Seinfeld on All4

[buzby]

No it's a decent parody of Seinfeld. And like someone else said it's invigorating to see a parody of something without any affection. My only note would be that it should stop before Bob M comes on. It's done what it should do by that point. The rest is a bit self-indulgent. Who's the woman? She's good.

Anna Francolini  played Elaine/Becky (the credits are at the end of the clip). It was directed by Edgar Wright, too.

And yeah, the article said 300 dates, not 800 - I mistyped the number.

[thr0b]

It's not exclusively parodying Seinfeld, there were a whole bunch of these sketches. They all used the same set, both for budget and because so many American sitcoms essentially use the same "house" set.

Only Jerks and Horses works as well. Walliams as Lyndhurst is terrific.

https://youtu.be/XUFhVp9pkp0

[buzby]

It's not exclusively parodying Seinfeld, there were a whole bunch of these sketches. They all used the same set, both for budget and because so many American sitcoms essentially use the same "house" set.

There were two batches (using two slighly different sets) - ones made for the 'American Sitcoms' episode of the Spoofovision series for Paramount, and four that were made later for the joint C4/Paramount Sitcoms Night.

The American Sitcoms episode included parodies of ALF (A Puppet Lives In My House!) and Perfect Strangers (My Cousin Is English). One of the sketches from the show was rejected by Paramount's censors - a parody of Diff'rent Strokes called I'm Black And Dad's In The Klan.

The Seinfeld sketch (I'm Bland...But All My Friends Are Krazy!) and the parody of a US remake of OFAH (Only Jerks And Horses) were part of the Sitcoms Night batch which had a larger cast (hence the presence of Bob Mortimer and the TLOG guys) as was My Gay Dads and a remake of A Puppet Lives In My House! from the American Sitcoms episode (with Rebecca Front replacing Jessica Hynes)

The 'Prime Time ITV' episode of Spoofovision included the rather cutting 'Victoria Wouldn't' sketch.

[thr0b]

Oh God, yes that Victoria Wood sketch. Pitch-perfect, cutting but entirely affectionate as well.

[Icehaven]

If your radar is up, you will notice tons of stuff that Friends ripped off/borrowed/homaged at in Seinfeld. The Kramer going to LA episode from yesterday had whole sections that seemed to have been lifted by the Friends writers for Joey's trip to LA to be an actor.

Yep definitely! Can't think of any specific examples right now but there's been several moments where I thought "they did that in Friends", and I'm only on early series 4.

And Monica has just turned up as Jerry's "wife" in an episode near the end of S5!

[sevendaughters]

christ Walliams in that Victoria Wood sketch looks like Peter Weller as Robocop when his helmet comes off.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I like the clobber Shearsmith is wearing, pretty much nails it, but otherwise it seems more like a parody of American sitcoms in general, which Seinfeld was pretty far removed from.

[ajsmith2]

Oh God, yes that Victoria Wood sketch. Pitch-perfect, cutting but entirely affectionate as well.

Surprised it's got such quite such a poor likes ratio at 39/77. Does Victoria Wood have a Michael Jackson level defensive online fandom?

It's pretty crazy how the list of 'punching down' topics that the alter ego at 1.55 lists are such a dead on prediction of what Little Britain would largely derive it's humour from. Mental how L & W would come to embody everything they (tacitly) claim to stand apart from here within a decade.

[El Unicornio, mang]

as was My Gay Dads

Michael the Geordie!

[jobotic]

That Victoria Wood parody is great

[buzby]

It's pretty crazy how the list of 'punching down' topics that the alter ego at 1.55 lists are such a dead on prediction of what Little Britain would largely derive it's humour from. Mental how L & W would come to embody everything they (tacitly) claim to stand apart from here within a decade.

That is a very on-the-nose jibe at Wood's 'Kimberley' routine, and yes, it's amazing how it they basically did a 180 from that to the mean-spirited stereotype-based rubbish in Little Britain.

Note who was the script editor on the later Sitcom Night sketches - Richard Osman.
On A Puppet Lives In My House, Jessica Hynes decided to play the wife character as slightly unsteady on her feet and gave her a nervous twitch in her left eye as if the actress was just coming back to the series after a serious car accident. In the remake, Front appears to be playing her like the actress is in a drugged or drunjken haze, a la Liz Taylor.

