Seinfeld: Still a Classic?

Does the sitcom "about nothing” still evoke something—like laughs? Two TV critics revisited Seinfeld and emerged with different takes on the nutty New Yorkers. David Noonan argues that great actors—including an awesome string of small-part oddballs—still make the comedy sparkle. "They add a deep and essential layer of psychosis to the show," he writes in Newsweek.

But Marc Peyser looks back in shock at what once seemed funny. He claims that the show’s major conceit—four whiny adults devoid of ambition—reduces each episode to a mere punchline. Characters in great shows develop; Jerry and company just had issues. Peyser writes that "after a while, it all has started to sound like a whole lotta yadda yadda yadda." (More Jerry Seinfeld stories.)