Seinfeld: What "Nothing" Really Means

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SOURCES:
Robert Hurd, “Taking ‘Seinfeld’ Seriously: Modernism in Popular Culture” New Literary History, Vol. 37, No. 4, Attending to Media (Autumn, 2006), pp. 761-776
Greg M. Smith, “Plotting a Show about Nothing: Patterns of Narration in ‘Seinfeld’” (From: Creative Screenwriting: Volume II) 1995
www2.gsu.edu/~j...
James Wood, “The Man Behind Bovary” (A review of ‘Flaubert: A Biography by Frederick Brown’) (via The New York Times) 2006
www.nytimes.com...
Gustave Flaubert (selected, edited and translated by Francis Steegmuller), “The Letters of Gustave Flaubert 1830-1857”
books.google.c...

[@AmiYamato]

Watching this as I have a snack break, but now I need a drink because _these pretzels are making me thirsty._

[@missinglogos]

THESE PRETZELS ARE MAKING ME THIRSTY

[@CraparellaSmorrebrod]

+Ami Yamato Hey Ami, long time no see. How's Maya and Renderman doin'? :-)

[@t500010000]

THESE pretzels are making me THIRSTY!

[@clarkflavor]

+Ami Yamato You should put some salsa on them. Salsa is now the number one condiment in America.

[@egoborder3203]

+Ami Yamato these pretzels are making ME thirsty!

[@MrSaltytoast]

this channel is GOLD JERRY!!!! GOLD!!!!!

[@tinglesrosyrupeeland]

Slick your profile picture 👌 yaaaas

[@Simon62345]

62 likes. Luke, you're not just famous. You're a god

[@MrSaltytoast]

i am a god

[@timh97sg1]

Oooh you better believe it

[@MimikyuCookie]

Slick 667th like

[@ChrisLerouxDesign]

Seinfeld is indeed genius in that it's about "nothing." It's interesting how through the progression from "family" to "friend" sitcoms, the subjects become less idealized and instead of an emphasis on good values and qualities, it's on the bad. We all make mistakes, and so Seinfeld is revolutionary in presenting us with a group we don't have to aspire to be - we already are Jerry, George, and Elaine.

[@UCCEV]

+Achromat yes i agree with you , and Kramer is a unique persona

[@ChrisLerouxDesign]

UCCEV Absolutely, haha.

[@TheGroucho66]

+Achromat Also I love the way in which, in a medium that frequently depicts characters of extremes, Jerry, George, and Elaine aren't great people, but nor are they horrible people. They are mildly smug, mildly uncaring, mildly selfish but mildly friendly. In this regard, it amuses me that the size of the problems/social norms with which the characters are obsessed (And where the humour arises) is equal in terms of subtlety and minuteness as their personalities in terms of morality. Like Lennon said, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Seinfeld doesn't consider the big moments as representative or important in your life, rather everything in between those moments. The "nothingness" that happens in life. Eating, sleeping, watching TV being slightly annoyed because of the neighbour, finding a coin down the side of your sofa, etc. To often is Seinfeld described as "yet another joke machine traditional sitcom". It's so incredibly post-modern whilst being conveyed through the lens of an extremely traditional/old-hat format (Which is why originally Larry David wanted Seinfeld to be a one camera show and initially hated the idea of a standard multi-camera/in front of a live audience show).

[@ChrisLerouxDesign]

***** I wouldn't say EXACTLY that. American's have done similar kinds of humor decades before Seinfeld. It just wasn't the norm. That being said, the Brits have a wicked sense of humor that the rest of the world needs to adopt today. No one seems to be able to take a joke anymore.

[@TheGroucho66]

Achromat As a Brit, I assure you, we are shit humour too here. The whole "American sense of humour" thing versus the "British sense of humour" thing is false in my view. There isn't a style of humour that is "british" i.e. some comedic tone that is somehow genetically intrinsic to all british people. The only thing in comedies over here that distinguish us from American comedy is simply locations, cultural references and accent - and those elements are at best irrelevant to jokes or their style. For every example of decent comedy over here, I can point out to you shit comedy, and I'm sure the same can be said of America too.

[@sunbursttangerine]

Seinfeld is one of the best sitcoms in television history. My mother and I caught onto this "deconstruction" early on and always joked that in every single episode, an action of one character consequently ends up screwing another character one way or another. We could see the intertwining of events and always knew that it would come back to bite someone in the ass at the end of every episode - that's one thing we loved about the show. I watched this show growing up and still enjoy it just as much as an adult, perhaps even moreso. There are no doubts that Larry David is a comedic genius.

[@stevenglansburg856]

Jessica Renee your make up is like cake

[@afterburner2869]

Jessica Renee Seinfeld is not one of the best sitcoms in television history. Seinfeld is the best sitcom in television history.

[@vatsaljadav5528]

The exact reason you mentioned is the reason i dislike the show. There are far too many coincidences in the show to make it look funny, but when you think about it, it is not realistic. It cannot happen in every episode.. NYC is not so small that for eg its not possible that jerry/george meets the same guy on the street who meet elaine at her office for a scene.. over and over again with such coincidence.. it just can be. I dont buy it. Thats only my opinion. I hardly chuckled 2-3 times during the entire series. Season 8 is soo booring and annoying i couldnt stand it so i stop watching it for months.. then started it again just to complete a series. It is a show about coincidences. And i consider FRIENDS to be the best TV show of all time which has reached far more globally and people still continue watching it.

