SNL vs Seinfeld

While SNL ( Saturday Nigh Live) is a skit series/stand-up comedy ground - an instetution of stage craft. Seinfeld is a standalone show made feom four / five, Jungian archetypes (Jerry, Kramer, Elaine, George and partly Newman) redefined humor in the 90s. While SNL shaped humor of the early 70s and 80s ( With skits and films like Blues Borthers and Ghostbusters). And people like Steve Martin, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murry, and Chevy Chase among others made SNL into a juggernaut of comedy, i dare say Seinfeld as an instetution is almost as impactfull.

Edited by Icarium - January 24 2020 at 12:24

Seinfeld was about 100% NOTHING!! And they made it the funniest TV sitcom ever.......

moshkito wrote: Hi, During this time, I was already into the English comedy, and had a very large Goons collection, almost a complete Monty Python, and its various members, and the Bonzo's and solos. I, honestly, did not find Seinfold or SNLimp very good, and specially well written ... considering that is had a lot of well known names in writing, and more often then not did not use them at all ... and for my tastes, after you saw one show, maybe two of them ... you have seen it all! I would never even consider trading a Seinfudge for any of Peter Sellers' albums for example ... far funnier and intelligent ... but sometimes, in choosing "favorites" ... I don't know that we're considering the ability of the writing ... because if we were, the original "Bedazzled" would be considered a masterpiece ... but in the end, all we liked in Seinfurr and SNLisp was the fact that it was "visual" and just another "gag" ... not really well defined comedy! For my tastes!

Catcher10 wrote: ... Seinfeld was not "visual" and it was not built on "gags" like SNL was. SNL had many skits that were not funny at all, especially in recent years, its clearly long in the tooth now. Seinfeld was not like Sellers stuff or English comedy, far from it so not sure why even make the comparison. The brilliance of Seinfeld was that it was about nothing...if you don't understand that then Seinfeld could never be funny for you as you are probably trying to figure it out.

Psychedelic Paul wrote: I watched the entire first season of Seinfeld and didn't find it funny at all - probably because I'm English - but I've always enjoyed Saturday Night Live, especially Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

I find it difficult to enjoy British humour such as Monty Python and Benny Hill. Environment and location must have something to do with that. Seinfeld for me wins this poll. SNL, has too many non-funny skits, even through the early years.

For me, easily Seinfeld. One of my favorite shows. 

I made this poll in how i view the inspiration of humor/comedy to by cyclical and one can not percive what shal be the most influentual elements within eac and respected decade. But it struck me as interesting how different the comedic landscape in the 80s was very much shaped by SNL, mostly through individuals as John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Steve Martin and Martin Short, later they created inspired movies like wacky Blues Borthers and goofy Ghostbusters. Though Johnny Carsons theTonight Show might have been as infuentual as SNL for letting Stand-up comedian utulize the effect og Ed Sullivan theater for their stand-up rutine, later on David Letterman evolved with the Late Show a more silly comedy even John Cleese praised how silly Late zhsow undrr Dave were at their hight of the 80s.

Jerry is obviously toched by the energy of both SNL and talk shows like Tonight abd Late Show. He and Larry utulized the quickness of stand-up comedy with the serial format of the sitcom. a unique blend..