[neveragain]

It was through Mash and Peas that L&W fell out with Richard Osman. They did an episode parodying a boyband documentary and were approached to make a Channel 4 series out of it, with Osman as script editor. There was an argument over something (it's mentioned in Walliams' autobiography, I forget the details, some sticking point) and the result was Osman snatching the project and making it himself with James Corden. The series was called Boyz Unlimited and flopped anyway but it certainly felt like Osman had acted without honour.

[buzby]

It was through Mash and Peas that L&W fell out with Richard Osman. They did an episode parodying a boyband documentary and were approached to make a Channel 4 series out of it, with Osman as script editor. There was an argument over something (it's mentioned in Walliams' autobiography, I forget the details, some sticking point) and the result was Osman snatching the project and making it himself with James Corden. The series was called Boyz Unlimited and flopped anyway but it certainly felt like Osman hadn't acted without honour.

Yes it was the Boyband episode of Spoofovision (a spoof of Take That), which Channel 4 wanted to make into a full show. Brig Bother's excellently-researched UKGameshows website has the full SP:

Walliams and Matt Lucas started developing the series with Osman, but for some reason Lucas and Osman didn't get along, the upshot being that they ended up being summoned to a meeting with Jimmy Mulville at Hat Trick, where Mulville told Lucas and Walliams that they were ruining Osman's show and that he didn't want them on board. Lucas and Walliams were paid off and given co-creator credits. It was years before Walliams forgave Mulville - the latter finally apologised after a chance meeting - and in the meantime both he and Lucas refused to work with Hat Trick, including turning down numerous requests to appear on Have I Got News for You. Walliams' autobiography is rather ambiguous on whether he has forgiven Osman for not standing up for them (though he does note that Osman never apologised)

[colacentral]

On the discussion about the stand up bits: people a few pages back were talking about them as if Seinfeld himself wrote them all, e.g. "he had to write stand up to go along with the plot so eventually gave up" etc, and that isn't true, at least if I'm remembering it right. The early episodes lift from Seinfeld's actual stand-up, but after a few seasons they would be written by all the writers on staff, I.E. Peter Mehlman or someone would write their episode and also try to write the stand-up into the script. It wasn't 100% Seinfeld writing all of the material. Maybe I've totally misremembered.

[buttgammon]

On the discussion about the stand up bits: people a few pages back were talking about them as if Seinfeld himself wrote them all, e.g. "he had to write stand up to go along with the plot so eventually gave up" etc, and that isn't true, at least if I'm remembering it right. The early episodes lift from Seinfeld's actual stand-up, but after a few seasons they would be written by all the writers on staff, I.E. Peter Mehlman or someone would write their episode and also try to write the stand-up into the script. It wasn't 100% Seinfeld writing all of the material. Maybe I've totally misremembered.

That sounds about right, and it would certainly explain why the stand-up generally gets weaker as the series go on and the bits become more plot-specific.

[Andy147]

Yes it was the Boyband episode of Spoofovision (a spoof of Take That), which Channel 4 wanted to make into a full show. Brig Bother's excellently-researched UKGameshows website has the full SP:

"Walliams and Matt Lucas started developing the series with Osman, but for some reason Lucas and Osman didn't get along, the upshot being that they ended up being summoned to a meeting with Jimmy Mulville at Hat Trick, where Mulville told Lucas and Walliams that they were ruining Osman's show and that he didn't want them on board. Lucas and Walliams were paid off and given co-creator credits. It was years before Walliams forgave Mulville - the latter finally apologised after a chance meeting - and in the meantime both he and Lucas refused to work with Hat Trick, including turning down numerous requests to appear on Have I Got News for You. Walliams' autobiography is rather ambiguous on whether he has forgiven Osman for not standing up for them (though he does note that Osman never apologised)"

Didn't strike me as ambiguous - from my recollection, Walliams claimed that Osman had worked with Walliams before, and was now bitter that he was working with Lucas instead, and that the falling out with Mulville was mainly Osman's fault, and ended the tale with some comment about how Osman was now reduced to hosting some rubbishy daytime quiz show (i.e. "Pointless"). It just about stopped short of saying "Needless to say, I had the last laugh".

[Menu]

You've never seen Seinfeld and I claim my etc.

