This was important to what made Seinfeld funny. At one point in the show Elaine contemplates murdering a cable guy, and then there is the dog episode. The characters were essentially villains, not heroes, and that is what made the show funny.
I respectfully disagree. While the idea that the cast of Seinfeld are awful people is regularly put forward (including by the show's own finale), it always rung hollow to me. Yes, they're often shallow to the point of conceit, but villains?
Buddy you're talking to someone who was in Boston around the time the last episode aired (despite being a Brit - we have friends in MA), I was even wearing a Cheers "Last Call 1993" t-shirt whilst watching it, despite being only 15, I watched that show practically my whole life to that point.
I think Frasier is a factor, but I think it's also just pretty much no '80s comedies really seem to have retained their popularity to the degree the "generalized" streaming services like Netflix have felt the need to get them. I think age is also a factor. If you were 30 when Cheers first came on in 1982 (i.e. a similar age to Ted Danson), you'd be 73 now (Danson is 77), and thus outside the demographic that most TV (including streamers) aims at.
Alzrius's complaint is valid. The term I always use is unsympathetic protagonists. They are occasionally villainous in a 'you would never actually want to know these people,' but not universally. What seems more consistent is that they are deeply foolish and flawed people who end up causing problems where ever they go, and, in general, we the audience delight in them getting their comeuppance (compared to Ralph Kramden or Archie Bunker or Roseanne, who in general I think we'd rather learn an important lesson by the end of the episode). That's about all I can come up with* that makes Seinfeld unique -- they set themselves up as bad enough that you actually want them to fail.
Villains can have codes though. Oddly enough Kramer has more of a sense of clear ethics than some of the others. But I would say the opposite: George, Elaine, and Jerry are terrible people who have good moments (it does evolve though: Elaine is much more normal in the first couple of seasons, and Jerry is never as bad as George).I respectfully disagree. While the idea that the cast of Seinfeld are awful people is regularly put forward (including by the show's own finale), it always rung hollow to me. Yes, they're often shallow to the point of conceit, but villains?
Kramer was in an AIDS walk. George saw a security guard standing all day and wanted to give him a chair. Elaine was concerned that a shopkeeper hosing down the sidewalk in front of his store was wasting water. Jerry helped Bania with his (Bania's) comedy routine, despite finding him personally annoying. There are lots of little examples scattered throughout the show of the cast members doing nice things for people, simply because they feel moved to do so. While they also have their awful moments, they're essentially ordinary people, with good and bad days, simply a bit more outsized for the sake of comedy.
Of course, none of that applies to Newman. He's definitely a villain.
LoL that rings a bell but I only have vague memories. Who was in it?
On the other hand, Dad’s Army, which started in the 60s, just won’t die.
