I felt like I had to include something about Seinfeld. It was really hitting it’s stride by 1994 pumping out great episode after great episode. This episode is so perfectly Seinfeld that I had to blog about this one.
In The Race, Jerry is dating a woman named Lois finally fulfilling his Superman dreams. During the episode Jerry says:
[I’m] “Faster than a speeding bullet, Lois,”
“Why, I’d have to be Superman to do that, Lois.”
“Maybe I will, Lois. Maybe I will.”
Elaine is dating a communist, Kramer is a department store Santa, and the whole episode is framed around Jerry cheating in a race in High School. The story culminates in a re-running of the race (set to the Superman theme). The story is a perfect cycle. Each character playing a small part in the others story, the A story is clearly the race, but the B, and C stories are so intertwined that they’re just one story. It’s great writing, it’s great storytelling, and it’s why Seinfeld is the best show ever.
Why 1994 Was One of Network TV’s Last Truly Great Seasons
Vulture’s headline (a question without a question mark) is a really solid statement. The 8 biggest shows on network TV today wouldn’t even crack the top 50 in 1994. Look at the top of that list, Seinfeld, ER, Home Improvement, Friends…
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the start of what we now recognize as one of network TV’s watershed seasons, an epic year that is most easily remembered for the debut of NBC’s twin Thursday night triumphs, Friends and ER. And over the next four days, Vulture will look back at those Peacock powerhouses, revisit the 1994-95 season’s best episodes and moments (as well as some of the worst), and revel in other phenomena from that banner year of TV: the dizzingly outrageous plot twists of the Fox hits Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210; the launch of Party of Five; the tumultuous season of Saturday Night Live; the mania surrounding George Clooney; and, of course, the still underrated, canceled-too-soon ABC drama& My So-Called Life.
