 1889 and it had nine seasons that lasted until May 1998. The first setting of the TV show was a predominant apartment in Manhattan state. Jerry Seinfeld is the main host in the show where he hosts some of his friends and acquaintances. Seinfeld was co-written by David and other American based scriptwriters including Larry Charles, Andy robin Charlie Rubin and carol Leifer. Seinfeld was rated among the first 100 TV episodes on TV Guides ratings. This was the overall rating of the TV show. However, individual episodes received ratings that were slightly higher than that of the program. The boyfriend, the Packing Garage, Cheers and Seinfeld are among the greatest sitcoms of all time. The paper wills therefore analyze how these episodes represent the pattern of change in 20 the century TV comedies and TV shows. The paper will also relate the episodes with the work of Joseph Boskin. Seinfeld has been rated among the best TV series in American comedy series. The main aspect that made Seinfeld to have a high rating is its association with American culture. Unlike other comedies and TV series, different episodes of Seinfeld depict or illustrate a pattern of American culture. In addition, the TV show does not mix fiction with reality or emotions and humor. This aspect has enabled Seinfeld to stand out among other American television series or comedy shows aired in the twentieth century. Thus, the differences that stand between Seinfeld and other sitcoms illustrate or depict a pattern through which American comedies and TV series have evolved. Firstly, none of the principal characters in the series is related or has a family connection. This demonstrates a change that came into effect in the first decades of the twentieth century. Initially television shows and comedies selected people who had family ties as the principal characters. Lack of family relation between the principal characters in the series also indicates the rise of professionalism in the American TV history. Professionalism is a critical factor that has contributed to progress in both stage and TV performances. Seinfeld is also among the first TV shows to introduce storylines that are developed during a performance. Although the characters had a pre-written storyline, most of their performance is based on their immediate experience and interaction. This uniqueness also contributed to the popularity of the sitcom. The phenomenon is widely demonstrated in stage performances particular comedy shows. Comedies performed in the last decades of the twentieth century have had a great dependence of the audience (Wiles 67). In addition, comedians in such shows do not act according to a pre written script but most of their performances are based on the present situations. Thus, a comedian will create his jokes according to the expectations of his audience. Criticizing the audience or an issue of current affairs such as news items also formed major subject in TV shows and comedies. The dependence of criticism and current affairs to create a storyline is dependent on the audience expectations. For instance, the Packing Garage and The Boyfriend have a significant variation in their usage of current affairs and the audience expectations. In addition, nearly all Seinfeld have unique storyline. This is the second factor that differentiates Seinfeld from other conventional sitcoms and television series. The existence of unique storyline for each episode means that each episode also has independent storyline and screenplay (Wiles 67). This also makes the episodes to have unique themes and have flexibility in relation to the audience. This significant factor differentiates Seinfeld from other TV shows and comedies of the twentieth century. The rise of political humor is another significant aspect depicted in Seinfeld. Although political satire had been a major aspect of TV shows and comedies, Seinfeld present a different aspect of political satire. The association of TV production with politics has always been on a critical perspective. This form of political humor has insignificant effect the society. Seinfeld focused on corrective humor whereby TV shows were aimed at effecting change in the country’s governance. Political criticism was a major aspect that characterized the twentieth century TV shows. Most of the political criticism focused on the economic aspect of American politics. American economy has undergone numerous shifts that were influenced by the country’s political systems. This indicates that changing the country’s political structure would effect significant change in the country’s economy. Similarly, most of the television shows focused on bringing political changes through political criticism and political satire (Johnson 15). Political satire is a continuous topic and it is among the factors that have contributed to continuity of the show. Continuity of shows is a major aspect that has characterized TV shows in the twentieth century. Continuity of Seinfeld is evident in its plots, characters and screenplay. The aspect of continuity is demonstrated though reference of past episodes and continuity of roles of various characters across the different seasons. The continuity of character roles across different episodes and seasons has been more prevalent than reference of past events. For example in The Stake Out episode, Jerry’s girlfriend plays the role of a major character. By the end of the episode, Jerry ends his relationship with his girlfriend, as the relationship seems not to work well. In the stock tip episode, Jerry revived her relationship with his girlfriend to imply a new beginning. This incident indicates continuity of TV show and TV characters. Continuity of TV show and characters is a major factor that characterizes the pattern of evolution in the American TV shows and sitcoms during the twentieth century. This eliminated disappearance of characters or death of a storyline as depicted in earlier TV shows and sitcoms. Continuity of characters and storyline has enabled the TV show to attract and retain viewers across different generations. This has also enabled the producers to emphasis on minor details that ensures consistency of major characters. Continuity of the show has also enabled the characters and the storyline of the show to remain consistent and believable. This is a major requirement for sitcoms and reality TV shows. The progress of the TV shows has mainly resulted from the ability of the viewers to associate themselves with the show and its audience. The reality or believability of characters is also a major aspect that signified TV shows and sitcoms created in the twentieth century. The aspect of believability is also demonstrated in the work of Joseph Boskin. Although Boskin is a political humorist, his work has significant degree of reality that is intertwined with creativity. Although Seinfeld has been instrumental in raising the bar in sitcom genre, there is a significant difference between the show and other sitcoms. This indicates that changes in one TV production do not necessarily effect changes in an entire genre. Thus, it is not accurate to claim that Seinfeld was responsible for the evolution of American TV shows and sitcoms. The changes that have occurred in American TV shows and comedies have resulted from a combined effort of all shows and productions. In addition, the audience ratings have also contributed to the rapid progress and evolution of American TV shows. The main difference between Seinfeld and other sitcoms is that characters never seem to change their morals throughout the different episodes. Throughout the different seasons, characters seem not to learn a moral lesson from their previous performances (Johnson 125). This depicts the difference in the lives of the characters and their performance. The rise of professionalism is a major factor that is demonstrated by this difference. The twentieth century was also signified the incorporation of professionalism in TV shows and comedies. The showbiz businesses are also major aspect of the twentieth century TV shows and TV production. The works of Joseph Boskin also demonstrate the inclusion of showbiz in television shows. This aspect enabled producers to make money from their television shows and comedies. This was a major characteristic of sitcoms and other TV shows produced in the twentieth century. The association of business with TV productions contributes to the rise of ideal characters or characters who imitate former superstars. In fact, Seinfeld once commented that it is impossible to change the basic aspects of a character or a situation but it is possible to transform them from one form to the other. This basic factor has contributed to the popularity of various comedies such as Married with Children. Conclusion Seinfeld became a popular American TV sitcom due to its characters and playwright. As a popular sitcom, Seinfeld has contributed to the evolution of the American sitcom and comedy series. Seinfeld also depicts the changes and the trend of American TV series and productions in the twentieth century. Recurrence of characters and storyline is a major factor that characterized productions of the twentieth century. TV shows created in the twentieth century were also characterized by professionalism of characters and the introduction of showbiz in the industry. Works Cited Wiles, David. Shakespeare's Clown: Actor and Text in the Elizabethan Playhouse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Print. Johnson, Carla. "Luckless in New York: The Schlemiel and the Schlimazel in Seinfeld." Journal of Popular Film and Television (Washington, D.C.), Fall 1994. Read More