Why Frasier wasn't influential like Seinfeld and Friends?

"Hey now" is from another show that I think I mentioned earlier in the thread and one I think is more influential than the general public might realize because it is a big influence on writers and comedians - The Larry Sanders Show. That Stern adopted the catchphrase is but one sign of this.

 

I'd rate Friends way lower that the other 2, definitely not as well written.

 

Poor Gen X. Friends is one of the most definitive portraits of a Generation X mass culture produced, nothing to do with millennials. Here's a very interesting article:

Friends Is a Gen X Show. Why Don’t We Ever Call It That?

To all of those in this thread saying that Friends was not influential...that is your bias speaking because you don't personally like the show. Friends is by the most popular of these three shows in the here and now. In addition to influencing television that followed it (How I Met Your Mother), it has a timeless likeability to it that has kept it popular in the streaming culture. In short, it has great characters played by great actors who had great chemistry with one another. I see Friends getting dismissed and torn down constantly on this forum. Drives me nuts. It is one of my favorite shows and it was and is a success for a reason.

I grew up with Frasier, Friends and Seinfeld all as appointment viewing. My family watched every new episode of all three of these shows each week. They were all excellent. Friends was the one that connected with me the most at the time and continues to connect with me now.

 

I am not saying you are wrong, but I find it hard to believe Friends is more popular than Seinfeld.

 

Wonder where you got that one from.

Frasier was probably the gayest comedy about straight characters on television.

 

With millennials (my generation) and Gen Z (the generation after me)? In a walk.

‘Friends’ Is Older Than Some of Its Biggest Fans

 

But it never says that it's more popular than Seinfeld.

 

Why "Friends" Is More Pervasive in Culture Today Than "Seinfeld" - InsideHook

'Friends' Is Officially More Valuable than 'Seinfeld' Now

Why Friends is more enduring after 25 years than greater sitcoms like Seinfeld and Cheers - PRIMETIMER

Is Friends Still the Most Popular Show on TV?

Why ’Seinfeld’ Might Not Be ’Friends’ Or ’The Office’ For Netflix

And my anecdotal observations. I work with and around college students. I occasionally frequent Tumblr, which is an oasis for teenagers and twenty somethings. They talk about Friends more often and wear more Friends merchandise. Friends and its cast, atmosphere and humor have aged extremely well. It is streamed in extremely high numbers. Higher than Seinfeld.

 

We already knew Frasier. It's an okay sitcom but didn't really break any new ground or change comedy. Shows like Roseanne, Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, and The Simpsons took care of that. I can only see Friends being important for nostalgia reasons (and that's okay).

Edit: Maybe I'm wrong about Friends seeing the post right above me!

 

Thank you for backing it up. Unfortunately for Seinfeld, it is hard to hold up because a lot of episodes are centered around things that are no longer politically correct or dated. For those of us in the generation that watched it or followed, it's easy to relate to. Imagine a millennial who is used to everything digital trying to understand why George has to switch an answering machine tape or getting lost on the way to someone's house because there was no GPS or cellphones.

 

I can understand this. I was never a fan of Friends, but it is something different generations going back to the boomers can understand----trying to make it in the world after college, finding love or one night stands, learning how to survive, working crap jobs until you land a career. Made easier by having a supportive group of friends in the same situation.

As much as I love Seinfeld, it is much darker. More the cynical societal outcast version of Friends. Characters with strange quirks that I think was clearly targeted towards my generation (Gen X). Everyone I know from my generation loves the show, and interestingly, my dad (of the Greatest Generation) loved it, especially George & Jerry's parents! I honestly haven't encountered any other post Gen X people that related to Seinfeld.

 

These are the annual Nielsen rankings for each program.

Seinfeld
89-90 • Thurs 9:30 • not ranked
90-91 • Thurs 9:30 • not ranked
91-92 • Weds 9:30 • not ranked
92-93 • Thurs 9:30 • 13.7 (25th)
93-94 • Thurs 9:00 • 19.4 (3rd)
94-95 • Thurs 9:00 • 20.6 (1st)
95-96 • Thurs 9:00 • 21.2 (2nd)
96-97 • Thurs 9:00 • 20.5 (2nd)
97-98 • Thurs 9:00 • 22.0 (1st)

Friends
94-95 • Thurs 9:30 • 15.6 (8th)
95-96 • Thurs 8:00 • 18.7 (3rd)
96-97 • Thurs 8:00 • 16.8 (4th)
97-98 • Thurs 8:00 • 16.1 (4th)
98-99 • Thurs 8:00 • 15.7 (2nd)
99-00 • Thurs 8:00 • 14.0 (5th)
00-01 • Thurs 8:00 • 12.6 (5th)
01-02 • Thurs 8:00 • 15.0 (1st)
02-03 • Thurs 8:00 • 13.9 (2nd)
03-04 • Thurs 8:00 • 13.6 (4th)

Frasier
93-94 • Thurs 9:30 • 16.8 (7th)
94-95 • Tues 9:00 • 14.3 (15th)
95-96 • Tues 9:00 • 13.6 (11th)
96-97 • Tues 9:00 • 11.8 (16th)
97-98 • Tues 9:00 • 12.0 (10th)
98-99 • Thurs 9:00 • 15.6 (3rd)
99-00 • Thurs 9:00 • 13.6 (6th)
00-01 • Tues 9:00 • 10.7 (17th)
01-02 • Tues 9:00 • 9.9 (14th)
02-03 • Tues 9:00 • 8.4 (26th)
03-04 • Tues 9:00 • 7.3 (30th)

 

Yep. The show Frasier was completely different from Cheers, in feel, look and pacing.

