The Key to the Kramer

We're nearly 60 posts in here at the Mafia. And while I'm surprised we've made it this far, I'm perhaps even more surprised that I haven't used this forum of ours to talk about Seinfeld. More than 20 years after its peak, the show still holds up as one of the best sitcoms ever, and as a model for countless attempts to duplicate the format. As is the case with many good shows, Seinfeld's success was in its simplicity. But there was one character who served as a counter-current, who pushed back against the normalcy and mundaneness of all the others. Even if you've never watched the show before, there's a good chance you know who I'm talking about.

Kramer, played by Michael Richards, provided Seinfeld with all the voltage it needed to keep on running for nine seasons. People can argue on and on over who the best character was. But there's no way to dispute that Kramer was the most fascinating. His background was the most unusual, his plot lines were the most outlandish, and in the end his outcomes were the most satisfying. But what made Kramer this special is far less unique. And that common trait is the key to making a successful sitcom.

There's only one Cosmo, but television has seen plenty of Kramers in its day. Joey Tribbiani is a Kramer. Barney Stinson is a Kramer. Dwight Schrute is a Kramer taken to the opposite extreme. Bart Simpson is a kid Kramer for crying out loud. And I doubt Cosmo was the first, by the way. There are probably countless pre-Kramer Kramers scattered throughout sitcoms that came before my time.

Charlie Sheen is also a Kramer. Not any of the characters he plays. I mean in real life. Unfortunately in the real world, that comes with consequences. But through the magic of fictionalized television, all that sad stuff that happens when you do reckless shit can be left out. And what remains is a strange sort of character who simply can't exist in the real world and for whom viewers have a strange sort of admiration.

So what is it that draws us to these characters? It's not like we can go and emulate them in our day-to-day lives. But maybe that's the point. These guys have a certain "devil may care" outlook that we wish we could apply to our personal relationships. For someone like Kramer, the only possible set of morals is the one he was brought up with. Any other social norms simply don't compute to them, and yet they somehow continue to live in a society. Now I'm a pretty atypical guy. I'm a 24-year-old without a Facebook account, although I might bring back my Twitter to give these guys a follow. But the point is, if I tasked myself with not conforming to any social custom, I wouldn't last a day. That's what makes a Kramer-type such a draw. He's essentially putting your fantasies to action.

Not those kinds of fantasies. Probably...

I'd be remiss to not mention this archetype's shortcomings. It seems a select few are starting to figure out that a woman or minority can do this too. Broad City has proven a lot about women's essential role in comedy, and Ilana Glazer's character proves that a woman can excel in the Kramer role. Here's to hoping that more actresses get that opportunity. But of all the men--and few women--who have played this role before, it probably comes as no surprise that nobody did Kramer better than Kramer.

Imagine a show with just Jerry, George, and Elaine. Sure it would be funny. But it would also get fucking depressing. All three of them are in destructive behavior patterns, and there are many instances where those behaviors feed off each other. But Kramer is the push back. He manages to pull each of them out of their respective comfort zones. And while they do always wind up back in their respective boxes (that's kind of the nature of the Larry David universe), Kramer provides a constant glimmer of hope. Without it, Seinfeld is nowhere near the same show.

Similar characters have had similar tasks on similar shows, but no one had to pull his own weight to the extent that Kramer did. And the truth is, you can trace every good sitcom back to someone who approached his level. But still, even after nearly 20 years, Seinfeld is best, and Kramer is king.