[@ginshuhime]

@@vatsaljadav5528 You don't find Seinfeld's unrealistic coincidences funny and that's okay, that's an opinion, yet not a fact. The fact about Friends is that its entire punchline is "these characters are like this, now laugh!" without any other structure. You are allowed to like it and I'm allowed to not find it funny, but in a technical level? It's actually inferior to Seinfeld's carefully written sequences of unrealistic coincidences. Friends' characters have a trait that makes them the token character for x thing in the group and the whole joke is reduced to that. The characters don't have to drag the plot in Seinfeld; much like real life, it's what happens around them what puts them in funny situations, no matter the realism. On the contrary, Friends' characters get the situation moving only because of their quirks or traits ("Monica is obsessive/Rachel is shallow/Ross is petty" and so on) and that's lazy writing. The fact that it's just as popular as Seinfeld only reflects that people are allowed to laugh at different things, not that it's technically better worked.

[@siftwram]

Vatsal Jadav lmaoooo you think Friends is better than Seinfeld?

[@andrewbrasuell8589]

My dad’s Kaleiscape has a good description of the show: “Four friends louse up their daily lives by overreacting to things that annoy them.”

[@biscuitNmusterd]

This sounds like an an undergrad philosophy class paper. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[@saraha180]

I quite liked this video, but I'm not sold that _Seinfeld's_ "nothing" means "like nothing else." I take it to mean that the drama comes from the reflections and interferences between the many ripples created by all the small things in your life, not by big plot points. It recalls John Lennon's "life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." I think this view is in line with most of the things you said, but you momentarily lost me with that expansion of the phrase.

[@JaceCavacini]

Yeah, that was when it jumped out of a sensible analysis and into fawning.

[@ApoloniaJones1976]

Sarah Definitely. Seinfeld was just about making a 22 minute episode of the little things (or nothings, I guess) that happen to us every day.

[@wvu05]

I think that their definition of "nothing" was defined when Jerry was in the plane with the model (I think her name was Tia). Jerry is talking about eating a sundae, she says "Never have I met someone who knew so much about nothing." I always interpreted "nothing" as small, everyday details.

[@Optimystik]

It still annoys me that people still give John Lennon credit for that quote. It is NOT his.

[@Smokey94462]

Please do a video about A Clockwork Orange and There Will be Blood.

[@dom69foco]

+As You Were Reading My Very Long Username I Stole Your Sandwich It's not like either of those films are subtle in their messages... Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love both, but I thought the meaning and symbolism of each was pretty obvious.

[@Seftr]

THERE WILL BE BLOOD.

[@faust3530]

+dom69foco the themes of children of men are quite clear as well, this channel is anout making you realize new things abput art, which im sure he could do with an anderson film

[@Pinkypinkston_]

+As You Were Reading My Very Long Username I Stole Your Sandwich Hey, where did my sandwich go?

[@dom69foco]

Faust Good point, instead of just an essay on the film he examined a specific aspect or technique. I'd quite enjoy something really specific that one of those films is a good example of. I think I've seen somewhere on youtube a scene analysis, when Plainview first meets Paul Sunday. It's about staging and control of the frame, and it's very good.

[@irishman6414]

For the most part, I agree with this. The only thing you COULD have mentioned was that there were sitcoms that had a similar outlook as Seinfeld before. The biggest being The Abbott and Costello Show, which never had a hint of sentimentality and relied heavily on the same kind of storytelling techniques. Jerry and Larry David have both credited it as an influence.

[@ChrisLerouxDesign]

+Stephen Leotti Great reference. I had never thought about it, but yeah definitely. It's interesting how making the mundane funny has become so important to our culture.

[@Rothnacum1]

I thought the same thing. What is new in Seinfeld that wasn't "show"n before. saying he's a fan makes it clear.. it's the first time I look at nerdwriter about something i wasn't really interested in so that puts me in a detached position. Wel we/i can't like every subject even from nerdwriter.

[@irishman6414]

Rothnacum1 I mean, he's definitely right in saying that Seinfeld is the show that really changed the norm of sitcoms from where they traditionally were to where they are now. Show like Parks and Rec, Louie, and Community would not be possible without Seinfeld. But they didn't "invent" what they did, any more than The Beatles invented rock and Roll. But it was certainly the game changer.

[@TheGroucho66]

+Stephen Leotti I agree. I see it as "obscure invention" versus "public-consciousness invention". Any music nerd can dig through the weirdest and freakiest avant-garde musicians from the 60s and say "This band called Electric Jelly did in 1962 what everyone thinks The Beatles invented in 1966". However, if this fictional band that I made up called Electric Jelly really did do it, but their music wasn't heard outside a single state in America, then you can say with confidence that, whilst they were ahead of their time, they did not influence music at all. However, if George Harrison (For example) heard some Electric Jelly in 1965 and used whatever new shit they did but on Revolver or something, then Electric Jelly should be credited for influencing The Beatles, and therefore music. And, as you said, whilst The Beatles certainly didn't invent rock and roll, it could be argued that they invented various fusions of pop, rock, blues, music hall, avant-garde experimentation, classical and folk.

