Jerry Seinfeld Says TV Comedy Is Being Killed By the ‘Extreme Left and P.C. Crap and People Worrying So Much About Offending Other People’

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Jerry Seinfeld Says TV Comedy Is Being Killed By the ‘Extreme Left and P.C. Crap and People Worrying So Much About Offending Other People’

Jerry Seinfeld says TV comedy is being hurt by the "extreme left."

variety.com

Jerry Seinfeld said in an interview with The New Yorker while touting his feature directorial effort "Unfrosted" that "P.C. crap" and the "extreme left" is making television comedy go extinct. Seinfeld is a sitcom icon thanks to his eponymous NBC sitcom that ran between 1989 and 1998, but he says viewers no longer flock to their television sets in order to get their comedy fix like they did for decades.

"Nothing really affects comedy. People always need it. They need it so badly and they don't get it," Seinfeld said. "It used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, 'Oh, "Cheers" is on. Oh, "MASH" is on. Oh, "Mary Tyler Moore" is on. "All in the Family" is on.' You just expected, 'There'll be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight.' Well, guess what—where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and P.C. crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people."

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Seinfeld noted that comedy fans are "now going to see stand-up comics because we are not policed by anyone. The audience polices us. We know when we're off track. We know instantly and we adjust to it instantly. But when you write a script and it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups—'Here's our thought about this joke.' Well, that's the end of your comedy."

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Interview source:

The Scholar of Comedy

Jerry Seinfeld on how to write jokes, the ending of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and the world-historical struggle to invent the Pop-Tart.

www.newyorker.com

Generationally, I some bit removed from Jerry. He's talking about television comedy here. I don't know if I agree with this take personally. There are other forces at play with TV comedy, such as the costs. Curb finished a great season recently and they always pushed the envelope. Maybe HBO doesn't' count here to Jerry.

But I never found TV comedy super edgy as Jerry seems to remember. Again, not my generation he's referencing.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

It's almost like jokes at the expense of people for things they can't control are shitty and mean, Jerry.

Like if you go back and watch early episodes of Scrubs, there are SO many queerphobic jokes littered throughout the show. That's not "pushing boundaries", it's just being mean to people for existing.

 

[Biske]

Old man yelling at clouds take. Especially ironic given what Larry David is still doing with Curb.

 

[Simba]

tv comedy has rarely been anywhere near edgy

plus family guy and its always sunny are way edgier than any tv comedy from the 80's and older.

 

[Ramathevoice]

How do ostensibly not completely stupid people end up with takes this bafflingly idiotic?

I mean I get that celebs don't live in the real world, but how do you come to believe in such a caricature of how things work?

 

[entremet]

tv comedy has rarely been anywhere near edgy

plus family guy and its always sunny are way edgier than any tv comedy from the 80's and older.

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Yeah, idk what he's talking about here.

He has actual TV experience so maybe he knows more? Jokes by committee is not a new thing.

 

[andymoogle]

Make better comedy, Jerry.

 

[hom3land]

For someone who dated a 17 year old when he was in his late 30s you'd think he'd shut up and keep a low profile... But somehow he never really got called on it.

 

[GungHo]

Sorry. You're not in the "consequences free zone" any more. Adapt and overcome.

 

[JigglesBunny]

"You can't date 17-year-olds anymore, 'cause of woke."

 

[SaberVS7]

And... There... It... Is.

What has Jerry actually done since his show ended other than the Bee Movie and the Michael Richards Image Rehabilitation Tour?

 

[entremet]

For someone who dated a 17 year old when he was in his late 30s you'd think he'd shut up and keep a low profile... But somehow he never really got called on it.

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Howard Stern did. Led to a falling out for years actually. But really that was it.

He even performed a parody song.

 

[Spagward]

How do ostensibly not completely stupid people end up with takes this bafflingly idiotic?

I mean I get that celebs don't live in the real world, but how do you come to believe in such a caricature of how things work?

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Have you ever seen clips of Jerry talking about comedy and other comedians? The guy has been living on another planet for decades. He is completely delusional. He thinks comedians are akin to demigods and that interfering with their process is tantamount to sin. It's the typical Joe Rogan party line.

 

[plagiarize]

'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS KILLING COMEDY'

said the old over the hill comic desperate for relevancy.

 

[Sol C. Johnson]

What? there is still plenty of comedy on TV.

Also the man was having sex with a 17 year old high school student at the height of his popularity. Let it never be forgotten.

 

[Dyle]

What's the deal with bad takes?

 

[the lizard]

nah man, i dont think so. it's always sunny in philadelphia is probably the least politically correct live action sitcom ever made and it continues to thrive and be beloved by folks on the far left.

 

[Imran]

I'm positive he has been stewing about canceling Michael Richards for nearly two decades and finally feels like he can say "It wasn't a big deal" through different language.

 

[GK86]

Fuck off, clown. I was watching Seinfeld for the first time (I'm not going to continue after reading this thread) and his standup bits are the worst part of the show. Unfunny shit.

Can't date 17 year olds anymore, huh, Jerry?

 

[AaronD]

Probably should have had Larry David write this for you too. Unfunny fuck.

 

[SanTheSly]

Comedy always ages poorly but people don't have to. Come on, Jerry

 

[Knight613]

TV comedy died long before people spoke up about the jokes being offensive.

 

[DanarchyReigns]

"What's the deal with washed-up comedians? Rather than change how they operate, they blame PC culture. What even is that?! You date one 17 year old and suddenly the world hates you!"

Seinfeld was never that edgy to begin with. Old man needs to go to bed.

