Published on November 23, 2006, San Jose Mercury News (CA)
SOMETHING FUNNY
SEVENTH SEASON OF 'SEINFELD' AGAIN PROVES COMIC POTENTIAL OF A SHOW ABOUT NOTHING
By Steve Marinucci
''Seinfeld'' admittedly was ''a show about nothing,'' but even people to whom it meant nothing found something to like during its seventh season (1995-96).
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who played Elaine, took home the Emmy for ''outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series,'' and the show garnered 10 other nominations that year, which featured some of its best-known episodes.
On Tuesday (while cast member Michael Richards was struggling to explain racist remarks he made a few days earlier to hecklers in a comedy club audience), ''Seinfeld -- Season 7'' made its DVD debut in a four-disc set (Sony, list price $49.95, though many retailers offer it for less).
In the first episode, George (Jason Alexander) gets engaged to Susan (Heidi Swedberg), launching a story line that spans the whole season. But what should be a joyous event begins to unravel almost immediately.
By the last episode, the comedic tone has turned dark, and Susan dies after licking the glue on the cheap invitations picked out by skinflint George.
The engagement material, however, is overshadowed in the sixth episode, ''The Soup Nazi,'' which was hailed by critics and fans alike as possibly the best one in ''Seinfeld's'' nine-season run.
In it, Larry Thomas plays Yev Kasem, the tyrannical owner of a soup restaurant who dictates just how his patrons must behave to receive their orders. If someone ignores him, he blusters, ''No soup for you!'' The over-the-top portrayal earned Thomas his own Emmy nomination.
Series fans will cheer about the DVD bonus features, which include more than 13 hours of commentary, cast interviews, factoid tracks, deleted scenes and new stand-up routines. Viewers also will find two animated re-creations of the show, using voices of the original cast.
''Seinfeld'' became a phenomenon thanks to its ''everyman'' situations and the sheer ingenuity of its writers. This new box set is a superb testament to both.
CAPTION: PHOTO: COLUMBIA/TRISTAR
Jerry Seinfeld and his co-stars keep the laughs coming in the DVD from the show's seventh season -- which introduced the Soup Nazi to network TV.
