CS Weekly Archive> DVD > 06/08/07

Much Ado About Nothing

by dennis sampson

Seinfeld: Season 8

Alec Berg, Jeff Shaffer, Peter Mehlman, David Mandel, Spike Feresten, Jennifer Crittenden, Gregg Kavet, Andy Robin, Steve O'Donnell, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Steve Koren, Darin Henry, Jill Franklyn
Created by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld

Co-creator and former showrunner Larry David's absence is glaring in Seinfeld's eighth season, the series' first without him. David's much-publicized farewell from the show was well documented on the seventh season's DVD set, highlighted by the cast and crews' strong apprehensions about his departure in their episode commentaries. Said fears came to fruition in a season that stumbles blindly in shoes too big for it to fill. While the characters of Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Kramer (Michael Richards), and Elaine (Julia Louis Dreyfus) had seven years to be developed and etched into television history, such was accomplished by grounding their situations in reality (or at least a degree of believability). But season eight saw the foursome spiraling into increasingly implausible circumstances, with episodes ranging from a street gang named after President Van Buren to Newman's (Wayne Knight) unfounded crush on Elaine. As a standup, Jerry Seinfeld's material was always about finding comedy in the mundane, and, until its eighth year, the series was a mirror of that. Although Seinfeld was still fun to watch these characters interact, the show's relatability was missing. Even the seasons' most memorable episodes, "The Yada, Yada" and "The Bizarro Jerry" barely come close to the narrative and comedic heights the show had once shown it was capable of. Consistent with prior seasons, the DVD extras don't disappoint. Most outstanding is the "Jerry Seinfeld: Submarine Captain" featurette, which details Seinfeld's adding a showrunner credit to his list of already impressive duties on the show (co-creator, Executive Producer, lead actor). Episode origins are detailed in the "Inside Looks" segments and one of the writers offers a notable insight: "The great thing about working on Seinfeld was that anytime you feel awkward or embarrassed in public, the upside is that maybe that's a story."

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Dennis Sampson is a commercial production coordinator and unproduced screenwriter. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his better half, Susan, and their dog Tripp.

Seinfeld: Season 8 courtesy Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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