Seinfeld
The rivalry betweenFriendsandSeinfeldhas been revived with recent changes in both display ' streaming status , so let ’s reckon at why the two are so often compared and which of them is the real winner in the decades - oldSeinfeldvsFriendsdebate . It ’s been more than three decades sinceSeinfeldpremiered , and the " show about nothing " remains a critical pet . protagonist , meanwhile , celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2019 and is still a ethnic titan .
In increase to being one of the highest - betray TV shows of the 1990s and early 2000s , Friendsis also one of the most - check show of the cyclosis age . When the serial was on Netflix , it systematically topped list of the most - streamed series , suggesting the show ’s continuing appeal . When HBO Max launch , it spent more than $ 425 million for the right toFriends , hoping that the episodes and aFriendsreunion specialwould be a major draw for the fledgling cyclosis service . In response , Netflix licence the terminated run ofSeinfeld , hoping that another beloved ' 90s situation comedy would fill the gap for nostalgic binge - lookout . The move has once again forced comparability between the two serial , get debate about whetherSeinfeldis a suitable replacement forFriendsand which show is better .
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It brings what was a very ' XC discussion into the modern - day , which is a reflection of the tolerate quality and popularity of the two TV series . There are a few factors as to whyFriendsandSeinfeldare competitor , and in the end , regardless of opinion , there is one clear achiever in the struggle of ' 90s sitcom colossus that isSeinfeldvsFriends .
Why Friends & Seinfeld Are Rivals
SeinfeldandFriendsare frequently equate , but why is that ? In some ways , theSeinfeldvsFriendsdebate seems odd . The two show are actually quite unlike in their sensibility , withSeinfeldpurporting to be a show about nothing where its character do n’t take and grow , contrasted to the warm stamping ground vibe ofFriends , which had clearer arcs across seasons and the series as a whole . Nonetheless , there are enough similarity between them , albeit reasonably superficial , that have help turn them into rivals .
apart from being hit sitcom in the ninety , bothFriendsandSeinfeldfollow a group of friends live in New York City , detailing their human relationship , job , and general life sentence , with an apartment the core set for both too . FriendsandSeinfeldeven share the same universe , with the two series linked byMad About You(which both directly crossed over with ) . But on top of that is the fact they were on the air at the same meter , airing together as part of NBC’sMust - See TVblock on a Thursday night , and represented the two most democratic sitcom of the ' XC ( and two of the biggest ever ) .
The dissimilar approaches ofFriendsandSeinfeldto similar subject helped to invite comparisons . Seinfeldrepresented a more sardonic and cynical worldview , interpret in jokes like the Junior Mints gag , in comparison to the more heartfelt emotional appeals ofFriends , so a person ’s preferent serial often calculate on their personality . Since both have developed hard fanbases over the days since they finished their runs on TV and remain a heavy part of ethnic history , the debate has never stopped . It ’s even been stoke bySeinfeldleading human Jerry Seinfeld , who has previously accusedFriendsof rip offSeinfeld(only half - jestingly ) , and it continues to be a breaker point of division , but who won ?
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Seinfeld Beat Friends In The ’90s
FriendsandSeinfeldwere the two big sitcoms of the ' 90 , but while each had legions of fans watching them on NBC , it was Seinfeld who won the battle back then . AlthoughSeinfeldstarted in 1989 , it was n’t until the early - mid ' 90 when it really start to grow its audience to incredible level , and became not only the most popular situation comedy of the time , but one of the bragging telly shows overall too . By season 4 , when the serial when fully hit its stride , it started to average over 20 million TV audience , but it was the next few years that were sincerely mammoth .
Seinfeldseason 5 ( 4 before the last ) , which air out in the 1993–94 TV time of year , averaged just under 30 million watcher , and was the third - highest social status series according to Nielsen military rating . That wasSeinfeld ’s last year withoutFriendsalongside it on NBC , but rather than see the bright - new - thing become more popular , Seinfeldonly got bigger . From 1994 to 1998 ( when it concluded its run),Seinfeldwas always in the top two highest - ranked TV show as per Nielsen , alongsideER , end up as numeral one on two affair .