[@irishman6414]

TheGroucho66 I see where you're coming from. Although I'd say Abbott and Costello was a pretty popular show when it was on, and was certainly in the zeitgeist of popular culture even into the late 80s. A better analogy might be The Beach Boys, who were very popular in their own right and are often said to have inspired various elements on Sgt. Peppers with their album Pet Sounds. That's kind of how all art and culture works I guess.

[@Ali-ro2vv117]

It's good to know people still watch this show. My professor made a Seinfeld reference the other day, and everyone had a blank expression on their faces. I was the only one laughing my ass off.

[@DanHauer]

I think Nerdwriter is pretty good, but it's kind of hard to fathom how someone could make such a high-minded and laugh-free video about such a hilarious show. My guess is that Seinfeld and David themselves would hate the self-serious tone of this. . . . Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[@bsmaster3593]

I see your point but I think Neirdwriter wants to focus just on the logic behind the show and you can be totally serious about it. Moreover I actually think that Seinfield in particular has always had a very serious approach on developing his craft; i totally see him breaking down with seriousness, potential comedic sketch and evaluating how they could be funnier.

[@TheMaestroso]

The video isn't a top-ten list of the best jokes on Seinfeld, or something - it's deconstructing the popular notion of it being a "show about nothing." There's no need for it to try to make you laugh, because that's not the point.

[@TrueNuetral]

+DohsOfReality Amen to that.

[@televikkuntdaowuxing]

It's not about being serious or not, it's about logic. What makes this show good? You don't have to talk about that in a "serious, boring way", you know.

[@Zordon06]

Anything that tries to deconstruct how the sausage is made in comedy is going to be less funny than its subject. As the old theory goes, explaining a joke makes it not funny anymore. But I think it's a very interesting topic, and I think anybody interested in creating comedy (not just enjoying it) has to give it some serious thought.

[@Tripp393]

I've been saying for years that Seinfeld is genius. How the plot of each episode blows up and then fits into a puzzle at the end is amazing

[@djgizmoe]

Thank you for finally revealing to me why I love Seinfeld and can't stand Friends...

[@vatsaljadav5528]

Jean-Paul DuQuette Friends is different.. it is the best romantic comedy show ever. You cant compare different genres. If you dont like romantic genre.. dont blame friends.

[@JaanZase]

@@vatsaljadav5528 yeah, that's like complaining about music genres. Hating the genre of Romatic Ballads because it's nothing like Rock and Roll.

[@kingfadal4711]

That’s a shame

[@no1u521]

Different shows,different humor. Stop whining.

[@dumb525]

@@no1u521 Nah mf friends sucks.

[@DodderingOldMan]

Seinfeld is probably my favourite comedy of all time. Nevertheless, I think it should be remembered that British sitcoms had innovated and deconstructed the genre in countless ways well before Seinfeld came along.

[@Jake-pr7js]

Buffoon1980 now theres big bang theory 😑

[@danielwilson5450]

Jake What's so bad about Big Bang Theory? I always hear people complain about it but no one really says why its so bad? I don't think the show is amazing but I never thought it was terrible either.

[@Jake-pr7js]

Daniel Wilson it just uses terrible humour now, and takes being nerdy as a joke

[@danielwilson5450]

Jake Well I mean what makes the humor so bad? It always just seemed like generic sitcom humor.

[@tamasrollig757]

because they completely abandoned the humour part.Now the "jokes " are about two things: 1. Sheldon being (well not literally,but close to) an autist 2.The boys name some scientific,or nerdy things,and Penny dont understand it.

[@TimeandMonotony]

God, I love Seinfeld.

[@michaeldawson1194]

Louie is truly a show about nothing there's no resolved plot for most episodes

[@CinnamonCari]

+Alan Smithee I love your movies!

[@QuidamByMoonlight]

+Flynn Gumshoe I think Louie owes a lot to Seinfeld, but Louie has taken some of Seinfeld's concepts a step further, and it adds back some of the warmth that's missing from Seinfeld. Louie is one of my all-time favorite shows. Louis C.K. is the best!

[@saltyginger3481]

+Nathaniel Wildstone if we're honest every modern sitcom post-seinfeld owe their existence to seinfeld

[@QuidamByMoonlight]

Salty Ginger That's perhaps somewhat true, as Seinfeld was a "watershed" work, but most sitcoms now still follow the older formula of coworkers or friends that know each other, or families, etc., as described here. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Louie" have truly picked up where Seinfeld left off, and gave us that same vibe of existentially nihilistic humor. Other shows to some extent, but not as much...

[@RexKristoffer]

+Nathaniel Wildstone I love Seinfeld and I see a lot of sitcoms that benefit from things that Seinfeld did. For instance, having all the characters be self-centered and antagonistic...shows like The League, Always Sunny in Philadelphia and even the goofy Workaholics...I can see strains of Seinfeld.

