Seinfeld

The television sitcom Seinfeld was, arguably, the most influential TV show of the 1990s. Created by Larry David and stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the show revolved around four characters--George Costanza, Cosmo Kramer, Jerry Seinfeld, and Elaine Benes--who wrestled with the nuances of social interactions and manners in New York City.

The show intentionally avoided sentimental moments, and many people regarded the Seinfeld characters as amoral, hedonistic, and uncaring. Yet in a sense, that was the whole point. Seinfeld has often been called the anti-sitcom. It sought to exploit the unfortunate coincidences that happen in real life and build them to an exaggerated comedic level to extract optimum irony.

Whereas most sitcoms of the time relied on carefully plotted out A, B, and C stories, Seinfeld relied on a much more sophisticated structure. Seinfeld's stories often would weave in and out of each other, paying off as large ironies at the ends of episodes. Seinfeld also popularized certain characters in New York City, such as the Soup Nazi, and introduced colloquialisms to the American vocabulary, such as "yadda, yadda, yadda."

Some critics have dismissed Seinfeld for "lacking a heart." In the final episode, however, the four main characters end up in jail as a result of their poor samaritanship. That said, Seinfeld is structurally one of the most complicated shows ever produced. Whereas a typical sitcom episode may have 8 to 12 story beats, Seinfeld on the average had around 24 story beats.