seemed to have changed little since their high
school days. Kramer accused Jerry of being an exam-
ple of Peter Pan syndrome, though he, the eldest,
was the most immature of the four, an unemployed
(and unemployable) hedonist impulsively following
his infantile instincts. George was a lovable loser who
failed at every endeavor. Elaine, the brightest of the
four, charged from one brief relationship to an-
other.
Seinfeldrevolved around its characters’ reluctance
to accept responsibility for anything. David, Sein-
feld, and the other writers exaggerated this point on
several occasions, as when a small kitchen fire broke
out during a children’s birthday only for George to
push everyone, including an elderly woman, aside to
be the first to escape and then pathetically tried to
defend himself. David, the inspiration for George,
made many of the show’s loyal viewers uneasy with
the series finale by having the protagonists go to
prison for a selfish act.
In an era when the so-called excesses of the 1960’s
and 1970’s were passé and Americans were expected
to devote themselves to work and family,Seinfeldsati-
rized commitment by having its characters go to the
other extreme. Elaine and George changed jobs fre-
quently, and all four were afraid of romantic com-
mitments: falling for someone else while in a rela-
tionship and becoming unsettled by being loved.
Engaged to Susan (Heidi Swedberg), George was
desperate to avoid marriage but lacked the courage
to pull out. He was relieved when Susan suddenly
died from licking the cheap envelopes he bought for
their wedding invitations. Jerry did not want to see
too much of his parents (Barney Martin and Liz
Sheridan), while George was constantly embar-
rassed by his loud, vulgar folks (Estelle Harris and
Jerry Stiller).
Sex and Satire In addition to death,Seinfeldtreated
numerous other sensitive subjects cavalierly. Almost
every episode launched an attack upon the era’s po-
litically correct views of the handicapped, cancer
and other illnesses, alcoholism, old age, religion, se-
rial killers, and homosexuality. Jerry and George
were mistaken for a gay couple, leading to one of
the series’ many famous catchphrases: “Not that
there’s anything wrong with that” mocked not ho-
mosexuality but the timid way many Americans tried
to mask their prejudices. While most television pro-
grams dealt with similar issues moralistically,Seinfeld
never stooped to didacticism or sentimentality.
Seinfeldwas the most sexually implicit comedy on
the broadcast networks, often touching previously
verboten subjects. The protagonists made a bet
about who could resist masturbation for the longest
time. Elaine forced a reluctant musician boyfriend
to provide cunnilingus, resulting in his inability to
play his saxophone afterward. After returning from
a swim, George was embarrassed when one of Jerry’s
girlfriends accidentally saw his shriveled penis.
Also irreverent about itself,Seinfeldpresented a
series of episodes in which Jerry and George created
an autobiographical pilot about nothing, mocking
the way television networks operate. Oblivious to
their failings, George and Kramer were horrified to
see how actors interpreted them.
Arguably the smartest situation comedy ever,
Seinfeldwas also notable for giving its audience credit
for getting jokes without having to spell matters out.The Nineties in America Seinfeld 761
The cast ofSeinfeld(from left): Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-
Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards.(Hulton
Archive/Getty Images)