#11 The Political Side of SEINFELD

One of the most hit-on politically charged topics in SEINFELD is the issue of religion, especially Judaism. In about every single episode of SEINFELD, there is a subtle statement how Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) or someone else is Jewish. With how much controversy there has always been about religion, I would think that more people would read into the show and see really how much they make Jewish references. However, there has never been a huge controversy over SEINFELD's thoughts on religion, possibly because it is such a comically light show nobody has ever thought twice about it.

Another politically charged topic in SEINFELD is the mention of homosexuality, especially in the episode of "The Boyfriend" (Feb 12, 1992). Throughout the entire episode, Jerry and George's (Jason Alexander) friendship keeps getting compared to a homosexual relationship. As the show goes along, they keep yelling that they are not in anyway gay, but quickly add on, "Not that there's anything wrong with that.." Many people, especially in the early nineties, would ever go near this subject, and SEINFELD not only opened it right open without tiptoeing around the subject, it was also a huge hit with its viewers.

There is few, if any, other sitcoms that so broadly hits on political topics that even today people have a hard time talking about in public. I believe SEINFELD is a stepping stone to make some touchy and controversial issues more open on the table.