 

[r_rose]

I feel like Curb was edgy as hell for its entire run and it handled it beautifully.

 

[Lump]

The "you couldn't make Seinfeld today!" take is so fucking wild because Curb Your Enthusiasm exists in 2024 and is more edgy than Seinfeld ever was.

 

[FTF]

Yeah not sure what he's talking about here. Comedy shows on currently are way "edgier" than fluffy Cheers and Mash lol. Plus his goat show never needed/had that so I feel like he just wanted a old man yelling at clouds moment.

 

[mbpm]

Been brought up wrt to this article in other places but Seinfeld as a show itself is an example of not needing to go anywhere near those topics to still be funny, and it's obviously ancient history before any "pc ban"

 

[Hollywood Duo]

It's weird he has these boomer takes because his comedy is so inoffensive to begin with, like it doesn't even apply to his style

 

[Common Knowledge]

All of this stuff always just seems to boil down to a comedian being mad that they might have to put in a little more effort in their work now.

 

[Disco]

nah man, i dont think so. it's always sunny in philadelphia is probably the least politically correct live action sitcom ever made and it continues to thrive and be beloved by folks on the far left.

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yep.

All Jerry has done since Seinfeld ended was some dogshit cartoon film and his upcoming Pop Tarts movie looks like crap too. He's washed.

 

[StrangerDanger]

Good ole "political correctness" to cover up the fact that they don't really have any other jokes up their sleeves

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Yeah, Always Sunny definitively proves this is wrong. Hell someone posted the creampie clip in its respective thread and that gag goes places

 

[Doggg]

What's the deallll

 

[Speedstersonic]

It's almost like jokes at the expense of people for things they can't control are shitty and mean, Jerry.

Like if you go back and watch early episodes of Scrubs, there are SO many queerphobic jokes littered throughout the show. That's not "pushing boundaries", it's just being mean to people for existing.

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Yep 100%, also comedy consumption has changed for younger people. Hell we go on youtube and watch some comedy youtubers or like graystillplays more than any sitcoms nowadays.

 

[PinkCrayon]

You just can't joke about airplane food anymore.

 

[Lulu]

carlin had the best take on this like 50 years ago

 

[entremet]

yep.

All Jerry has done since Seinfeld ended was some dogshit cartoon film and his upcoming Pop Tarts movie looks like crap too. He's washed.

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Comedy With Cars Getting Coffee.

He's been working standup since he left Seinfeld, but that's not TV.

 

[Ernest]

Don't want to be attacked? Don't be an asshole. Pretty simple.

Oh, and Jerry's a fuckin creep...


View: https://twitter.com/ask_aubry/status/1784919748003656105

 

[lunarworks]

Broadcast TV being a dying medium has nothing to do with "woke", dorkass.

 

[EN1GMA]

TV comedies still exist they just don't have the same kind of pull like the shows he mentioned. People (especially younger) are not flocking to network television for very much of anything. The Big Bang Theory was the last TV comedy to really be a big deal.

 

[qaopjlll]

Also Jerry Seinfeld: "Have you met my girlfriend? She graduates high school next year!"

 

[caliph95]

The "you couldn't make Seinfeld today!" take is so fucking wild because Curb Your Enthusiasm exists in 2024 and is more edgy than Seinfeld ever was.

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The reason Seinfeld wouldn't be made today is because the streaming service it's on will give it 8 episodes and the cancel it after 3 seasons maybe 2 go save money

 

[Alavard]

Obviously he's just full of shit, but it's a strange leap to make that the reason people aren't 'flocking to TV sets for sitcoms' anymore is because of things being 'too PC'. Like dude, your show wasn't exactly pushing the envelope on being offensive. Like, he's referencing a bunch of family shows and then says you can only go to stand up to see comedy that's not being 'policed'?

 

[Omegasquash]

Almost like people got tired of being the butt of jokes and speak out about it.

But by all means, let's consider the opinions and feelings of wealthy white male boomers.

Retire, please.

 

[Thrill_house]

When curb and always sunny are out here killing it? I don't think so. The problem is you, Jerry.

 

[Davidion]

I watch plenty of comics of all stripes pull absolutely hilarious shit without being cancellable shitwads. Your TV comedy was never more than mass market pop on a good day.

The things that happens when you let these people think they're the point.

 

[Ring Dings and Pepsi]

This complaint doesn't make any sense.

When the show's writing team (that included Seinfeld) was working on the episode The Outing, they were genuinely concerned that they were coming off as offensive to gay people, to the point where they were trying to figure out how to make it clear they were making fun of people thinking Jerry is gay, without it appearing to make fun of gay people themselves. One of the writers in the middle of a conversation about it offhandedly said "not that there's anything wrong with that" and it became recurring joke where every character literally said they weren't making fun of gay people themselves.

I don't understand how you can have that conversation without wanting to be politically correct. That sensibility to have writers think about making sure the comedy isn't punching down and needlessly offensive directly led to one of the most iconic lines in the show, showing how working within the constraints frequently elevates rather than harms the comedy.

 

[Doug Dimmadome]

The only thing that gets "cancelled" is bad comedy. Offensive humor is perfectly acceptable if done well (see: Always Sunny). Problem is people with a low comedy-IQ can't actually craft a joke so instead they make fun of people. THAT'S what people call out and push back against.

 

[J-Skee]

Did he not watch the last season of Curb?

 

[caliph95]

Also yeah Seinfeld was a top tier sitcom but like edgy lol even by the standards of the time I don't think it was consistent edgy like what him and George mistaken for being gay
"Not that there is anything wrong with that"