Ten Years Later: Still Bitter About 'Seinfeld' Finale, Reunion Needed

[Brian Damage]

If a tree falls in the woods and 76.3 million people are there to watch it, will it make a noise? Yes! It will! It will make the most horrendous thud that can possibly be imagined. This is what happened in May of 1998-- yes, over ten years ago-- when the series finale of "Seinfeld" aired.

Jerry Seinfeld, over the years, has dropped coy hints that there is a possibility that the Seinfeld cast may reunite for a one off movie or reunion special. This needs to happen. The final episode of "Seinfeld"-- what many would agree is a landmark series in the history of television-- is, in a word, terrible. That final hour-long episode casts a stench so foul the aroma of failure can still be smelled ten years later. This needs to be corrected.

"Seinfeld" was the "show about nothing." But really, was it? Not really. It was usually about something, albeit usually not much of something though; considering one episode focused on the death of the fiancé of a main character, sometimes it could be a show very much about something. The problem with the final episode: it was about everything!

Throughout its run, "Seinfeld" relied on the simple nuances of everyday life to point out the absurd and, at times, even become part of societal lexicon itself by creating catchphrases that are still used, without hesitation, ten years later. "Not that there is anything wrong with that," when discussing the gay community; "master of my domain," for taking pride in denying oneself the act of self pleasure; even an occasional "The jerk store called and they're running out of you," when not sure how to respond to an insult. Are we still quoting "M*A*S*H*" and "Cheers"-- both fantastic shows-- today?

The final episode of any long running series should be the proverbial exclamation point. Take what the series has always done successfully, do it one last time only better since the character arcs are all coming to an end. The aforementioned "M*A*S*H*" and "Cheers" both had outstanding final episodes. ""Seinfeld" went away from their basic formula and, instead, paraded a herd of every guest star that ever appeared on the series through a convoluted trial accusing the main characters of "doing nothing." Instead of having the main characters actually doing nothing-- or, as pointed out earlier, at least, very little-- they were just accused of doing nothing while a dog and pony show went on behind them.

Certain franchises have been "rebooted." Take Batman for example: when "Batman Begins" was released in 2005 it just pretended the other films never existed. Next year, "Star Trek" is rebooting with an entire new cast playing the roles of the original characters. Mr. Seinfeld (and Mr. Larry David, because you did come back to help write that infamous final episode), nothing this drastic needs to be implemented with your fine series... just the final episode! Just pretend the final episode never happened. In fact, a lot of "Seinfeld" fans already have!

Often a series that had a perfect ending are brought back for the wrong reasons. "After M*A*S*H*" or even the successful "Sex and the City" movie are good examples. Let these characters go out on top. "Seinfeld," on the other hand, went out on a low point. It would not be trying to capitalize on the success of characters that are still beloved today, it would be essentially be righting a wrong.

The mild teasers at the prospect of a reunion need to end. It is time for action. It is time to right the one blemish (perhaps two if you count the two-part episode that took place in Los Angeles) on this series' great history! Film a reunion. Please make the thought of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer sitting in a jail cell disappear forever. A series this good, and this important should have, no-- deserves, a better ending.

Story by Mike Ryan

Starpulse contributing writer

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index....er_about_seinf

[catlover79]

Even though I'm not sure a reunion episode would be a good idea, I'd still watch it!!!!

[DSfan]

If they would ever make a special or movie reunion, they better make sure it's amazing otherwise that'll just be even more upsetting than the initial semi-"failure".

[Schmoopie]

I honestly think a reunion show would kill the magic of the series. I would rather watch the "reunion-type" stuff that's on the DVD's (Julia, Michael, Jerry and Jason-talking about the series.)

Most reunion shows I have seen have turned out to be kind of lame-it definitely loses something when beloved shows return. Even if you want them back very badly!

Andrea

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

If a tree falls in the woods and 76.3 million people are there to watch it, will it make a noise? Yes! It will! It will make the most horrendous thud that can possibly be imagined. This is what happened in May of 1998-- yes, over ten years ago-- when the series finale of "Seinfeld" aired.

Jerry Seinfeld, over the years, has dropped coy hints that there is a possibility that the Seinfeld cast may reunite for a one off movie or reunion special. This needs to happen. The final episode of "Seinfeld"-- what many would agree is a landmark series in the history of television-- is, in a word, terrible. That final hour-long episode casts a stench so foul the aroma of failure can still be smelled ten years later. This needs to be corrected.

"Seinfeld" was the "show about nothing." But really, was it? Not really. It was usually about something, albeit usually not much of something though; considering one episode focused on the death of the fiancé of a main character, sometimes it could be a show very much about something. The problem with the final episode: it was about everything!

