TV Throwdown: Friends vs Seinfeld

[Dead2009]

What, in your opinion, is the better show? Is it Friends or is it Seinfeld? Is it both? Do you hate both shows with such a passion that you'd rather watch The Voice on repeat?

 

[Clayton]

I wouldn't say either show is my favorite but I'll pick Seinfeld. 2 of the Friends are terrible characters.

 

[Battlelyon]

Seinfeld had much better characters, than just the main 4. George Constanza might be the best character in tv history. Better individual episodes, the Opposite and the Contest are some of the best in history.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

This is not very close... Friends was a great comedy... was on forever, but seinfeld is known to be one of the GOATS... Friends is not...

and characters Seinfeld has, the most popular comedic characters of all time...

this is like comparing Tom Brady to Drew Brees IMO... both HOFers... but one is in talks to be the GOAT and one is never in THAT discussion,...

 

[redskinsfan1963]

seinfeld was the far better show.still watch it most late nights.thought the final eps sucked though.nobody comes thru a door like kramer.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

I wouldn't say either show is my favorite but I'll pick Seinfeld. 2 of the Friends are terrible characters.

who are the terrible characters?? i would not go that far... friends is still one of the greatest comedies of all time... Just not up to Seinfeld's level...

 

[BigFin]

Not a fan of either but I thought Friends was pretty overrated.

 

[Clayton]

who are the terrible characters?? i would not go that far... friends is still one of the greatest comedies of all time... Just not up to Seinfeld's level...

So I feel the obvious show to compare Friends to is Taxi.

Judd Hirsch = David Schwimmer
Marilu Henner = Jennifer Aniston
Jeff Conaway = Matt Leblanc (they're even both actors on the show)
Lisa Kudrow = Christopher Lloyd

Ok. So maybe thats not fair to Lisa Kudrow but she is one of the weaker characters in these types of sitcoms. Even if you think about Woody in Cheers she is just not that great. Coach in Cheers. Andy Kaufman in Taxi. Smelly cat? Eh.

But more importantly, could David Schwimmer BE any more annoying? Band of Brothers got it right. David Schimmer is an obstacle your show needs to overcome.

When comparing to Taxi you also have Matthew Perry in the Toni Danza slot. Honestly think Friends probably wins that one. Then you have Courtney Cox and Danny DeVito left over and thats probably not fair to Courtney Cox they're not really doing the same things.

tl;dr Taxi is the better show

 

[Sparhawk]

Friends was great in the moment when those episodes aired.
I don't think it has aged well.

Seinfeld's longevity and connection to Curb probably puts it right up there as one the best shows ever, if not the best.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

So I feel the obvious show to compare Friends to is Taxi.

Judd Hirsch = David Schwimmer
Marilu Henner = Jennifer Aniston
Jeff Conaway = Matt Leblanc (they're even both actors on the show)
Lisa Kudrow = Christopher Lloyd

Ok. So maybe thats not fair to Lisa Kudrow but she is one of the weaker characters in these types of sitcoms. Even if you think about Woody in Cheers she is just not that great. Coach in Cheers. Andy Kaufman in Taxi. Smelly cat? Eh.

But more importantly, could David Schwimmer BE any more annoying? Band of Brothers got it right. David Schimmer is an obstacle your show needs to overcome.

When comparing to Taxi you also have Matthew Perry in the Toni Danza slot. Honestly think Friends probably wins that one. Then you have Courtney Cox and Danny DeVito left over and thats probably not fair to Courtney Cox they're not really doing the same things.

tl;dr Taxi is the better show

in this debate of Friends vs seinfeld, it doesnt touch seinfeld...

But taxi?? I dont really see the comparison you are trying to make character to character...

but if you want to compare it... Friends wins overall pretty easily.. Taxi was a great comedy... But friends was on longer, has more memorable moments, more relatable characters, and more water cooler moments...

the will Ross and Rachael, was the hottest discussion for a long time...

