Similarities Between Seinfeld And Friends

When Friends first aired in 1994, five years into the original run of Seinfeld, it was criticized as being a “knock-off Seinfeld.” Although there were significant similarities between the two shows, there were also vast differences. Seinfeld and Friends were targeted to two very different audiences, and they represented the relatively new idea of “friendship comedies” in different ways.
When Seinfeld first aired in 1989, it was simultaneously revolutionary and traditional. Like many sitcoms before it, Seinfeld featured a three-camera set up and a laugh track, and it was built around a standup comedian. However, Seinfeld’s main characters were friends, not coworkers or family members, and the plots of episodes often revolved around completely insignificant matters, which led it to be known as “a show about nothing.” The characters were generally selfish, and the show did not prompt viewers to have sympathy for anyone. The show also had a “no hugging, no learning” rule, which meant that even if the characters did have to

deal with the consequences of their negative actions, they would not grow as people from their experiences. Seinfeld also had a smaller target audience than other sitcoms of its time, and there was fear that its “Jewish New Yorker” culture would alienate middle-American viewers. However, the show proved to be incredibly successful and went on to last a full nine seasons.
While Seinfeld may have alienated some viewers because of its specific characters, Friends made an effort to appeal to everyone.

Although it was similar to Seinfeld in that it also had a three-camera setup and a laugh track, and in that it was based around a group of adult friends in New York City, it was significantly less post-modern than Seinfeld, and could even be described as the Anti-Seinfeld. Friends was structured as a comic soap opera, and its appeal was that it was generic and relatable. Friends also masked the one-sided relationship that viewers have with TV, so as to make the audience feel that they were the seventh friend. While the characters on Friends had strong character-types, they were, for the most part, relatable and likeable, and were supposed to mimic friendship dynamics that the audience would be comfortable with. There was a strong focus on competition within the group, which added to the realism of the

friendship.
Both Seinfeld and Friends were at their most popular in the 1990s, which meant that both shows dealt with problems that, in 2015, are completely obscure. For example, both shows had storylines centering around someone accidentally leaving somebody else a message on their answering machine that they regretted and tried to get back. Although this issue itself is completely out of the scope of today’s teenagers, all of whom were born during the original run of Friends, and some of whom were never alive during the run of Seinfeld, both shows are popular among teenage and twenty-something audiences who were introduced to the shows after they went off air. This is because, even though some of the actual plot lines might not hold up over time, the comedy of the situations and the humor of the actual characters and their relationships does.