Jerry Before Seinfeld
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 19, 2017
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7

Critic Reviews

  1. Yahoo TV
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Sep 19, 2017
    80
    It was such a pleasure to sink down into these jokes with Seinfeld, such a treat to be carried along by such a confident professional. It’s rare to be treated this way by any piece of current entertainment; enjoy his achievement here.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Sep 18, 2017
    80
    I laughed a lot during Jerry Before Seinfeld. ... It's an interesting and novel approach for a comedian, something like when singers in their later years--Frank Sinatra or Joni Mitchell or Elvis Costello--revisit songs recorded in younger ones to find different shadings in a different register.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    Sep 18, 2017
    80
    There's always another bon mot, and the occasional dud humor in Jerry Before Seinfeld in no way detracts from the larger pleasures of watching this peerless comedian pay tribute to his roots.
  5. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Dennis Perkins
    Sep 19, 2017
    75
    Jerry Before Seinfeld sees the comic deliver a crowd-pleasing set (to a vocally pleased crowd) of the intimately familiar observational shtick that made him into the very megastar he and Bowie goofed on almost 20 years ago. ... [But] Jerry Before Seinfeld forms an unsatisfying portrait of the artist as a young comic.
  6. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Sep 18, 2017
    75
    Watching Seinfeld knock out the oldies-but-goldies is indeed watching someone do what they were born to do. He’s a master technician who cuts through the material at a high rate of speed, while using pantomime to fill in the blanks or give the punchline a steroid boost.
  7. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Sep 18, 2017
    70
    Its packaging notwithstanding, Jerry Before Seinfeld doesn’t feel much different than any other Seinfeld concert or talk-show appearance, except for the old photos, Seinfeld family home movies, and archival footage of young Seinfeld doing stand-up. ... Luckily, it’s a good collection of jokes and stories.
  8. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Kevin Fallon
    Sep 19, 2017
    60
    That might be the crux of the problem with Jerry Before Seinfeld. It’s certainly pleasant, and anyone who is a fan of his will chuckle their way through it. But it’s unclear what we’re being sold here.

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best TV Season of 2017

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
  1. muldjord
    Sep 19, 2017
    9
    I loved it! Plenty of good jokes and laughs in there. I could do that. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could. I just never had the time.

    I wanna    I loved it! Plenty of good jokes and laughs in there. I could do that. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could. I just never had the time.

    I wanna watch 'Seinfeld' now.    … Full Review »
  2. ourman
    Sep 20, 2017
    4
    I loved Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and I think at this stage in his career that is what Jerry does best. He is a really engaging person.I loved Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and I think at this stage in his career that is what Jerry does best. He is a really engaging person. I like hearing his views on everything and one on one he's a really endearing interviewer.

    But the stand up routines in this show are so overused. I've heard them all before. It just felt lazy. Not to mention the fact that, he was also so familiar with them that he just zipped through them, hardly changing tone or pausing for breath. It looked like it took very little effort.

    The good stuff in the show was everything that happened away from the stand up performance. I wanted more of that. Again - Jerry talking to other people is always great. So much better than Jerry talking at people.

    This could have been great. More 70s Jerry, a whole new set, more chatting with old comedy buddies. But it just felt like another excuse for Jerry to roll out the same old jokes yet again.    … Full Review »
  3. jonnybgoode
    Sep 29, 2017
    9
    My expectations were modest, and they were exceeded. I thought the show would be more of a tedious documentary, but the historical portionMy expectations were modest, and they were exceeded. I thought the show would be more of a tedious documentary, but the historical portion was woven well into the stand-up, which comprises most of the show.… Full Review »
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