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Let’s put it this way.
If this question was put to a poll…
Seinfeld would get like 80-90%…and potato salad would come in 2nd place over Friends.

 

[Pure Steel]

This is like comparing Caddyshack vs Caddyshack 2……

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Monk’s >>>>>>>>>>> Central Perk

 

[RobToxin]

I never watched an actual episode of either show.

My only working knowledge of either show is .....

 

[BigFin]

I thought Two Guys & A Girl was a better than Friends, especially after Season 1 when Nathan Fillion joined the cast. A lot of the humor still holds up IMO.

 

[Clayton]

in this debate of Friends vs seinfeld, it doesnt touch seinfeld...

But taxi?? I dont really see the comparison you are trying to make character to character...

but if you want to compare it... Friends wins overall pretty easily.. Taxi was a great comedy... But friends was on longer, has more memorable moments, more relatable characters, and more water cooler moments...

the will Ross and Rachael, was the hottest discussion for a long time...

If we're going back to the original head-to-head, Seinfeld is the water cooler show. I will say that I really like the Friends episode where they play Bamboozled and its the most ridiculous game ever but then the rules get scaled back to something normal and they think it sucks.

Friends was great in the moment when those episodes aired.
I don't think it has aged well.

I can't really put my finger on it but Friends really feels like a show thats fairly modern but doesn't have any of the modern progressive trends. Friends has all of these guest stars, people hooking up, people having babies and everyone is white and in the city living a lavish lifestyle. There was a pretty big critique on the show 'Girls' when it came out in 2012 for a lot of the same things.

 

[elguapo]

they both suck dead donkey rectum

 

[Wazmankg]

So I feel the obvious show to compare Friends to is Taxi.

Judd Hirsch = David Schwimmer
Marilu Henner = Jennifer Aniston
Jeff Conaway = Matt Leblanc (they're even both actors on the show)
Lisa Kudrow = Christopher Lloyd

Ok. So maybe thats not fair to Lisa Kudrow but she is one of the weaker characters in these types of sitcoms. Even if you think about Woody in Cheers she is just not that great. Coach in Cheers. Andy Kaufman in Taxi. Smelly cat? Eh.

But more importantly, could David Schwimmer BE any more annoying? Band of Brothers got it right. David Schimmer is an obstacle your show needs to overcome.

When comparing to Taxi you also have Matthew Perry in the Toni Danza slot. Honestly think Friends probably wins that one. Then you have Courtney Cox and Danny DeVito left over and thats probably not fair to Courtney Cox they're not really doing the same things.

tl;dr Taxi is the better show

Taxi is on my Mt Rushmore for network TV sitcoms (that excludes Veep which would be there otherwise). In fact Taxi was arguably more consistently funny than Seinfeld and both were much better than Friends which was not very funny to me so I was not a regular viewer.

The gals were hot and people related to the cast and their situation, as in everyone knew someone who was sorta like each of the 6 of them, and that was the key to its popularity imo.

 

[Clayton]

Taxi is on my Mt Rushmore for network TV sitcoms (that excludes Veep which would be there otherwise). In fact Taxi was arguably more consistently funny than Seinfeld and both were much better than Friends which was not very funny to me so I was not a regular viewer.

The gals were hot and people related to the cast and their situation, as in everyone knew someone who was sorta like each of the 6 of them, and that was the key to its popularity imo.

I'm a 90s kid and I was shocked at how well Taxi held up. I also think it avoids some of the bloat of some of the other sitcoms I like (Frasier, for example).

 

[Wazmankg]

I'm a 90s kid and I was shocked at how well Taxi held up. I also think it avoids some of the bloat of some of the other sitcoms I like (Frasier, for example).

Louis DePalma, Reverend Jim and Latka will be funny forever, the first 2 for sure. But as I think about it, my Mt Rushmore probably has more than 4 series. Cheers has to be there and I'm already up to 3 series from the same era.