Which of these two classic '90s sitcoms do you think is more iconic? Which, in retrospect, do you think better represents that decade? Which has aged better?

Both because they aged well on both respective programs in my point of view. Friends & Seinfeld are truly representing the sitcoms from the 1990s.

I will take Seinfeld over Friends any day. Friends is the most overrated sitcom from the 90s.

I love both, but I'd say Seinfeld because so much of it has entered the American lexicon.

Speaking solely on aging, I think Seinfeld has aged better than Friends. I can laugh out loud at repeated viewings of Seinfeld episodes i've seen many times before, but not with Friends. In that aspect, I feel Seinfeld wins out.

Another thing about Friends is there were seasons where they had long story arcs that were soap opera like and went through many episodes to conclude. To me, that detracts from it's longevity and repeated viewings.
Seinfeld's episodes were for the most part open and closed each time and that to me gives it a longer life than continuing story lines that go on and on.

Both have a solid 90's feel to them, but Seinfeld wins again because it has a more timeless quality to it more than Friends did. Friends is so drenched in the 90's that it dates itself. Especially with Jennifer Anistons hideous "Rachel" haircut early on in the series.

None of the characters on Seinfeld went too crazy with the 90's fashion and hairstyles the way Friends did. So I say Seinfeld ages better while Friends better represents the 90's decade.

Seinfeld

Seinfeld, especially the earlier seasons. I could never stand Friends. But actually, I prefer Frasier to both.

I would say Friends even though I'm a bigger fan of Seinfeld. Why?

The characters on Seinfeld are truly terrible (not the actor or acting). The characters are self-centered, ego driven, it's all about me types. They're just not very nice and they manipulate others for their own pleasure.

Friends. Seinfeld was kinda annoying because of how self-centered the characters were. When George's fiance died, and he didn't care, I stopped watching.

I love both, but I'd say Seinfeld because so much of it has entered the American lexicon.

This was a tough decision but I’m going to go with Seinfeld because of this reason as well.

Definitely Seinfeld b/c it was such a huge hit and it kind of defined the 90's. I mean, I can't think of the 90's and not think of Seinfeld.

I think Friends. All of my kids and all of their friends have seen every episode. I don't think they've ever seen an episode of Seinfeld.

I think Friends. All of my kids and all of their friends have seen every episode. I don't think they've ever seen an episode of Seinfeld.

That doesn't surprise me because i've always felt that Seinfeld was more an adult show compared to other sitcoms. What I mean by that, is that the humor is more adult oriented. I'm sure people will disagree with me, but I feel Seinfeld was geared towards the 30 something and older viewer while Friends was geared to 20 something and teens.

When Seinfeld aired during it's original run, I was in my 20's and never tuned into it because the characters were all older and I identified more with Friends. I bet your kids and their friends will discover Seinfeld at some point and appreciate it then.

Seinfeld is the more iconic. It had a bigger impact on 90s culture (spawned tons of catch-phrases and famous characters people referenced, like The Soup Nazi) and was the show that inspired so many copycats, Friends included.

I think Friends. All of my kids and all of their friends have seen every episode.

Lots of teens are fans of Friends right now. The fact that it's on Netflix is a big reason for it's popularity. Seinfeld is exclusively on the less popular Hulu. Also, Jerry and the gang are baby boomers while the Friends were Gen X. Today's teens' parents are Gen X. Kids can probably relate more to their parents humor than their grandparents. I still say Seinfeld had more of a cultural impact, but Friends may be the one to stand the test of time. Seinfeld may have been too steeped in current events for people who didn't live through that time to get it. Either way, I love both.