Not right away, though. They first hooked up at the end of Season 4 and the show was still great until the end of 6. Once they got engaged, the show slid downhill. Season 7 was easily the worst Friends season. The last three seasons all had their moments, but the consistent greatness of Seasons 1-6 was long gone. I hated, too, how some of the characters became caricatures of themselves (Joey went from being a dumb, naive guy to a flat-out *****, Phoebe all of a sudden became insensitive to her friends' feelings at times, Monica became way more selfish and self-centered).

 

I thought friends was awful in the 90s. I watched a few episodes recently, because it still seems to be always on some channel.
My initial instinct was right. It's bad, just not funny.
Jennifer Aniston's dislike of wearing a bra is the main reason I end up watching it.
She had that nice hair style as well.

 

have the numbers for home improvement and roseanne too? those 5 seemed at least to me be the biggest sitcoms during the 90's. all 5 also seemed to last most of the 90's along with married with children and coach

 

It wasn't very original, so even if it was influential, how would anybody know?

 

I was born in 1985 and Seinfeld is my favorite show ever. I relate to it in a way that no other show quite captures (though Futurama does come close). I never got into Friends or Frasier, though I did see Eddie make an appearance at the Wal-Mart I worked at back in the summer of 2002. I never did go back to the pet department to actually meet him, a regret I still have to this day.

 

That is not the line at all. The correct line is ;

"You see, there's a stunning woman who comes to the opera on the same nights we do. She has the box right across from ours. We've flirted a bit from a distance. I have laughed with her during Figaro, cried with her during Tosca. I even had a dream about her during Einstein on the Beach."

 

That is beautiful writing. It kind of makes me want to re-visit Frasier. It's one of those shows I would watch if it was on but wouldn't go out of my way. It might be interesting now, being a bit more grown up, cultured and experienced in life. As a child, I remember appreciating that the show dealt with not just dating but past relationships, having myself gone through (my parents') divorce.

 

Roseanne
88-89 • Tues 9:00 • 23.8 (2nd)
89-90 • Tues 9:00 • 23.1 (1st)
90-91 • Tues 9:00 • 18.1 (3rd)
91-92 • Tues 9:00 • 19.9 (2nd)
92-93 • Tues 9:00 • 20.7 (2nd)
93-94 • Tues 9:00 • 19.1 (4th)
94-95 • Weds 9:00 Fall / Weds 8:00 Spring • 15.5 (10th)
95-96 • Tues 8:00 • 12.5 (16th)
96-97 • Tues 8:00 • not ranked

Coach
88-89 • Tues 9:30 • not ranked
89-90 • Tues 9:30 • 17.0 (18th)
90-91 • Tues 9:30 • 15.3 (18th)
91-92 • Tues 9:30 • 16.7 (10th)
92-93 • Weds 9:30 • 17.5 (6th)
93-94 • Tues 9:30 • 17.4 (6th)
94-95 • Mon 8:00 Fall / Tues 9:30 Spring • not ranked
95-96 • Tues 9:30 Fall / Tues 8:30 Spring • 12.9 (14th)
96-97 • Sat 9:00 Fall / Weds 8:30 Spring • not ranked

Home Improvement
91-92 • Tues 8:30 • 17.5 (4th)
92-93 • Weds 9:00 • 19.4 (3rd)
93-94 • Weds 9:00 • 20.4 (2nd)
94-95 • Tues 9:00 • 19.5 (3rd)
95-96 • Tues 9:00 • 16.1 (7th)
96-97 • Tues 9:00 • 14.0 (9th)
97-98 • Tues 9:00 • 12.0 (10th)
98-99 • Tues 8:00 • 11.0 (10th)


'Married With Children,' while a popular program, did not break into any of the Nielsen annual top 30 rankings during its run. But bear in mind that many television markets did not even have a FOX affiliate until they bought the NFL broadcasting rights for the 1994 season. After that, FOX viewership skyrocketed. While 'Married' was popular in the markets in which it played from its 1987 debut, not being on a level playing field with the programs on "the big 3" (NBC, CBS, ABC), kept it from reaching a larger audience.

 

I definitely did not connect with the show as a teen but now in my 40s, it is easily one of the very best sitcoms I've ever seen.

 

Frasier has continued to be one of my favorite shows, ever. The writing was outstanding and had some very sublime, witty moments. I'll grant that some of the episodes had some pretty thin plots, but I'll take this show over pretty much anything else that TV has to offer.

 

It appealed to an older audience. It also never got the same push as Seinfeld or Friends.

 

Despite my misquote, I think the point still is made; the line would not work on most any comedy apart from Frasier. And frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the laughter following that line wasn't dubbed in, because it would go over most folks' heads...

 

I don't recall any laughter after that line at all. Possibly a tiny chuckle at most, and it would be not because the audience is necessarily sophisticated enough to gather all the theatrical references but merely to chuckle at how (once again) Frasier is so pompous and flowery in his descriptions.

I agree you won't find that sort of dialogue in any other sitcom.