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In the world of sitcoms, 1990s television was ruled by Seinfeld and Friends as audiences flocked to witness the dueling experiences of these characters navigating life in New York City. Jerry Seinfeld, though, hasn't been shy about sharing his belief that Friends ripped off his show regularly, with his latest jab coming in an ad for his directorial debut, Unfrosted.
The new ad drops Seinfeld in a humorous meeting with the heads of Pop-Tarts and the company mascot Tarty, with the latter claiming Seinfeld committed “trademark infringement” with his new Netflix film, according to Deadline. Pop-Tarts reveals that, as payment, it will be taking several of Seinfeld's creations starting with notable characters from the 90s sitcom including the Soup Nazi, Schmoopie, and Jackie Chiles.
“Tell me, how does it feel when people steal your ideas and then do whatever they want with them?” President of Pop-Tarts Kelman P. Gasworth asks Seinfeld, prompting the comic to reply “You mean, like Friends?”
While the jab in the ad is played for laughs, the root of it is a very real feeling for Seinfeld, himself, and Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. The pair have spoken in the past of believing Friends rip-offed Seinfeld down to the show's core premise, as both shows followed a group of single friends living in New York City.
“We thought, ‘They [Friends creators] wanna do our show with better-looking people. That’s what they’re doing here,'” Seinfeld said in a 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “And we thought, ‘That should work.'”
Festivus for the Rest of Us
Seinfeld's thoughts on it stretch to the internet, where longtime fans of both shows continue to debate whether or not Friends was a blatant rip-off of Seinfeld.
Fans of Seinfeld will typically argue that Friends made no bones about ripping-off the other series, suggesting several stories were lifted right from Seinfeld and dropped into Friends over the latter's ten year run. Friends' supporters will counter with the similarities are coincidental, at best, and is not uncommon in entertainment for multiple films or shows to exist that have similar premises, such as the various family-centric sitcoms of the 80s and 90s such as Family Matters, Growing Pains, and Full House.
Despite this debate, both shows still managed to carve out massive fanbases and are widely considered two of the greatest sitcoms ever made. Re-runs of both can regularly found on TV and are considered key pieces of content for streaming services to have to try and draw in new subscribers.
As for Jerry Seinfeld's immediate future, the longtime stand-up comedian is making his directorial debut with the Netflix comedy Unfrosted.
While based on a true story, the film tells a largely fictional version of how Pop-Tarts began as cereal company Kellogg's developed a breakfast pastry to try and beat its rival, Post, to market after learning it was developing its own breakfast pastry.
Unfrosted premieres on Netflix on May 3, 2024.
