Techtite's TV Reviews!

"...saying you've never heard of Seinfeld is like saying you've never heard of the Honeymooners or I Love Lucy. Even 25 years from now, all three will be classic sitcom history."

---from the review

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Seinfeld:
Seasons 1-3

Seasons 1&2

Season 3

Gift Set (see review for details)

Click pictures to order any DVD set

A Techtite Review

The Series : I'm not going to harp on and on about Seinfeld, as if you've never heard of it. In modern times, saying you've never heard of Seinfeld is like saying you've never heard of the Honeymooners or I Love Lucy. Even 25 years from now, all three will be classic sitcom history. That said: seasons 1 and 2 (together), and season 3, are all released at once on DVD. What's more; these are the original uncut episodes, unlike the edited fare you see in syndication. Let the laughs roll again.

Now, it deserves mentioning that seasons 1 and 2 are long before the series got its footing. In fact, "season" 1 was only five episodes long. Fans of Seinfeld's later stories, like the Soup Nazi, will note how there isn't anything bold and daring in these particular episodes, like girlfriends named after a female body part, or Kramer's many bizarre job ideas. Then again, the signs of the series' trademark --comedy about every life-- are there. There's the one where Jerry and friends wait for a seat at a Chinese restaurant, the one where a housekeeper may have stolen "the statue," and Jerry's suede jacket with the candy-striped inner lining. The second season ends with the now-infamous attempt by Jerry and Elaine to be together, with Elaine wanting "This...that...and the other!" If you want only one Seinfeld set for the memories; that's a good footnote. If you think about it, it's even better than the series' own finale.

It's season three where Seinfeld first started entering sitcom infamy. Even simple one-liners about each episode lead to great memories: the Librarian, Mr. Bookman; the parking garage; the first story of Babu Bhatt; Elaine's "sexy voice" on Jerry's audio tapes; "These pretzels are making me thirsty...!"; the cashmere sweater with "the red dot"; the pez dispenser; Keith Hernandez's alleged "spit attack" on Newman and Kramer; The Limo intended for a controversial Anti-Semite; and last but not least, "The Kramer" (which believe it or not, was even sold as a real portrait/poster at the time!). This is one great season set.

Now it's time for the bad news, though hardly worth mentioning. The downside of the first release for any show lasting as long as Seinfeld is: there is better than a 70% chance the episode that is your "favorite" (if you can really decide on such a thing) is actually in these three seasons. Let's just give a short run-down of the episodes that would have to wait until after season 3. This is before the long guest stint of Susan, George's ill fated fiancée. This is before George's reign as an employee at Yankee Stadium. This is before the most memorable of Jerry's girlfriends, including Mulva/Delores, the O'Henry heiress wearing only a bra, and yes, even Teri Hatcher, whose final line is now sitcom gold: "They're real...and they're spectacular!" This is before Elaine lost her job at her book company, only to work for a while as the aid to a millionaire, and then later as the head of Mr. Peterman's catalog. This is even before the Soup Nazi! As for Kramer, well, this is long before any of his many outrageous schemes, in particularly his attempt to move to Hollywood, the cliffhanger of which suffixes season 3, where these sets sadly end.

However, that's the only bad news you'll read in this review. The fact is it's amazing this series is finally on DVD. It also has a lot of extra material, as I'll be listing a lot of, next. True, Susan and Steinbrenner will have to wait until later seasons, but these are the seasons that started it all. Even the most agnostic of sitcom fans should be overjoyed to finally have these DVDs in their collections. Let the evenings about nothing roll.

---Techtite

The DVD : Let's get down to the bottom line: if you're going to buy all three seasons, you really want to cough up the few dollars more and get that nifty "gift set." In addition to a DVD-shelf-compatible box to put them all in, you get all three seasons, plus a deck of trading cards with the four lead Seinfeld stars on the face cards --cool!-- plus a copy of an original script's final draft in a nice soft cover booklet (the episode title: "The Big Salad"), and a salt and pepper set. The salt and pepper set is around three inches in height and looks like the classic napkin holder and ketchup/mustard dispensers that the gang talked next to each episode at Monk's Diner. The napkin holder in the center is just for show, since it's way too small, but it's a cute added touch.

As for the sets themselves; they're filled with extras! I'm not kidding. The only downside is that the extras are very random. Sometimes the stars themselves are on hand to offer audio commentary for an episode like "The Subway"; other times they are not. Sometimes there is a deleted scene --like a racy moment in "The Red Dot" when Elaine makes out with her boyfriend-- but mostly there isn't. Sometimes there is even an option to see an "inside look" at an episode, with current-day (2004) interviews of the people responsible for that episode. See Keith Hernandez's anecdotes about his starring role, as well as the actor who plays Babu! Lead stars are often on hand as well. It would've been nice to see more such commentary/interviews for all episodes, but that would've increased the size of the set considerably.

In addition to deleted scenes, "inside looks" and commentaries, are various added featurettes. These are often on the last disc of each collection, and in both sets' include a blooper reel which is not to be missed. In addition are special clips of Jerry Seinfeld's standup routines. While you're probably thinking "they just included the standup he did at the start of each show," these are his actual standup shows, as seen on various talk shows at the time, like late shows with Jay Leno or David Letterman. Episode promos are also included, though I remember the promos for some episodes, so these are mostly the promos for the episodes in later years. It's the thought that counts though.

Each set also has their own unique featurette. For seasons one and two that is a "How it Began" feature, which at one hour in length shows the how and why to the series being created. Season Three has an amusing feature of its own, "Kenny to Cosmo," where Kenny Kramer is shown in real life, as the person who inspired the TV series character. I would imagine that later seasons will have similar features for each lead character, because I know that Elaine is based on a standup comedienne herself, as is George, who I hear was based on none other than co-series-creator Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm). We'll have to wait and see though. I hope it's not long. I want more episodes already.

In short; these are some nice extras, showing that all the wait until this DVD set was actually worth it. I probably would've liked to see Susan a bit early, though admittedly this series was on for nearly a decade. There isn't a single season of this series that doesn't deserve to be on DVD. Let's make sure they all get their chance on disc very soon.

Seasons 1&2

Season 3

Gift Set (see review for details)

Click pictures to order any DVD set

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