Why Seinfeld on Netflix may not have the same impact among young people as Friends and The Office

NPR

There are a few reasons why Seinfeld may not work for streaming viewers, particularly those too young to remember the 1998 Seinfeld series finale that drew 76 million viewers. "I just wonder if the Seinfeld crew's obvious awfulness will seem as relatable to younger streaming audiences," says Eric Deggans, pointing out how awful the Seinfeld characters are compared to their counterparts on Friends and The Office. "And there's also the inclusion issue. Seinfeld is set in one of the most diverse cities in America, but characters of color exist on the periphery... Shows like Friends also had diversity issues, but in Seinfeld, it seems even more striking. And if you know about the controversy where Michael Richards shouted the N-word at Black hecklers while he was performing in a comedy club, it might even be tougher to watch. Finally, Seinfeld took a while to get going. Its pilot didn't even have the Elaine character. I'd suggest new viewers consider starting with the second season, so you don't wind up sifting through too many clunker episodes. Seinfeld is a TV classic, credited with everything from making unlikable characters cool to inspiring a deluge of sitcoms about young people and big cities. But it's also a 32-year-old comedy which sometimes shows its age. It'll be interesting to see if the show about nothing finds a way to mean something in the streaming era."

ALSO:

• Why is Netflix's Lego Seinfeld promo so terrible?: "Did you know it was possible to be sick of Seinfeld, a show that has been running, quite happily, in syndication perpetuity for more than 20 years at this point? This is the raw power of digital marketing," says William Hughes. "But while we knew that the Seinfeld Netflix campaign could provoke boredom and irritation, we had yet to learn that it could also envelop us in a full-body sense of revulsion. That was, until we checked out the above promo that Netflix sent out this weekend, which may very well be the worst thing that Jerry Seinfeld, Bryan Cranston, and Patrick Warburton—talents all—have ever lent their time and energy to."
• Netflix is missing the other version of "The Handicap Spot" episode featuring a different actor playing George's dad: While Hulu had both versions of "The Handicap Spot" -- one with John Randolph as George's dad, and one with Jerry Stiller -- the Netflix version only has the episode with Stiller.
• Watch Frank Caliendo spoof Seinfeld playing Jerry, George, Kramer and even Elaine