‘Seinfeld’ Fans Slam Netflix Version As Unwatchable After New Aspect Ratio Cuts Out Jokes

Seinfeld fans are calling out the cropped aspect ratio of the beloved ’90s comedy now that all nine seasons are streaming on Netflix. As one Twitter user noted, one of the show’s most iconic gags — the titular pothole that George Costanza encounters in the Season 8 episode “The Pothole” — was entirely cut out of the episode due to the 16:9 remastering of every episode (all of which were originally displayed in a 4:3 aspect ratio).

As Slate‘s Allegra Frank notes, Jerry Seinfeld’s memorable sneaker collection was also cut out of many episodes due to cropping often removing the bottom portion of the screen.

Of course, this isn’t the first time fans have taken issue with the aspect ratios of classic shows on streaming. Hulu, the previous home of Seinfeld, showed it in a 16:9 aspect ratio, as well. And when The Simpsons first arrived on Disney+ in 2019, many viewers were frustrated to find that some of the show’s best visual gags had been cropped out. Following complaints, Disney eventually released seasons that aired in 4:3 in their original aspect ratio, so perhaps some day Netflix will do the same.

Even Seinfeld’s creator agrees that the sitcom could do with some changes. Speaking at a Netflix press event last month, Seinfeld admitted he has second thoughts on a few episodes of the show, in which things haven’t aged so well.

“There’s a number of them that I would love to have a crack at, but I don’t really believe, philosophically, in changing or even thinking about the past,” he said, although he didn’t mention specific episodes or scenes.

Seinfeld added, “I think regret is a philosophical position that I disagree with. It kind of assumes you could have changed the past, so I wouldn’t even think of that. But if you forced me or you gave me a time machine, yeah, there’s a few — I would fix some things.”

Where to watch Seinfeld