[@FirstPlace97]

Seinfeld had no grievances. The perfect sitcom, perfect show. But not about nothing. Every plot has ironic moments that loop back around to the catalyst.

[@ianbauer4703]

A hole in one

[@OfficialAnarchyz]

iconic*

[@FirstPlace97]

@@OfficialAnarchyz I mean't ironic, but iconic works, too.

[@CatLover-23]

👍

[@LimeyLassen]

So it's a British sitcom, basically. I'm kidding, but also not.

[@NathanZadworny]

I've always felt that "Seinfeld" was the spiritual successor to "Fawlty Towers".

[@newperve]

+Blue Whovian I see the similarities, but Fawlty Towers was really about one man's struggle with his own lack of self-awareness. Although other characters could be stupid, naive, self-centered or oblivious, they weren't all "Seinfeldesque" if you know what I mean. Small things did escalate but it was generally to do with Basil's persoonality quirks, not an essentially indifferent or hostile universe throwing things at the characters or amplifying their mistakes or omissions to absurd lengths.

[@newperve]

***** Yeah but that wasn't a feature of Fawlty Towers. In fact most of the characters would be quite considerate if they had the chance. Whereas in Seinfeld nobody gave a damn about anybody, although they were obsessed with minor social etiquitte.

[@henryhill92]

+Nathan Zadworny And then "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" is the spiritual successor to Seinfeld

[@NathanZadworny]

Henry Hill Heard a ton about it, must get on watching that.

[@QazwerDave]

Seinfeld is not about being in the situation, but talking about the situation !!

[@ankon538]

The last sentence by nerdwriter in the essay captures the essence of the entire show so accurately. I eagerly wait for each vlog of yours, thanks for each one of them

[@Calcuttaboy1889]

This is another great analysis. I think this video is the perfect reply to Nostalgia critic's video about 'Seinfeld' where he accused Seinfeld's infamous element of 'nothing' as a gimmick. He takes the concept of 'nothing' in a very shallow and literal sense while your take on it is much more appropriate. Many of these famous sit-coms like Friends or How I Met Your Mother,etc. have tried to uphold the concept of characters learning something about themselves, others and life in general. But they have done it on many occasions in the most cringe-worthy and cheesy ways imaginable. I think this partly has to do with the fact that the format of sit-com doesn't really lend itself to deep, transcendental themes or spiritual growth of characters. I believe Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld understood that. Instead of making a show about learning lessons, we get a show about 'nothing'. The characters even after 9 seasons remain practically the same. They don't learn lessons. But what they do is go through innumerable incidents and encounters which might seem trivial, but these are encounters that are extremely relatable. Every viewer of Seinfeld has experienced at least one of the many silly incidents that Jerry and the gang went through during the series. While other sit-coms attempt to celebrate life and try to look at the experience of going through life as being transcendental, Seinfeld is about confronting life in all its absurd and illogical glory. So Seinfeld might be a bit nihilistic, but goddamn nihilism has never before or never since been this ridiculously funny !!!

[@ridouanebenkiran1367]

This analysis is better than the Video! Big applause 👏

[@yesreneau]

I feel smarter after having watched this.

[@RottenDoctorGonzo]

YesReneau Did you even finish high school?

[@maddog2439]

Holy crap I used to watch you all the time!

[@GS-qe3pt]

Yes, Reneau

[@sergiogaribayluna1423]

Backfire

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

Then u my friend are in serious trouble

[@JeffNippard]

Would love to hear you discuss The Office (the American one). Also, a video on Lost would be amazing, but The Office would be my #1 pick.

[@isaacvance5090]

Funny seeing you here Jeff 😂😂 Been watching your videos for2 years

[@generaldom]

Would like for you to take on current sitcoms like Modern Family and The Office. The Office was really transparent in the documentary POV style (and they reference the fact that it was all a doc in the final season), but Modern Family and Parks and Rec just use the format. All the shaky cam POV stuff gives current sitcoms a weird quality that could be interesting to look into.

[@keltic07]

+Dom's Sketch Cast I think that all of those current sitcoms, though they use a different camera format, still use the same narrative qualities from before. Modern Family is a show which uses Family as Family where there's a neat resolution at the end of each episode, The Office and Parks and Rec is a show which uses the Office as Family where there's a neat resolution at the end.

[@amrhany3334]

+Dom's Sketch Cast I think Parks and Rec is a very interesting one to look at. Saw an interview a while back where Michael Shur described how the extract comedy from the "character's relationship with the camera", which determined when they'd look directly into it. Insanely interesting.

[@paddymorton3]

Dom's Sketch Cast, the David Brent Office, right? To be fair all the documentary-style shows owe a lot to Christopher Guest. If you haven't seen This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show I'd recommend them highly.

[@UserName-ii1ce]

Dom's Sketch Cast Trailer Park Boys as well. It makes the characters and plot more lifelike and funnier

[@aKModern]

The first show I can think of that used that style was The Larry Sanders Show. Can anyone think of anything older?

[@jacksskepticeye5006]

Seinfeld wasn't about nothing. It was about chaos. A small point at the start of the episode starts a sequence that influences the ending.

