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Seinfeldia

How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything
Jan 01, 2018gwort rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
The book does not live up to its subtitle: How the show about nothing changed everything. The author spends too long summarizing the history of the show. The chapters of this history (under bland titles such as "The Players", "The Production", and "The Network") take up most of the book. Throughout the history, there are details about the show that seem to set it apart from its predecessors. Yet she misses many of these opportunities to place the show in its contemporary context, to point out just what was so special about it. As a non-expert on Hollywood and network TV, I am left guessing about the significance and weight of the show's eccentricities and innovations. Even when she finally gets around to describing the various products and events that have arisen from the show, the author still fails to cogently express how Seinfeld "changed everything". Moreover, the writing lacks flare and rhythm. The show and the ensuing public enthusiasm for it are simply described, in serial form, with very little explanation or even order. If you are accustomed to the articulate exposition and analysis of Malcolm Gladwell or Roman Mars, be prepared to lower your expectations.