Are you suggesting it's not a parody of Seinfeld or that it's not a 'decent' one. It's definitely a Seinfeld parody.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Did I miss a meeting?

[mr. logic]

On the discussion about the stand up bits: people a few pages back were talking about them as if Seinfeld himself wrote them all, e.g. "he had to write stand up to go along with the plot so eventually gave up" etc, and that isn't true, at least if I'm remembering it right. The early episodes lift from Seinfeld's actual stand-up, but after a few seasons they would be written by all the writers on staff, I.E. Peter Mehlman or someone would write their episode and also try to write the stand-up into the script. It wasn't 100% Seinfeld writing all of the material. Maybe I've totally misremembered.

One of the writers said he would ask the writing room but then ignore their suggestions. They said that it was like he was trying to avoid the easiest idea.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Are you suggesting it's not a parody of Seinfeld or that it's not a 'decent' one. It's definitely a Seinfeld parody.

Not a decent one.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Even Family Guy managed a better parody.

[samadriel]

It's definitely a Seinfeld parody.

Is it?  It doesn't engage with any of the actual properties of Seinfeld, apart from two of the characters looking like Kramer and Elaine.  What does "yaffle yaffle yaffle" have to do with Kramer, or indeed anything?  Elaine... sings?  "Did I miss a meeting"?  What?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Is it?  It doesn't engage with any of the actual properties of Seinfeld, apart from two of the characters looking like Kramer and Elaine.  What does "yaffle yaffle yaffle" have to do with Kramer, or indeed anything?  Elaine... sings?  "Did I miss a meeting"?  What?

To be fair, Kramer did have a lot of signature tics and catchphrases. "Yaffle yaffle" doesn't sound like any of it but, as a general bit of schtick, it's not miles off point. The parody Elaine is, though.

[ajsmith2]

It's also reminiscent of 'Yada Yada', although since that phrase wasn't said by Kramer and was in an episode made after the Lucas and Walliams sketch, I will have to admit that that is definitely not the inspiration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yada_Yada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6kRqnfsBEc

More generally though, 'Yaffle Yaffle' does broadly seem in the ballpark of the kind of New Yoik/Yiddish slang lexicon a non fan might associate with Seinfeld 's content on a cursory glance. It works as a parody of a catchphrase that's outside your frame of reference, a bit like Channel 9 on The Fast Show.

[thelittlemango]

That's reading a bit too much into it isn't it? I figure it's the same as Claude suggested, just a parody of Kramer being the one who makes unusual sounds and noises and is a bit skittish, an aural embodiment of a cartoonish version of Kramer.

[ajsmith2]

Interesting there's no George equivalent in that parody: Lucas would physically have been perfect for that. The significance of the actual character he does play at the end is lost on me: anyone any ideas?

The chef is a bit too generic to work, but Bob Mortimer's 'regular regular' guy is brilliant, although not a parody of anything from Seinfeld, again it works as a burlesque of 90s American sitcommery seen from outside.

[ajsmith2]

That's reading a bit too much into it isn't it? I figure it's the same as Claude suggested, just a parody of Kramer being the one who makes unusual sounds and noises and is a bit skittish, an aural embodiment of a cartoonish version of Kramer.

I'm not saying they sat down and self consciously decided on the phrase with the plan of skewering stereotypical NYC ethnic parlance, just that those kind of cadences might have been in the back of their mind when it occurred to them. Or not, I dunno. I've now definitely spent 10 X as much time thinking about that wee bit as they did coming up with it.

[QDRPHNC]

To me it always seemed like a general parody of the American style of sitcom, using the half an episode of Seinfeld L&W once saw as the base.

[lankyguy95]

Shearsmith holding the microphone throughout that sketch is a funny little touch.

[poodlefaker]

I watched this episode last night https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doll_(Seinfeld), and it's one of the strangest I've seen. No real laughs,but the whole thing's full of dreamlike/nightmarish themes: Susan has a doll that looks like George's mother; Frank turns George's old bedroom into a poolhall, but it's too small to play properly; Jerry and Elaine have to carry pointlessly large boxes; no-one can remember Jose Careras's name; Jerry has to go on a chatshow without his trousers and no material prepared. But I don't think at any point there's a reference to anyone dreaming.