[@stanleyhape8427]

Where have i heard that description before ?? Oh yeah in the video 😂😂

[@BloodylocksBathory]

"Nothing happens [...] like life." Robert McKee: (stands up) NOTHING HAPPENS??

[@voltairinekropotkin5581]

"Seinfeld isn't a show about nothing. It's a show about _little things_" - Doug Walker

[@vatsaljadav5528]

Eoin O'Connor its a show about coincidences thats why i dislike it

[@soup6874]

Vatsal Jadav You must've not experienced and/or like any type of irony in your life then.

[@TheMikeMase]

to me it's a show about contempt for the rest of human existence, and how meaningless all of societies conventions really are

[@ianbauer4703]

It's a show about the ordinary made extraordinary through its often tightly woven, intricate plotlines and its great characters and talented actors and writers, of course.. Amazing show, indeed timeless.

[@schlafwandler1427]

Seinfeld is a philosophy!

[@gustavobitencourt8992]

Just discovered this channel. I'm liking it a lot. It's impressive your ability to summarize very complex discussions in a few minutes, and still manage keep them both relatable and non superficial. Really good, congratulations.

[@swefress]

As someone who rarely watches sitcoms, I was never aware that they had a story.

[@SirCrest]

I love your subtle and clean editing and animation style. Even for simple things like text appearing on screen, you make it classy.

[@grosezero8834]

(bass solo)

[@RatelHBadger]

pop pop

[@uncomfortablecat]

I like your profile picture.

[@marshallmwetta]

Great video! I love your part about how coincidences and small things in one character's life can affect others in ways previous sitcoms didn't. It reminded me of Arrested Development and how those little details come back to be large plot devices affecting the rest of the family. I'd love to see you analyze Arrested Development, as I believe it is a monumentally unique show and I love it! Thanks for all the videos :)

[@nuclearheadache]

I always figured that the show being about "nothing" meant specifically "nothing IMPORTANT." When George says, "This should be the show," or asks the execs "What did you do today?", he's speaking to the mundane things in life, the things no one in their right mind would make a show about. That's what has him grinning: the audacity of it. It's kind of the overall running gag of the show that the things that the characters obsess over are so inconsequential (at least inconsequential in terms of what would be considered the meaty themes and subject matter for a show to normally focus on.) But the REALLY brilliant thing is how many of these inconsequential things, how much of this "nothing" really does matter to us, more than we realize or like to admit, and how the show made us see this in ourselves. For a show about "nothing", I find myself in many, many, many situations where I turn to someone with smile and say, "Remember that one episode of Seinfeld?"

[@donettalowe9673]

watching Seinfeld reminds me of my Grandma Jana 😢 we miss u Grandma!!!!!

[@hamman91]

I hate that now whenever I watch Seinfeld all I hear is Barry from the Bee Movie...

[@ReturnTheSlab932]

Hamman ya like jazz?

[@jackbailey1987]

Hamman ya like jazz?

[@shamp0ing339]

Hamman ya like jazz?

[@MachoManShark]

ya like jazz?

[@butterfly0277]

ya like jazz? ya like jazz? ya like jazz? ya like jazz!?!??!

[@ColterHarris]

The last sentence of Nerdwriter videos always give me goosebumps in a really fun way.

[@kentjg32]

I kept thinking during this episode, please don't end. I could watch 2 hours of this.

[@Elusive_Reclusive]

Grew up watching Seinfeld, and it was not till much later did I realize the genius, and the genius in the simplicity. It's so easy to see why these characters are beloved, they remind us of ourselves, our sometimes petty, selfish, unchanging selves. And this was the first show to try and not elevate our lives to something grander, more romantic. It really paved the way for shows like Louie and Girls, I don't think those shows could have existed if Seinfeld didn't come first.

[@MrPolus24]

What about Fawlty Towers? That 1975 sitcom didn't have any moral lessons or family values, etc.

[@crazyjoedavola5430]

'Everybody's doing something....we'll do nothing' Such a funny line....

[@fluff975]

The series always felt sneakily existential to me.

[@raegilly]

I feel like this channel is the more chilled out brother of PBS Idea Channel. Absolutely love the work you do!

I was waiting for the scene were Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer get off the subway, look at each other for a moment, and go away without even saying goodbye. That's Seinfeld

[@valarya]

The style an author or artist uses in conveying their message is oftentimes just as important as the message itself. It's why I absolutely love Patrick Rothfuss. His novels are like a love story to language. A story about stories. And you'd never notice it unless you paid attention. Great video!

[@Rangerays]

Jesus, this guy is amazing. He deserves more than 700k

[@BoshBargnani]

Honestly, theres a million analysis channels like this, and this one really isn't that special. Every Frame a Painting is the standard, its a channel that can explain filmmaking to the average person and get its point across without rambling or flexing how smart he is. This video, as someone who has never seen a video from this channel before, is incredibly up its own ass. Most of these analysis channels suffer from this problem. Im listening to him talk about Gustave Flaubert as I type this and im seriously dosing off.

[@Rangerays]

JohnMatrix what channels would you recommend that are in this same style?