Friendswas massively popularas well , but it could n’t quite compete withSeinfeld ’s routine : The best it could stop whenSeinfeldwas also on the air was third , with an average of 29.4 m viewers for time of year 3.Friendsonly finished as the number one show a individual time , and that was the 2001–02 TV yr , forFriendsseason 8 . Across its running , Friendsaveraged 23.6 million watcher , counterpoint toSeinfeld ’s 26.6 million . Neither was the great winner of the ' XC in term of award - that belonged toFrasier , which won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series five years in a row - but in that country too , Seinfeldhad somewhat more success thanFriends : Seinfeldhas 10 Emmy winnings and 68 nominations , counterpoint toFriends ' six profits and 62 nominations .
Friends Is The Winner Overall
SeinfeldbeatFriendsat the time , and it remains more of a vital darling now , for model holding a Tomatometer scotch of 89 percentage compare toFriends ' 78 percent . But , while Seinfeld is generally control in in high spirits regard by critic , with special praise for its committal to writing , it can not equalise the endure ethnical popularity ofFriends . Even as it go into its twenty-fifth class , Friendsremains one of the big TV shows in the world , with no sign of its popularity dipping anytime soon .
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Both series have been the subject of mammoth cyclosis stack , but eyebrows were peculiarly bring up when Netflix pay $ 100 million to keepFriendsthrough 2019 . Yes , $ 100 m for just a unmarried twelvemonth . HBO Max ’s $ 425 million deal further suggest just how much of a money - maker Friends still is . Netflix pay even more for Seinfeld , forking over $ 500 million over five long time , but the timing of the move suggests that it was clearly a substitute forFriends , not the other way around . Seinfeld did n’t contribute a similar inflow of views to its late cyclosis home , Hulu , and it seems unlikely that it will have the same winner thatFriendsdid on Netflix .
Friendsmerchandise is everywhere ; there are total fete dedicate to it that constantly tour and sell out ; theFriendsreunion special draw in major celebrities who grow up with the show . Friendshas also had a much heavy shock overseas , in part due to its pour availability and more glamorousdepiction of New York life . Because it run into the 2000s , Friendshas a nostalgic appeal to a millennial genesis that has made it a streaming hit and object of viral GIFs and meme . As things bear , Friendsis in spades the big telecasting show with a popularity that ’ll seemingly never end , which give it the win in the long run , even though stances on the quality of each show are matter of vox populi . However , there ’s another way in whichSeinfeldhas the edge .
Seinfeld Is Aging Better Than Friends
Every sitcom from the ' 90s and early ' 00s has moments that are deliberate problematic today . Seinfeldis for sure no exception , and it check its fair share of jokes and dialogue that really have n’t aged well at all . For example , a retrospectivelydarkSeinfeldmoment – when Jerry ’s neglect chair to Babu the Pakistani immigrant getting deported – was played for laugh , and that would n’t fly in a modern situation comedy .
Seinfeldis very much a intersection of its era . Friends , however , is a different story entirely . It ’s full of minute that are questionable in ways that ca n’t be excused by the contemporary sensibilities of its release class . Edgy humor was experience a renaissance at the time , somethingFriendswould lean into , and it ’s ache for it as the age progressed . Rewatches often give away passing uncomfortable approaches that three X have not been genial to , from the wayChandler ’s Dad inFriendsis portrayed to making self-destruction and depression into the stern of many jokes . For example , the mode the others regale Ross is unbelievably toxic when weighed up over the course of all 10 season ( despite his own arguable toxicity in relationships ) .
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Mental wellness insensitivity and transphobia are far fromFriends ' only job either . It ’s been point out on how whitewashed the cast is ( peculiarly given the New York background ) , which is a criticismSeinfeldalso receives but to nowhere near the same level . The personation of Monica ’s weight unit event , including her moniker " Fat Monica , " also make on-line katzenjammer with increase geometrical regularity . Seinfeldis full of problematic moments that incite the thought " the ninety were a different sentence , " but the indurate insensitivity throughoutFriendsis almost unwatchable at points – especially since it ’s dressed up as the less misanthropic , more wholesome show . Friendsmight be the winner as far as popularity and revenue go , butSeinfeldis definitely aging better .
