Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Seinfeld: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"Junior mint?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 22, 2024

I can't begin to tell you how tempted I was to just ramble on and on for 2,000 words about my past week. All the random nothings and near-somethings that turned out to be funny little nothings, then end it all with a smarmy, "that's Seinfeld... nothing. Just a lot funnier." But I'll spare you the poor man's jab at experimental review humor and go with what most of us already know: Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's infamously famous show about quote-unquote nothing has stood the test of time as one of the biggest somethings in sitcom history for decades now. Hilarious is an understatement. Memorable, classic and timeless the same. Seinfeld is one of television's greats. Part of the genius of the series' nine seasons is that the nothings will always be funny. Seinfeld doesn't wallow in pop culture humor or jokes that might land in the 1990s but grow tiresome or less amusing as time trudges onward. The show's a gut-buster because it deals in high stakes little moments that mean something to those at the center of the drama or hilarity, but little else to the world.

A rude cook is a brief irritation in the real world. In Seinfeld he becomes the Soup Nazi; a towering villain willing to stand in the way of a hurried woman and the one thing that might brighten her day if she says the wrong word. A neighbor full of good-natured schemes wouldn't be a loyal friend in real life, merely a next-door eccentric always up to strange business. In Seinfeld he's Kramer, beloved by tens of millions for his zany inventions and bizzarro takes on the trivial matters of life. Your ex-girlfriend's embarrassing dance moves would be cause for a groan. In Seinfeld it becomes Elaine's terrible dance to the delight of legions; a cult sensation people can recreate almost step for step, gesture for gesture. And those are just three quick examples out of a potential- hundreds I could mention and get you chuckling to yourself. A bad Seinfeld episode is as rare as a person who never yada yada yada's. The series ruled the airwaves from July 5, 1989 to May 14, 1998 with 180 killer episodes. It continues to murder in syndication, online via streaming, and now on physical media thanks to Sony's new Blu-ray and 4K releases.

Standup comedian Jerry (naturally played by Seinfeld himself). Neurotic best friend George Costanza (my Seinfeld spirit animal Jason Alexander). Hopelessly longing for love ex Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Wild-eyed neighbor Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). The series' fearsome foursome is a force to be reckoned with, but it's the character's characters they encounter from day to day that vaults the show from funny to hilarious. Nosy postal worker and arch-nemesis Newman (Wayne Knight). Jerry's parents Morty (Barney Martin) and Helen (Liz Sheridan). George's parents Frank (national treasure Jerry Stiller) and Estelle (Estelle Harris). Dear, dear Uncle Leo (Len Lesser). Elaine's boss, the indominable Jacopo J. Peterman (John O'Hurley). The forever-antagonized owner of Monk's, Larry (Lawrence Mandley). Morty's arch enemy Jack Klompus (Sandy Baron). Omni-voiced, always faceless Yankee owner George Steinbrenner (Larry David).

More? How 'bout Jerry's high on... erm... life dentist Tim Whatley (Bryan Cranston, God love 'im.) On-again off-again baritoned boyfriend David Puddy (Patrick Warburton). Hot-tempered little person Mickey Abbott (Danny Woodburn). NBC president Russell Dalrymple (Bob Balaban). Hack comedian Kenny (Steve Hytner). Kramer's strange lawyer Jackie (Phil Morris). George's would-be in-laws the Ross's (Warren Frost and Grace Zabriskie). Immigrant who thinks Jerry is a "very, very bad man" Babu Bhatt (Brian George). Supervisor Matt Wilhelm (Richard Herd). "Top of the Muffin to You!" founder and owner Mr. Lippman (Richard Fancy). And Jerry's many, many, many girlfriends. And those are mainly the people who pop up in more than one episode. There's an endless array of unforgettable one-off characters; more perhaps than any other sitcom has popularized.

Any single group of characters could be a sitcom all their own. George's high-strung family. Kramer's wacko friends. Elaine's parade of bad boyfriends. Jerry's encounters with everyone from The Bubble Boy to Izzy Mandelbaum. But a single plotline never dominates. Jerry's standup opens each episode, a string of two to four subplots are introduced in succinct fashion, then it's off to the races, leaping back and forth between Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer as they encounter weird denizens of New York, search for love, scramble up the corporate ladder, switch career paths, try and fail to get married, deal with crazy parents, or vie to win heightened social battles with anyone who stands in their way.

It's hard to describe how exactly Seinfeld is a "show about nothing" to those who haven't savored it, or who've reached the subplot in which Jerry meta-pitches a show about nothing to the series' faux-NBC head honchos. Ongoing plotlines are kept to a bare minimum, one-and-done episodes reign supreme, and anything complex is tossed out in favor of wandering around a parking garage for twenty-plus minutes, searching for a car. It's the mundane made remarkable, the trivial made electric, the ordinary made extraordinary. Sharp scripts and sharper comic performances are the brew on tap here, and it's in those razor-witted characters, serrated showdowns and cutting banter that Seinfeld rises to the top of the sitcom pile. It will never be everyone's favorite sitcom -- no sitcom could -- but you can hop into any episode, drop by Monk's Cafe for any conversation and walk away with guaranteed laughs. You could almost watch the series entirely out of order (as anyone who came to love the show in syndication will attest) and come away completely satisfied with the ride.