[@BoshBargnani]

As I said, I generally hate analysis channels, if you want something similar but done well, check out Every Frame A Painting. This channel is clearly inspired by it. I'm sure you've seen it though. For what I've been looking at lately thats a bit different check out filmmaker IQ. Its an educational channel that explains the history and science of various aspects of filmmaking.

[@courtoman]

Watching this video while he has 2.2 mill

[@aukailigairi9811]

Interesting that Jerry states in the AMA that the original pitch was about where comedians get their ideas because that was used in the ad campaign, years later, for his documentary Comedian (2002) in which several of the viral ads (which can be found on the DVD) showed Jerry laughing to himself in a mundane situation with the tagline "Where does comedy comes from?" It seems like a topic he's very interested in because he revisits that theme a bit in his Netflix special, Jerry Before Seinfeld (2017), as well.

[@Sakash52]

The best thing about Seinfeld is that any episode could be playing on tv and you'll automatically think "oh man, i love this episode"

[@honestsignalz]

How did you make your head 3x size at the end? Editing 10/10

[@ashishdimri5660]

Guess what I learned after watching this video at 3 AM... "NOTHING".

[@racewiththefalcons1]

Seinfeld was good, but Curb Your Enthusiasm is Larry David's true work of artistic and comedic genius.

[@dulcetelixirdemure]

+racewiththefalcons1 i hate that show but love seinfeld. and come on now seinfeld reached legendary status.

[@nickb3250]

True. Seinfeld had acerbic tones that were muted, whereas Curb really just unleashes

[@ianbauer4703]

Seinfeld show was first, it paved the way for others show like it to follow.

[@liammccarthy6592]

Doesn't matter what subject you're talking about you make it seem so emotional and compelling. Love the narration.

[@kouroshi.4061]

finally some well deserved analysis and appreciation for this great anime 😤😤😤😤😤😒😒👉👉

[@bananakin94]

Kourosh Amirzadeh Irani lol dead

[@LoftySkinner]

It's great that we finally have a bridge between Seinfeld and Monty Python in Nichijou.

[@doriannousias6725]

I literally just finished binge-watching every episode of Seinfeld last night (first time) and you upload this video today. Coincidence truly is the rule

[@deaa2325]

It feels so bizarre that time after time, you have uploaded a video praising something that I praise and not many people understand: Ghost in The Shell, Cuaron's directing style, Pan's Labyrinth, The Beatles (favorite band), Seinfeld (favorite sitcom), Prisoner of Azkaban being the best HP film, HEAT (thank you for this one), and the fact that I believe Wolf of Wall Street was intentionally full of excess. All of these you've managed to examine much better than I ever have, and explained them wonderfully too. Thank you for your excellent analyses in these and all the other works you have targeted. I'm curious, Have you ever thought about translating these video essays to another language? If so, you have a volunteer here for a Spanish sub, if you'd like. Of course at no cost at all. I would do it just to help you get as many views as you can. Truth is I can't be a patron at the moment and I really believe in your channel and have been rooting for you for the past 4 or 5 months I've been subscribed. Believe me, Wednesdays are very special to me now, thanks to you. So if you're interested contact me through KZbin, My Spanish is as good as my English and I happen to be a perfectionist in these kind of things, so you can be sure to get a good translation. Anyway sorry for the long comment, Keep up the good work! ---- David A P.S You may notice I meant subtitles, and not dubbing, though I could do that too. xD

[@OzcarMM]

+Winston Legthigh Si por favor, aunque entiendo la mayor parte de los vídeos, hay algunas frases que se me escapan. Creo que en sus vídeos anteriores agregó la opción para subtitular a cualquier idioma.

[@deaa2325]

+wellywell31 Así es, pero el CC (Closed Captioning) nunca funciona como debe. Dale like a mi comentario para que lo vea y me deje hacerlo jaja. Saludos. :D

[@jordanw9456]

+Winston Legthigh Man I hate to break it to you but if you think no one "understand"s the beatles or seinfeld, you're incredibly mistaken. Seinfeld is one of the biggest TV shows in the past 30 years, and the beatles are one of the most popular bands ever.

[@deaa2325]

+Jordan W I'm sorry, I meant people around me.

[@Gabe_A]

Big Seinfeld fan here too. Thanks for yet another insightful episode Nerd Writer! Intrigued by the comparison to Flaubert and now I'm curious to explore his work. Your channel rocks Evan! Looking forward to next weeks episode about something.

[@marcscordato4385]

It’s remarkable how many catch phrases came from this show and became a part of our collective vocabulary

[@TheVsagent]

Postmodernism is the philosophy of Seinfeld, that's why "a show about nothing" fits it so well.

[@esotericsean]

Was so excited to see a Seinfeld Nerdwriter analysis pop up in my subscriptions. Really enjoyed this one!

[@Johntub3]

there is no substance to life or existence, there is no meaning in anything. There is only the call of the void.

[@PhyreI3ird]

Hail, Sithis

[@RinatShop]

Zen. The point is that there is no point.

[@Johntub3]

Rinat Suleimanov Yup, Zen is pointless.

[@tinglesrosyrupeeland]

Jan Škopek Hail Sithis?

[@theviniso]

No one belongs anywhere, everybody is gonna die. Come watch TV!

