Episode 63: The Seinfeld Syndrome

"What's the deal with me not being able to stay into these shows?" 

-Me, in a poor attempt at a Jerry Seinfeld impression

   I'm sort of a connoisseur of television. I've seen so many shows that I frequently rank them and am able to hold a conversation on well over a hundred shows. I love sitcoms. Specifically, my favorites include It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Miracle Workers, Friends, Schitt's Creek, and more. However, sometimes when I try to watch a sitcom, I eventually find myself a little burnt out, in a phenomenon I refer to as the Seinfeld Syndrome.

    The origin of the name of this affliction comes from my short-lived attempt to watch Seinfeld from start to finish. I enjoyed it, but I couldn't do it. Seinfeld and many shows like it very much give off the vibe you just put on when you find it playing on TV. It's not something you sit down to watch beginning to end. That feels like a chore, especially when there are shows that have a plot that carries through and evolves episode to episode instead of every episode being some quirky new situation that you don't really need context for. 

   I love Friends. But I've never watched it start to finish. And I don't want to, nor do I think I could. I've seen enough of it, so much, through the years that I believe I've seen every episode, and I know what happens when and what goes on with all the characters. Same thing, but to a lesser extent, with The Big Bang Theory.

    Much like my attempt with Seinfeld, I also did this with How I Met Your Mother and Cheers. Though, admittedly, I often think about going back to the former and seeing it through. I loved what I saw of Cheers, but for one, it's a really long show, and for two, it definitely has the Seinfeld Syndrome. It's not a show you watch beginning to end. You pop an episode on when you see it playing and just enjoy whatever shenanigans occur over thirty minutes.

  "But Mr. Hardy! You said you like sitcoms and even listed your favorites! How do you excuse those? How do they not have the Seinfeld Syndrome?"

    I'm glad you asked that. For the first one, Always Sunny, they adapt their material so that characters are reacting and facing things that are occurring in real life at that current time. They source from relatable things and that keeps their content fresh. It's also sort of an "anti-sitcom" sitcom. Perhaps I'll explain what I mean by that in an extracurricular. For now, if you wanna know what I mean by that, talk to me after class.

   Both The Office and Parks and Recreation avoid the syndrome because of their shared unique style. They are both filmed like documentaries and have scenes where different characters are interviewed on their own.

   Miracle Workers is an anthology sitcom, with each new season being a different story in different circumstances with different characters played by the same actors.

   I already talked about Friends. I'm sure I would feel the Seinfeld Syndrome if I tried to watch it start to finish, but since I never have and instead have seen it all randomly over the years, I love it without ever having experienced the syndrome.

    Schitt's Creek is just really well-written, it's just a really good show in general, not just a good sitcom. It also has some prime character development. 

 Well, that's all I got. Anyway,

see you next week!