Seinfeld Vs. Friends: 5 Ways Each Sitcom Has The Best Final Season
Both iconic NYC sitcoms, Seinfeld and Friends were icons of '90s TV. Neither had a great final season, but which sitcom ended on a higher note?
Many TV fans would agree that as a show progresses and gets into its last batch of episodes, the quality has decreased —at least a little bit. Fans have gotten to know the main characters and see them fail and succeed, and if it’s a sitcom, chances are that the most quotable lines and the funniest storylines have already happened.
While the final seasons of Seinfeld and Friends aren’t considered to be their greatest, they do offer up some fun episodes and important character moments. Each popular ’90s sitcom has a good final season with many elements that fans still love.
Seinfeld: Kramer’s Hilarious Storylines
While Kramer had his strokes of brilliance, he also had ideas that didn’t always make sense.
Season 9 of Seinfeld deserves some praise for its hilarious Kramer storylines. The season premiere “The Butter Shave” involves Kramer realizing that he can shave with butter, but after burning in the sun, he realized that was a dangerous idea. Kramer also didn’t want to get any mail and in the episode “The Strike,” went back to work at a bagel store that he hadn’t been employed by for 12 years. Kramer was always wild and out there and this season was one of his best.
Friends: Chandler And Monica Started Their Family
Right from the beginning, fans loved Chandler and Monica together and they are considered to be an amazing TV couple.
They knew they were ready for kids, but they also found out that they had fertility problems. The final season of Friends is great because Monica and Chandler started their family. They adopted twins, a girl and a boy, whom they named Erica (after the birth mother) and Jack. This was beautiful to see.
Seinfeld: “The Frogger” Episode Is A Classic
Many of Seinfeld‘s most iconic episodes happened early on, like the famous “The Marine Biologist” episode. But a smart one happened in the last season, too.
The final season of Seinfeld deserves praise for the classic episode “The Frogger,” which has two hilarious storylines. George bought the Frogger machine from a pizza place he used to go to when he was a kid, as the place was shutting down and he wanted to be able to keep playing. This was one of his silly schemes that fans were used to seeing. Meanwhile, Elaine also got upset about having to celebrate her co-workers’ birthdays and kept saying she was sick so she could avoid it.
Friends: A Final Thanksgiving Episode
Friends has several Thanksgiving episodes and season 10’s “The One with the Late Thanksgiving” featured a moment that changed Chandler and Monica’s life.
They learned that they would be able to adopt a baby, and of course, later on, they would learn that they were adopting twins, which was incredible. While earlier seasons of Friends have funny storylines and all the best quotes, this last season featured a Thanksgiving celebration that the main characters would always cherish.
Seinfeld: Elaine And Puddy Got Back Together
Many viewers of Seinfeld enjoyed the odd, quirky character Puddy and his romance with Elaine. He is definitely the most compelling of her boyfriends.
They reuinted in the final season, which is one positive thing that the show did, even if not every episode was as memorable or funny as earlier seasons. The two had some major conflict in the episode “The Burning” as she found out that he was religious and he said she was going to hell.
Friends: Rachel Got Off The Plane And Confessed Her Love For Ross
Rachel and Ross reunited in the series finale, as Rachel got off the plane and confessed her love for him.
Fans would only accept a reunion between these beloved characters in the final episode, so it definitely wouldn’t have made sense if they had gone their separate ways forever (and some fans would have preferred Rachel to chase her dream job). But seeing Ross and Rachel finally get back together is a special and iconic moment and it gives weight to the final season. It felt like the entire sitcom was leading up to that scene.
Seinfeld: George’s Classic Food/Sex/TV Moment
When fans of Seinfeld think about George, they remember the moment he figured out that he could have it all. For most people, that means being able to balance work and family.
For George, it meant watching TV, eating a sandwich, and having sex all at the same time. This was one of George’s silliest ideas and it was no wonder that Tara, his current girlfriend, wasn’t on board.
Friends: Phoebe And Mike Got Married
Phoebe and Mike had a romantic wedding day with a snowstorm, and fans really loved watching Phoebe find her soulmate.
This episode is one of the sweetest of the whole series, which is another reason to love the final season of Friends. The focal point of the show had always been on Ross and Rachel and then Chandler and Monica’s surprise romance, so it was nice for Phoebe’s love life to get some attention, too.
Seinfeld: The Finale Made People Think
Was the Seinfeld finale as bad as many fans believe? While it was odd to watch the four leads go on trial for bad behavior and listen to other characters air their grievances, it did make sense that there would be consequences for their actions over the years.
No matter what fans think of this series finale, it’s true that it makes people think and it does seem relevant to the sitcom’s major theme. It wasn’t a typical series ender and it didn’t give everyone a happy ending, which makes it all the more intriguing.
Friends: Fans Got To Say A Proper Goodbye
On the other hand, fans do like the opportunity to say a legitimate goodbye to their favorite characters, which is what sets the final season of Friends apart.
Fans have questions about the ending, as it wrapped everything up well and it seemed like everyone’s lives were moving in a positive direction. Viewers loved watching Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Ross, Joey, and Phoebe say farewell to the apartment and plan to go to Central Perk for some closure. It was emotional and perfect.