[@j.s.t.6515]

Gustave Floubert: "what I really would like to do is write a book about nothing, held together just by the strength of its style" James Joyce: "Hold my Guinnes"

[@joachim595]

Something I often notice, probably because I'm not an American, is that when Americans describe how things were or are, like what is done with the small history lesson in this video, they don't even acknowledge that there is a world outside of the United States. TV history in this video is described as being THE TV history. Even though the creator of the video wouldn't say he thinks America is the world, that's how it comes off, since it's not mentioned at all that he's speaking of American culture, social conventions or history. It's just taken for granted and other practices are made invisible. If I were to talk about Swedish TV, I wouldn't be presumptuous and describe it simply as "TV history", since it's not the one and only one.

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

You don't think cultural influence has mostly been one-way, from the US outwards? The Anglo world generally has cultural imperium...

[@finetun3d]

I notice this too (on and off). Good observation. Shows you how much Americans take for granted that their culture is essentially the standard everywhere.

[@Fibonacci620]

It's because the show's writers were for the most part only exposed to US television

[@adempc]

His ignorance is too much. Even as he mentions the French author several times, you can tell he thinks doesn't mean it.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

The interconnected plots, one of the best was Frank Costanza's PTSD about being an Army cook when he sees Elaine's crazy new copywriter. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

[@LearningAmerica]

Dude... God bless your beautiful mind.

[@michalhs90]

watching this after reading an article on how 'It's always sunny in Philadelphia ' is the new 'Seinfeld' I can definitely see the connection - especially with how an episode plot unfolds and the importance of characters' actions. Keep up the enlightening work :)

[@GothPunkDany]

Sometimes I want to marry this guy

[@macstrong1284]

all the time. and im a straight dude.

[@dooplon5083]

McKeand Strong Hello sir, I think I have news for you.

[@acetrainerben]

It's so weird to have a thought-provoking video end with the Seinfeld theme, but hey, I loved every minute of it

[@CitizenO741]

Seinfeld the post modern sit com.

[@ianbauer4703]

A deconstruction of what came before

[@NEpatriots88]

what a phenomenal insight. I'm writing a paper on Seinfeld for a Comm class, I hope you don't mind my listing you was a source

[@vasarat1]

To say that Seinfeld it's a show about NOTHING INTERESTING is more acurate.

[@vasarat1]

+Vaudeville e or a show about everything (not litlerally) mundane.

[@helloitsokay]

It'd be interesting to see you (or someone else) do a follow up to this about how Seinfeld's style changed the sitcom landscape. Shows like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Louie have taken Seinfeld's blueprint ("no hugs, no learning") and taken them to different levels while continuing to subvert the notion of the sitcom. It'll be interesting to see what the next 'Seinfeld' (as in, the next sitcom to totally change the style and become hugely popular - will that even happen?) does to TV in the future.

[@Arominit]

How can you know so much about so many things :0

[@smellsfishi]

iluminitu confermed

[@2nd_snideelf144]

He's taking that drug from the movie "Limitless". His voice even sounds like Cooper's from that flick.

[@KamZero]

Arominit nerdwriter is the Arts & Humanities version of VSauce+Veritasium+Sharkee. His huge knowledge and analytic skills is coupled with a brilliant delivery and execution. This guy is a genius, wish him all the success he deserves

[@Arominit]

Same here, he deserves all the success, hats off

[@Jake-pr7js]

Arominit research

[@sophrapsune]

So those eight minutes can be summarised in the maxim, "No hugs, no learning".

[@recht_voor_zijn_raap5506]

Good video. .. But I have to disagree with the notion that "Seinfeld was the first to break with traditional sitcom set ups like family or friends" ... There were a few before .. One of which was Married with Children. .. In fact MWC was made delibrately as a protest to the established sitcom rules provided by shows like "The Cosby show" and "Family ties" or "Cheers" for instance... It turned those rules on their head by providing a protagonist with a horrible wife... equally horrible children. .. A Job he absolutely hates... And his "friends" dealing with the same issues. ... It was a total satire on the goody two shoes television of that time and of the state of America itself in those days... Keep in mind this show started in the late 80's ...2 years before Seinfeld supposedly "broke the rules for the first time" ..Making a show like nothing else?... I'm sorry Jerry Seinfeld... Al Bundy beat you to it by almost 3 years... 😊

[@ianh1984]

True, but Seinfeld was better and funnier than Married with Children.

[@Fulgrim_The_Phoenician]

Recht_voor_zijn_raap mwc was still a family show

[@lw3646]

The characters refuse to grow up ultimately. They essentially remain the same petty people they were, if anything they get more neurotic and crazy everyone season after the third one. Expect for 1 episode in season 7 where Jerry becomes dissatisfied with his life that's it. The problem is the same with the TV show Peep Show, characters acting like kids still in their early 30s is still kinda funny, acting like a kid when you're approaching your 40s starts to feel kind of pathetic. A lot of great shows finish after a few seasons and usually try to grow the characters a bit. Shows which don't like the Simpsons eventually get bad, the characters haven't improved or been emotionally affected by anything that's happened to them, there's no continuity and if anything they just become more extreme unlikeable versions of themselves. Elaine was a tiny bit self centred and vain in seasons 1-3, by season 9 she's a full blown sociopath, totally neurotic and a complete narcissist, the character development in the show if there is any is in the wrong direction. If you knew someone like her you'd want to keep 100 miles away. This all leads up to finale and the trial episode.

