Probably one of the hardest positions to be in is to be someone like Jerry Seinfeld. You've produced the greatest sitcom of all time. How do you follow it up?
If we look to other people in similar positions....
Johnny Carson simply disappeared from view.
Ralph Ellison, author of what is often cited as the greatest American novel ever, Invisible Man, also disappeared, never to write a sequel.
Paul McCartney, post Beatles, decided to start with a clean slate. He formed a band of relative no-names, threw equipment into a van, and played a tour of impromptu gigs at colleges in England. He played no Beatles songs - maybe one for an encore.
Seinfeld, post Seinfeld, admirably opted for the McCartney route. He retired all the material he'd built up over the years, and started from scratch, playing small comedy clubs. Like McCartney, it didn't come close to matching his glory years, but he was at least starting anew.
His new online-only show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, is similar in its intent to keep things simple and go low-key. The premise of the show is pretty much outlined in its title.
1) Jerry gets into a classic car, either one he owns, or one he is using for the day.
2) He picks up a comedian friend.
3) They go and get coffee.
That is it. The show gets mixed reviews, but I personally like just seeing Seinfeld chatting about random things. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes slightly amusing, sometimes less than exciting. Plus the cars are pretty cool.
It's also fun as many of the spots (John O Groats, Rae's, etc.) are nearby.
Perhaps the three best episodes are Larry David, Alec Baldwin, and his sit-in with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. The latter episode is interesting as, apparently, Reiner and Brooks have a weekly tradition of meeting for dinner at Mel's house, then watching Jeopardy. Seinfeld becomes the first person to sit-in on this weekly tradition that previously nobody even knew about.
This show feels relatively real; perhaps because it is. A couple weeks ago, I saw Seinfeld with a comedian buddy at Malibu Country Mart. Parked nearby were two sports cars with NY plates. There was no film crew. This was just two comedians.....in cars.....getting coffee.
Low expectations help here, but it's free and there's only one ad at the very end, so it's worth the price of admission.
