Jerry Seinfeld Took Credit For Another Huge Sitcom’s Success
Jerry Seinfeld made one of the most important sitcoms in television history, and he apparently took credit for another hit sitcom being massively popular.
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Seinfeld is undoubtedly one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. While it’s very different from Friends, the two are often compared side-by-side as two of the best and most popular ’90s sitcoms. However, Friends might not have reached the same lofty heights as Seinfeld, if you ask Jerry Seinfeld himself. Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay in Friends, told the Daily Beast about a run-in she had with Seinfeld at an event after the first season of friends. Kudrow said “I remember going to some party and Jerry Seinfeld was there, and I said, ‘Hi,’ and he said, ‘You’re welcome.’ I said, ‘Why thank you … what?'” she further explained that Jerry said, “You’re on after us in the summer, and you’re welcome.”
Jerry Seinfeld may have a point, as Kudrow pointed out that Friends exploded in popularity after the first season re-runs started airing after Seinfeld. Seinfeld first hit TV sets in 1989 and Friends aired its first season in 1994. By the time Friends rolled around, Seinfeld was fully formed and at the peak of its popularity. It probably didn’t hurt Friends to have episodes on right after one of the most popular TV shows at the time.
Of course, Seinfeld and Friends are very different shows. Though they both are sitcoms set in New York, the similarities pretty much end there. Seinfeld, which was co-created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, featured much more nihilistic, biting comedy, with characters that were intentionally flawed or unlikeable. Friends was a much more feel-good comedy with more dramatic moments, like the will they/won’t they story with Ross and Rachel. There are certainly people who enjoy both sitcoms, but then you have people who hate one and love the other. In either case, having your new show air after an incredibly popular show likely had some sort of positive effect on Friends.
Both shows are now long over, but they easily found second lives on streaming services. Fans of Friends can watch the series over and over again on HBO Max and Seinfeld fans can queue up their favorite show on Netflix. Both shows likely won’t be seeing reboots or revivals anytime soon, but Friends fans did get Friends: The Reunion which was a reunion special with cast members Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc. A reunion special for the Seinfeld casts seems less likely, but fans of Jerry Seinfeld can watch him in his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee series, or they can check out creator Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
While Jerry Seinfeld might be leaving his Seinfeld days behind, he has an extremely interesting project coming up with Netflix. The film is currently titled Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story and Seinfeld is directing, co-writing, co-producing, and starring in it. The film will follow Kellogg’s and Post competing in 1963 Michigan to come up with the best breakfast pastry. The film started off as a joke Seinfeld had made about the creation of Pop-Tarts. The star-studded cast includes Hugh Grant, James Marsden, Maria Bakalova, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Jack McBrayer, Max Greenfield, Sarah Cooper, Christian Slater, and many more.
