How the creator of ‘Cheers’ thinks Seinfeld changed comedy forever

Before about 1987, American sitcoms – in general – were very different. Regardless of the premise or intended demographic, most sitcoms (again, this is a broad generality) focus on a reliable comedic structure of setups and payoffs. From “I Love Lucy” all the way to “Diff’rent Strokes,” the sitcom’s writers were keen to explore a recognizable domestic/workplace/community setting with very funny, sharply recognizable characters. The same writers were usually also careful to present the gags and jokes very clearly. Each setting usually results in some sort of bonus or reward.

However, in the late 1980s, sitcoms underwent a review. It seems that audiences and many veteran writers have grown tired of decades of wormy tropes and structures, and are starting to deconstruct them. 1987 saw the debut of Married… with Children, a comedy series that follows a dysfunctional family who hate each other. Their vitriol was the joke. Then, in 1989, The Simpsons debuted, conveniently poking fun at all the sitcoms that came before it by presenting an almost surreal, yellow-toned sitcom world where everything was a little awry.

1989 also saw the debut of the series “Seinfeld”. The show that pretty much closed the door on old sitcoms. As the show’s creators, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, repeatedly said, “Seinfeld” was a show about nothing, and they mandated that none of its characters get emotional, hug, or learn any lessons. The show was based on Seinfeld’s own style of humor, observation, and petty grievances.

Glenn Charles was one of the creators of the hit 1982 sitcom “Cheers” (along with his brother Les and Jimmy Burroughs), and vividly remembers the shift from sitcom-based gag writing to “Seinfeld”-inspired observational writing. Which he eventually took over. In 2012, Charles spoke to GQ magazine about the sea change and I felt that comedy in general suffered as a result.

Stand-up comedy had long veered away from traditional settings and one-liners by the late 1980s. In fact, as noted in the film The Aristocrats, comedians rarely went on stage to tell conventional jokes, as the practice was seen as a relic of the borscht belt comedy of the 1950s and 1960s. Jerry Seinfeld’s style of humor was self-deprecating and relied on small character annoyances that everyone could relate to. That’s why many Jerry Seinfeld jokes start with, “What’s the matter with…?” Seinfeld saw something in the world that he found inherently illogical, and he found humor in its absurdity. He was declaring that life is more or less meaningless, and the structures around us should be thought of as equally meaningless.

This humor was carried over to “Seinfeld,” and the “Cheers” writers didn’t like it. Glen Charles didn’t like that petty grievance was the goal. There was no humorous or observational comment, just the comedian noticing something. Charles was particularly angry when Seinfeld’s style of humor took over the rest of the comedy. He said:

“For better or worse, I now see more of the Seinfeld influence (in comedy)… Not a joke, but people airing very personal issues, subjective, and sometimes close things without even a joke. We would never do that. We did that. We’ll be there until two o’clock.” Morning, to make sure there’s a button on the action, and I’m not making a value judgment right now.

In fact, when watching old sitcoms, one can see that they are usually more “scripted”. The structure is more solid from scene to scene, and all the characters have mini-arcs. There is compassion, drama and story in the Charles tradition. Seinfeld dispensed with those traditions, introducing characters who couldn’t learn and couldn’t have arcs.

But “Seinfeld” at least knew that its characters were terrible people. The final episode of the series put them all on trial for crimes of selfishness and pettiness. They ended the series in prison. One might wonder how Charles felt about that.