Seinfeld vs. Martin: There Can Only Be One

The 90’s was definitely the decade of the sitcom.. The list is deep with the likes of Friends, Roseanne, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and many more.  With all the heavy hitting sitcoms in the 90’s, two were able to set themselves apart from the rest and impact situational comedy like no other show before.  Seinfeld and Martin changed the landscape for not only sitcoms, but also for stand-up comedians looking to land their own show. 

While both shows made their mark in their own way, only one can be crowned as the greatest sitcom of all-time. 

The tale of the tape is quite one-sided.  Seinfeld trumps Martin in overall accolades, winning 10 Emmys including having the #1 rated show in 94-95 and 97-98.  It aired for 9 seasons and the show’s star, Jerry Seinfeld, was offered an astronomical amount of $5 million dollars an episode to return for a 10^th season.  I’m not sure what’s crazier; NBC offering him that amount or him turning it down?  Either way, the show is in syndication and continues to find itself as a fan favorite.  Martin, on the other hand, was on the air for 5 seasons and won the 1993 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Series. It is also in syndication.

Seinfeld’s about nothing.. Martin’s about, well, Martin.  It’s a tough debate, but one that has to be settled once and for all.  The only way to resolve such a monumental debate was to break it down into specific categories:

Characters

Cultural Impact

Favorite Episodes

“Seinfeld Funny” vs.”Martin Funny”

Quality Seasons

CHARACTERS - 

MARTIN VS. THE FIELD – This category was tough to judge because of one reason; it’s an ensemble cast vs. one man.  In Martin, it’s all about Martin Lawrence playing a number of characters.  From Sheneneh, Dragon Fly Jones, Otis the Security Guard, Mama Payne to my all-time favorite Jerome, Martin is a one man wrecking crew of comedic characters.  His supporting cast is strong, but at the end of the day, it’s all about Martin. 

Seinfeld’s main characters have a story line that all comes together in each episode.  They all have their moments and all have their individual attributes.  Jerry Seinfeld is the smart-ass.. George Costanza is the insecure one.. Cosmo Kramer is the clumsy goof-ball and Elaine Benes balances them out.    On top of the main characters, “Feld” has a number of outlandish characters that make appearances such as Bania, Uncle Leo, Newman, Soup Nazi, “The Drake” etc… I’m a huge George and Jerry fan!  The episodes usually shine when they’re at their best.:

Conclusion – Such a tough choice to make, but when it’s all said and done, Martin is the funniest man on the screen.  At any point of any scene, Martin WILL make you laugh regardless of how good the episode is.

 

Edge – Martin

CULTURAL IMPACT –

Both shows have impacted the culture in their own ways.  Seinfeld is the master of catch phrases:

“No soup for you!”

“I had lobster bisque, we went back to my place, yada yada yada, I never heard from him again”

“Serenity Now!”

“These pretzels are making me thirsty!” 

Martin is no slouch either:

“You go girl!”

“I’m a playa.. from the Himalayas!”

“Wuzup, wuzup waaazuup!”

“What’s wrong? You can’t call nobody?”

“Cole…you stupid” 

Seinfeld and Martin both related to society in different ways.  Seinfeld related to the everyday middle class American by subjecting the viewer to the most basic of situations.  Whether it’s keeping a reservation with a rental car company or waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant, Seinfeld related to people because it’s about basically nothing.  You can literally reference a Seinfeld episode with something you do every single day.  Now that’s impact!

Martin’s impact is more demographic.  It impacted the urban culture in a massive way! It represented struggle with its main character starting the show as a radio disc-jockey living in Detroit. It represented Hip-Hop by basing episodes around the likes of Kid from Kid “n” Play, Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dog and Method Man.  Most importantly, it represented the African-American culture in a positive light.  Gina Waters (Martin’s girlfriend/wife) and Pamela James (Gina’s best friend and Martin’s arch-enemy) played successful and powerful black women.  The show never fell victim to the stereotypes of urban culture. 

Conclusion – Both shows impacted society in different ways, but only one of the two impacted it in a way that had never been done before and hasn’t been done since. 

Edge – Seinfeld

CLASSIC EPISODES –

If by any chance you find someone who hasn’t seen an episode of either Martin or Seinfeld, reference them to the list below:

Seinfeld –

5. “The Cigar Store Indian” - Jerry helps George out with a coffee table stain and makes Elaine take the subway home with a TV Guide in hand. While on the train Elaine meets a strange man obsessed with television. George meets a woman at a refinishing store and passes off his parent's home as his. Jerry presents Elaine with a cigar-store Indian as a peace offering. Kramer has an idea for a coffee table book.

4. “The Contest” - George is caught masturbating by his mother causing a contest between the four of them to see who can go without "it" the longest. Elaine meets John F. Kennedy, Jr. George's mother is hospitalized and Jerry's girlfriend Marla wants to have sex which he has to prevent.

3.  “The Mango” - George tells Jerry about his lack of confidence below "the equator" when he thinks that his girlfriend is "faking" it. Jerry begs Elaine for another chance when he finds out she faked her orgasms. Kramer gets banned from his favorite fruit shop.