Throughout its run, "Seinfeld" relied on the simple nuances of everyday life to point out the absurd and, at times, even become part of societal lexicon itself by creating catchphrases that are still used, without hesitation, ten years later. "Not that there is anything wrong with that," when discussing the gay community; "master of my domain," for taking pride in denying oneself the act of self pleasure; even an occasional "The jerk store called and they're running out of you," when not sure how to respond to an insult. Are we still quoting "M*A*S*H*" and "Cheers"-- both fantastic shows-- today?

The final episode of any long running series should be the proverbial exclamation point. Take what the series has always done successfully, do it one last time only better since the character arcs are all coming to an end. The aforementioned "M*A*S*H*" and "Cheers" both had outstanding final episodes. ""Seinfeld" went away from their basic formula and, instead, paraded a herd of every guest star that ever appeared on the series through a convoluted trial accusing the main characters of "doing nothing." Instead of having the main characters actually doing nothing-- or, as pointed out earlier, at least, very little-- they were just accused of doing nothing while a dog and pony show went on behind them.

Certain franchises have been "rebooted." Take Batman for example: when "Batman Begins" was released in 2005 it just pretended the other films never existed. Next year, "Star Trek" is rebooting with an entire new cast playing the roles of the original characters. Mr. Seinfeld (and Mr. Larry David, because you did come back to help write that infamous final episode), nothing this drastic needs to be implemented with your fine series... just the final episode! Just pretend the final episode never happened. In fact, a lot of "Seinfeld" fans already have!

Often a series that had a perfect ending are brought back for the wrong reasons. "After M*A*S*H*" or even the successful "Sex and the City" movie are good examples. Let these characters go out on top. "Seinfeld," on the other hand, went out on a low point. It would not be trying to capitalize on the success of characters that are still beloved today, it would be essentially be righting a wrong.

The mild teasers at the prospect of a reunion need to end. It is time for action. It is time to right the one blemish (perhaps two if you count the two-part episode that took place in Los Angeles) on this series' great history! Film a reunion. Please make the thought of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer sitting in a jail cell disappear forever. A series this good, and this important should have, no-- deserves, a better ending.

Story by Mike Ryan

Starpulse contributing writer

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index....er_about_seinf

Nice idea but I don't feel this is about to happen.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

I honestly think a reunion show would kill the magic of the series. I would rather watch the "reunion-type" stuff that's on the DVD's (Julia, Michael, Jerry and Jason-talking about the series.)

Most reunion shows I have seen have turned out to be kind of lame-it definitely loses something when beloved shows return. Even if you want them back very badly!

Andrea

True, but a feature film of the Seinfeld cast, such a something like what Star Trek did, could be well done if handled properly.

[TMC]

Seinfeld had a bizarre ability to craft totally implausible stories that still made perfect sense. For example, of course it would be natural within the context of the "Seinfeldverse" for to George pretend to be a marine biologist to impress a woman. And then of course, he'll wind up in a situation with that woman where a marine biologist is required to save a whale. It's sort of like the physics in cartoons; it has nothing to do with the real world, but it's consistent within the "Seinfeldverse" as I previously alluded towards.

This is why the last episode just felt so backwards. In other words, every time they tried to help someone (like the guy that Jerry and company watched get mugged) they screwed up their life.

[Yong Fang]

I think the concept of the finale looked good on paper, all of the people that Seinfeld and company screwed over has come back to haunt them. I have not seen the finale probably since the finale itself, but it wasn't horrible, and the characters got to what was coming to them.....

Seinfeld, Elaine, and George were not bad people, but they were not good people either, they used people for their own ends, and were snarky jerks.

I don't know what else the show could have done, what kind of "big ending" the show could have had.

[stevea]

They could have let the retrospective be the finale. The end of the clip show "felt" like the end.

[Dale Key]

This is one of the few sitcoms that went out when it was still extremely popular rather than forgotten. That's why story-wise Jerry doing stand-up if the last scene chronologically we'll see. They parodied the idea of an in-universe Seinfeld reunion on season 7 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, with Larry getting the four of them back for a Seinfeld sequel series. Watch it on Amazon Prime for free if you're a subscriber.

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

I think the concept of the finale looked good on paper, all of the people that Seinfeld and company screwed over has come back to haunt them. I have not seen the finale probably since the finale itself, but it wasn't horrible, and the characters got to what was coming to them.....

Seinfeld, Elaine, and George were not bad people, but they were not good people either, they used people for their own ends, and were snarky jerks.

I don't know what else the show could have done, what kind of "big ending" the show could have had.

I couldn't agree more. The fact of the matter is that any "regular" ending would have been just too conventional for what was essentially an unconventional show.

[Willbo]

I like it now but did not like it at first. I like that they got in trouble for doing nothing on the show about nothing.

[stevea]

It wasn't horrible, it's just not one you'd (I should say, I'd) want to see again. For instance, the episode with Elaine's shoes, and Jerry and George are at the network president's apartment. That scene is LOL every time I see it. So, that and countless other episodes, you don't mind seeing over and over. You'd call them "timeless". You wouldn't put the finale in that category.