Viewed in 2024 -- in quite the hurried late-December marathon -- the series still soars. Even episodes I've watched at least a dozen times still land devastating blows to the funny bone. Only a handful of misguided eps (I'm looking at you series finale) serve as dips and dives throughout the show's nine seasons, and they're fortunately very few and far between. Will there every be another sitcom like it? One that gathered millions together as was the case in the '90s? Probably not. With the advent of the internet, digital streaming, and on-demand binge watching, appointment TV is likely dead. Water cooler chat is more about avoiding spoilers than discussing the night before. And shows about nothing... well, has there been any more? Seinfeld remains the reigning champ, and time only ages it like fine wine. Grab the 4K release (original 1.33:1 broadcast aspect ratio) or the BD edition (1.78:1 modern streaming/syndication aspect ratio) and enjoy it all over again.

Seinfeld: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's 4K 2160p release of Seinfeld: The Complete Series is presented at its original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1, with a master created using the show's original film elements. The results speak for themselves, but wow... Seinfeld has quite literally never looked better. (The standard Blu-ray, by comparison, features a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a different video presentation and quality. A review of it is coming later this week.) The 4K version boasts gorgeous HDR10-bolstered colors, beautifully balanced contrast leveling, wholly satisfying black levels, excellent delineation, and primaries that pack a ton of punch. Skin tones are extremely lifelike, and the red, angry faces of Jerry's nemeses are perfectly splotchy and intensely flushed, just as they should be. (You needn't cast your eyes any further than Newman's desperation above to see what I mean.) All the bold and brazen hues of the 1990s are on full display too, from neon blues to featherweight lavenders to buoyant oranges and yellows. Seinfeld is as colorful a show as any, and the new remaster showcases it all. And we haven't even got to talking about the detail yet! Detailing is terrific, from the crisp, halo-free edges to the exceedingly well-refined textures of Kramer's jackets, Jerry's button-ups, George's sweaters and Elaine's tops. Errant hair, spry stubble and facial pores are easily spotted as well, as is every nuance and bit of production decor in the characters' apartments and workplaces. A consistent and pleasing veneer of grain is present at all times, without ever swarming the foregrounds or mucking up the proceedings. Add to that a complete lack of print or film damage or blemishes, an absence of encoding issues like artifacting or banding, and no real issue to point to. Some might say things are a touch dark in earlier seasons, but viewed in a properly lit environment, it's not remotely an issue. Likewise, crush creeps in here and there, but it appears to all be optical and tied to the original source.

Oh, and those old DVDs? The 4K release of Seinfeld makes anything that's come before it laughably outdated. The upgrade is so substantial, so obvious, so worthy of every dollar the box set will cost you that you'll never need to save space for those old chunky sets again. Even with the new Blu-ray edition, the 4K upgrade is notable, easily making this the one to buy. Rest easy, dear sitcom fans. Sony has done right by Seinfeld and given you one helluva present to dig through the week after Christmas.

Seinfeld: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Slap bass has never sounded so good. Seinfeld: The Complete Series includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that nearly matches the video presentation pound for pound. Dialogue is clear, intelligible at all times, and neatly prioritized, without anything in the way of effects that overwhelm the foursome's voices. Outdoor scenes come complete with street noise and thinner voices, but that's a product of the shoot and production, hardly an issue with the lossless mix. The rear speakers, in fact, are bustling with light, airy activity and plenty of finely tuned directional subtleties, making each location, apartment, store and street corner sound the part. LFE output isn't overly aggressive but lends plenty of support when called upon, lending weight and presence to heavier effects and music downbeats. Dynamics are excellent too and, like the video transfer, there's next to nothing here to criticize. Purchase with confidence.

Some consumers with specific 4K Blu-ray players are encountering a possible audio issue, though the problem thankfully isn't widespread. When starting each episode, some users are noticing a "handshake" delay between the receiver and their televisions of roughly 1-3 seconds. Hitting rewind or skip-back appears to resolve the issue each time, but it was still worth mentioning. If you encounter this problem, visit our forums to discover the latest fixes or tricks to resolve matters.

Seinfeld: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Seinfeld: The Complete Series features simple packaging: an outer slipbox that houses eight black 4K BD cases, the first for Seasons 1 & 2, each that follows after with a single season, from 3 to 9. Nothing fancy. Nothing special. But nothing cumbersome or annoying either. Well, aside from some missing special features, among them several documentaries (e.g. the hour-long documentary about the show's origins), archival TV appearances and promos, Sein-imations, "Notes About Nothing" subtitle trivia tracks and easter eggs. Available extras, though, include:

Seasons 1 & 2

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• "The Seinfeld Chronicles" Alternate Episode
• "The Revenge" Alternate Episode
• Bloopers

Season 3

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• Bloopers

Season 4

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• "The Handicap Spot" Syndicated Version
• Bloopers

Season 5

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• Bloopers

Season 6

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• Bloopers

Season 7

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• Bloopers

Season 8

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• Bloopers

Season 9

• "The Roundtable," a retrospective featuring Larry David and the cast
• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Inside Look Segments
• Bloopers

Seinfeld: The Complete Series 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 4K edition of Seinfeld: The Complete Series is a must-own set, perfect to slide to a sitcom-addicted friend this holiday season. With a stunning 4K remaster and video presentation, an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, most of the extras from past DVD sets, and all 9 seasons and 180 episodes of the classic show, how could you possibly go wrong? This one comes highly, highly recommended.