2.  “The Marine Biologist” - Jerry meets an old college classmate who asked about George, whom Jerry says is now a "marine biologist." An Russian writer tosses an Elaine's electronic organizer out of a limousine that hits a woman in the head and sends her to hospital. Kramer takes up hitting golf balls into the ocean. George is called on to use his marine biology skills to save a whale.

1.  “The Hamptons” - Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer visit a house in the Hamptons. George has a bout with "shrinkage," Kramer steals lobsters, and Elaine is called "breathtaking" by a handsome doctor.

Martin –

5. “The Parents Are Coming, the Parents Are Coming” - Gina wants Martin to meet her conservative parents but Martin's feeling nervous. Wanting to make a good first impression, he takes advice from Tommy and Cole that causes him to act like an idiot.

4.  “Really, Gina is Not My Lover” - Martin is going to his high school reunion and he wants Gina to be ready for the big day. So he sends her on a day of beauty, but it ends disastrously. But Martin is determined to win the Man of the Decade award at his high school reunion that evening. His pride makes him want to brag to all his old schoolmates that he is rich and famous, and has a beautiful fashion model girlfriend.

3.  “The Cabin Show” -  The gang goes on a camping trip in the woods, and on a nature walk Pam sprains her ankle, and Martin has to help her back to the cabin. The two get lost in the woods, just as darkness falls, and nobody knows how to find them. 

2.  “Whole Lotto Trouble” - Martin wins the Michigan Lottery. He celebrates by going out and buying tons of expensive luxury items and gives money away to his friends, BEFORE picking up his lottery money. But when he does, he finds out that the winning ticket is split - 300 ways! 

1. “Suspicious Minds” - Martin's new CD Walkman disappears. Stan convinces him that one of his friends must have taken it since they all have keys to his apartment. Martin goes around to each of his good friends and accuses them.

ENJOY!!

Conclusion – Both shows have so many quality episodes and that’s why they’re in this debate in the first place.  The main factor for this category is that Seinfeld had more classic episodes while Martin had more classic moments. 


Edge - Seinfeld

“SEINFELD FUNNY” VS. “MARTIN FUNNY” - 

While both sitcoms are funny, there’s a difference between Seinfeld funny and Martin funny.  Seinfeld is goofy, highly relatable and easily identifiable.  Episodes follow a certain theme of intertwined stories pertaining to its main characters and somehow connecting in the end.  One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is “The Chinese Woman” where Jerry dates a girl who’s name implies she’s Chinese (Donna Chang, short for Changstein) but she’s really, well as Jerry tells Elaine, just like her.  She offers advice to George’s mother influencing her not to divorce George’s dad, only for George’s mother to change her mind after finding out she’s not Chinese.  The episode ends with a classic Jerry ending…

“You know, you should probably change your name…” - Jerry

That’s "Seinfeld funny." The situations they find themselves in are second to none and each character offers something different in a comedic way. 

"Martin funny" is a whole different animal.  The situations aren’t nearly as creative as Seinfeld, but the comedy is just as pure.  You can turn on a Martin episode at any time and laugh.  Martin is that funny.   If you want to see classic Martin, all you have to do is YouTube the interrogation scene from the “Suspicious Minds” episode where Martin re-enacts a scene from New Jack City.  Martin is laugh out loud funny! Only Martin Lawrence could pull off a scene like that..

“Cole, sit your five dollar ass down before I make change…” - Martin

There are so many moments in Martin that warrant my attention and this blog would be fifty pages long if I referenced them all.  He’s a clown in every sense of the word and his blend of incredible timing and physical comedy is second to none. 

Conclusion:

Both types of funny have their place and to choose one over the other is a tough task.  I’d honestly say that it really depends on your mood.  If a gun was held to my head, and I had to choose one, I would choose Martin only because I could watch the same episode of Martin repeatedly and he still makes me laugh. 

Edge – Martin

QUALITY SEASONS –

Seinfeld has nine quality seasons and Martin was on the air for five, but only four were quality.  Unfortunately for Martin, the last season was severely hindered by the conflict between Martin Lawrence and his leading lady, Gina Campbell.  By the middle of the season, they wouldn’t even share a scene together.  The show suffered severely and it was a foregone conclusion that the series was coming to an end.  The writers turned the focus towards co-star Tichina Arnold, who played Pam, in an effort to build a following for a spin-off show.  Martin’s last season was tough to watch but it know way did it tarnish the legacy that was already built.  Seinfeld didn’t have writer Larry David for the last season, but the show didn’t skip a beat. 

It’s hard to overlook Martin’s last season when comparing the two franchises, but one element that Martin carries over its opponent is being efficient.  Every Martin episode, sans the final season, is incredibly funny.  I can’t say the same about Seinfeld.  Seinfeld has a number of episodes that I would consider “filler”.  That’s not to say they’re not funny episodes, but they don’t carry nearly the same weight as the majority of Feld shows. 

Conclusion: Martin had quality seasons, but in the end, Seinfeld reigns supreme. Too many classic seasons and too many classic episodes. 

EDGE – Seinfeld

OVERALL WINNER --