Seinfeld: 10 Unpopular Opinions (According To Reddit)
Seinfeld is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, but what are some unpopular Reddit opinions on the long-running NBC comedy series?
As Seinfeld is one of the most celebrated TV sitcoms ever made and has hundreds of episodes across nine seasons, there are episodes that most people can agree are near perfect, and ones that people unanimously conclude are filler.
However, one of the best 90s’ sitcoms has so many characters and episodes that some fans believe are overrated or underrated, and that there are many popular story arcs that overshadow others that might be better. The Seinfeld-sphere on Reddit is full of hot takes that many fans might not agree with.
The Bubble Boy Episode Is Overrated
“Bubble Boy” is one of the most highly regarded episodes amongst fans of the series, as George is stuck aggressively playing Trivial Pursuit with the boy in the bubble, and with Kramer being Kramer, he accidentally burns down Susan’s lake house after lighting a Cuban cigar.
However, the episode has gotten a bit of heat from a group of fans who believe the episode is overrated, mostly due to the heavy presence of Susan, one of the most hated characters on the show.
Season 4 Is Not The Best Season
In season four, there were a ton of great Kramer-centric episodes, and it’s the season that most fans believe is where the show peaked. The seasons holds the iconic, “The Contest” and “The Junior Mint,” the latter of which even had an online game made out of it.
But the season features a few story arcs that are way too long in the tooth. Redditors think that Crazy Joe Davola feels out of place and appears too frequently, the two part “The Trip” isn’t even good enough for one episode, and that even the TV show arc outstays its welcome.
The Costanzas Are The Best Characters Of The Show
George Costanza’s father, played by the late great Jerry Stiller (Ben Stiller’s father), does not get talked about enough for his role as Frank Costanza.
He steals the show every time he’s on screen, especially when he set up a call center in his garage and when he screams “serenity now” to try and calm down. Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza is great too, as she constantly gives George grief, but the best characters of the show? That’s highly debatable.
Jason Alexander Deserved The Emmys, Not Michael Richards
George has changed a lot since season one, but it’s the ways that he’s stayed the same that fans love him the most for, as he’s socially awkward, self-deprecating, and a compulsive liar.
Unfortunately, Alexander never got the accolades that represented how well loved he was, whereas Michael Richards, who played the fan favorite Kramer, was nominated for seven Emmys over the years and won three of them. It’s arguable that Alexander should have been thrown a few of those nominations.
Season 9 is Actually Good
Within the Seinfeld fan sphere there are a lot of hot takes and unpopular opinions, but what almost everybody is in unanimous agreement on is how terrible the finale is.
Because of fans’ disappointment in the finale, it tends to bleed in to their opinions about the whole season. The show certainly gets much wackier, but there are a couple fans who are adamant that the show’s quality doesn’t drop off.
Jerry Is The Least Funny Character
While the idea of Jerry being the least funny character on the show might initially seem like a hot take, thinking about it reveals there may be some truth to that, as the character is surrounded by other crazier and much more hostile characters.
Jerry only ever finds himself in strange situations because of his friends, and though he isn’t the nicest guy in the world, he is the closest thing to a moral compass that audiences have to clutch on to.
Kruger Is The Best Side Character
There are a lot of great recurring characters, such as Jerry’s arch nemesis Newman and the aforementioned Jerry Costanza, but Kruger always goes under the radar when it comes to people in contention for the best side character.
Mr. Kruger is the catalyst for many of George’s stumbling blocks which George tries to hurdle over with increasingly ridiculous ventures, including secretly airbrushing one of Kruger’s family photos because he appears in the background.
“The Chinese Restaurant” Is Overrated
There might have been some classic moments in the episode, including George freaking out when he isn’t able to use the pay phone, and when Jerry tries to bribe the maitre d’, but a small group of fans have argued that “The Chinese Restaurant” is the most overrated episode of the whole series.
Being a bottle episode (which is when an episode of a show takes place in one area without any cuts in time), fans have said that it feels forced with too few laughs.
The Finale Isn’t That Bad
As the show changed TV in many ways, almost everybody believes that the finale, which writer Larry David even returned for, wasn’t the finale that Seinfeld deserved. The last episode was essentially a glorified clip show, as long forgotten characters returned to tell stories about their experiences with the gang.
The series ends with the gang being thrown in jail, and a couple of fans have pointed out that it’s great because it goes against the sitcom cliché of characters getting married, having kids, and settling down.
The TV Pilot Arc Is Too Meta
With what is one of the biggest and most loved seasonal arcs of the show, Jerry and George come up with the idea to pitch a television show called “Jerry,” which just happens to be a show about nothing.
Many of the show’s episodes are based on Larry David’s real life events, including “The Contest,” but when Seinfeld spends an entire season on the writers congratulating themselves, it leads some fans to believe that the arc isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
