Seinfeld fans in the US are upset that Netflix’s aspect ratio is cutting out some crucial jokes from the show.
All 180 episodes of the show arrived on Netflix for US viewers recently and fans have taken to Twitter to point out a number of key gags have now been ruined thanks to the 16:9 remastering of the originals.
One example was the season eight episode “The Pothole” when the actual pothole which forms a key joke with character George Costanza, is cut out entirely.
One fan called the crop “unwatchable” while another said it had “ruined” the viewing experience. Many also compared it to what Disney+ did to episodes of The Simpsons when they too altered the aspect ratio, cutting out key jokes.
You can see some of the reaction on social media to the re-mastering here:
What's the deal with the Seinfeld on Netflix aspect ratio? pic.twitter.com/VqyaSqirlK
— sloonis (@sloonis) October 1, 2021
Seinfeld's a weird one where the image is both slightly expanded and slightly cropped, thanks to open matte shooting. It's nowhere near as bad as the Simpsons crop – I almost never noticed issues when it was on Hulu. But come on, just have the original aspect ratio as an option! https://t.co/vjTHTH8nJ4 pic.twitter.com/YNxbZDg1we
— Wes (@alifefilmodic) October 1, 2021
there should be criminal and civil penalties for showing things in the wrong aspect ratio https://t.co/5yySQWtscH
— John Bergmayer (@bergmayer) October 1, 2021
#NowWatching
"Seinfeld"… on DVD in the correct aspect ratio, 'cos I don't want the top and bottom of the image chopped off #Netflix #Seinfeld pic.twitter.com/ZGBCXmW2ZD
— KAOS
(@kaospheric) October 3, 2021
Without an option for the original aspect ratio, "Seinfeld" on #Netflix is a huge disappointment.
#Seinfeld #Seinfeld https://t.co/3w3anmf1Td
— Miguelito Loveless (@DrLiebknicht) October 3, 2021
The show, which starred Seinfeld as a fictionalised version of himself, ran for nine seasons in the 1990s.
In 2020, co-creator Larry David revealed his all-time favourite episode of the hit sitcom. Speaking during a virtual fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Texas, David opened-up about making season four episode The Contest.
“This one, I didn’t even put on the board because I didn’t want them asking,” David said. “I just wanted them to come and see the read-through. [When they did] I had worked myself up into a lather because the read-through really went great,” he said.
Meanwhile, David’s follow-up show Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to return to HBO this October, it has been confirmed.
HBO confirmed the return with a picture of a delighted David, writing: “You’re allowed to be happy, but not in front of me. #CurbYourEnthusiasm is back this October.”
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