[@TheLileasye]

Stop seducing me with your voice and well articulated explanations of such profound concepts. I'm very much into women. So please just stop its only going to end up hurting us both haha

[@Kraigon42]

I just... I have no words for how brilliant this video is. I can't believe the simple idea that a work *has* to be judged against others in its medium is something that hadn't sunk in properly for me until this point. Or maybe it's that I had kind of lost sight of that with the sheer amount of information I consume. Either way, you've left me sitting here kind of dumbstruck in realization about several things I'be discussed and argued recently.

[@OsaimHabib]

You're livi'n in the past man... You're hung up on some show from the 90's man. 😃

[@robertholtz]

Best analysis ever of one of television's best sitcoms ever.

[@crimes]

The amount of research and planning that goes into these boggles me.

[@thebackpackengineer]

This video just helped make Wale's The Album About Nothing a whole lot more sense to me

[@foggyvhs8790]

Watching Mr. Robot season 2 episode 1.. they're talking about how Seinfeld is about nothing

[@Zwiebly]

pretty similar point i discussed with a friend yesterday. how critics write about movies always based on the plot, always viewing back on the movie and trying to find the underlying meaning and discard as one of bad quality if they fail to find this meaning. but i think art and entertainment media lives in the moment. the time of interaction with the medium is at least as important that the stuff that sticks in your mind long after you finished.

[@Czarrosuello]

Reminds of Mr. Robot. Please do a video on Mr. Robot!

[@vaughuav]

I loved this. You never disappoint, Nerdwriter. Keep it up!

[@esteban.r11]

Flow Bear....Badass rapper name

[@eac-ox2ly]

Someone will steal this idea soon enough

[@errornotmissing6437]

Your videos have been super high quality lately and its really amazing

[@JoshMarshain]

greatest show of all time

[@bobpolo2964]

agreed

[@rossonero99]

JD Marshall i really appreciate it, but when it comes to US sitcoms, i think Frasier tops it.

[@AndyWelsh94]

JD Marshall nah son I disagree

[@sgtpepper91]

comedy show*

[@jaspaldeora8572]

No

[@abhiramr_ep]

What's the music in the background? It's hauntingly beautiful.

[@rugwho1987]

I was hoping for answers too

[@MrMartinkline]

great video, but the whole comparison to Flaubert is tenuous and pretentious as fuck. Seinfeld was revolutionary, enough said.

[@jordanw9456]

Solid video, I think you wrapped it up a lot cleaner, and made a much more convincing point than a lot of your other videos, which was a big issue I had with some of your previous content.

[@CinnamonCari]

Does Ulysses counts as a novel about nothing?

[@stanley1698]

+CinnamonCari No, it's just f*cking long.

[@BardicLiving]

+CinnamonCari Nothing and way too much...

[@seanomaille8157]

+CinnamonCari It's about everything like nothing else!

[@kierramiller777]

If you want a novel about nothing try moral disorder by margret atwood. Its a collection of short stories about a woman's life, but it has a very "nothing" feel to it, like a lot of atwoods novels. Her books always seem to be more of a story in which events happen, rather then story centered around events.

[@luapjb]

Very well constructed literary work there Nerdwriter1. Fantastic video.

[@georges5233]

Jeez am I listening to VSauce?

[@theviniso]

This dude is the Michael Stevens of pop culture. (I'm sorry Kevin and Jake)

[@Prokomeni]

Onesimus R I find he sounds like veritasium

[@zachminyard]

Your one of the best you tubers out there and one of my personal favs. Why aren't you more popular?!

[@immanuelsegol829]

I love this channel :d

[@andyd3447]

This show basically took the extraordinarily minute details about social interaction and over exaggerated them while ignoring the really important things that most people care about. That's why it was so unique. A hand gesture, a grammatical error, a mark on someone face would be overblown to the point of absurdity. Its genius actually.

[@manishgill6649]

This channel is way too subjective and really trying to hammer in the interpretation of the author into stuff, making tons of leaps and assumptions. Flaubert? Really?

[@bobpolo2964]

+Manish Gill Flaubert was the perfect reference for the structure created for Seinfeld. Obviously, the show was about something, it was about many things. But mostly Seinfeld was about not conforming to the standard tropes of sitcoms. Controlled chaos

[@michaeldawson1194]

We've got a bad ass over here

[@bobpolo2964]

Flynn Gumshoe To the bone

[@dotstarss]

He's not stating it as fact. Merely an opinion, a theory. Critical theory. But let's just criticise rather than debate, that's much more constructive.

[@bobpolo2964]

Aleks so I take it you don't like Seinfeld or Flaubert

[@BlackBirds93]

I'm watching this show in 2021 and it's is absolutely timeless, amazing video

[@bobbyalexander]

Oh God! Finally.. a channel that uses intelligent words!

[@9786oof]

This sounds just like it's always sunny! I can't wait to watch it