Seinfeld and Friends are often pinned against one another for ‘best sitcom of the 90s’. It seems most people have a strong opinion about which is the superior show. At any rate, Friends will be long-gone from Netflix in 2020 as it moves to NBC, as will The Office, which will go away in 2021. However, Netflix just announced Monday that it has acquired the rights to Seinfeld, which will begin streaming on the service in 2021.
But is Seinfeld’s audience what Netflix needs to grow or at least stay stable, especially compared to that of Friends and The Office?
CivicScience looked at the makeup of the three shows’ audiences to understand their distinct differences, and what each brings to Netflix.
Gen Z Favors Seinfeld Over Friends
Seinfeld may be a really big gain for Netflix across the board. More than half of each of the four age buckets favor Seinfeld at nearly identical rates. Though, it’s worth mentioning that Gen Z (ages 13 to 24) are the most likely to be unfavorable to the show. No surprise as it’s not as big of a household name for them as it may be to other generations. It’s still got a strong showing, though, among their core user demographic, and those who could potentially intend to use the service (more on that later).
Maybe it’s okay that Friends is leaving Netflix if you are only thinking about the younger age groups, Netflix power users, who are least into the show. And looking at favorability towards The Office proves that Gen Z and Gen X have similar interests, though Gen Z has a strong opinion either for or against the show, the least likely to be lukewarm about it.
All in all, from a demographic standpoint, Seinfeld appears to be the most universally liked show between the three and among the ages, even with Gen Z, but Friends is a very close second. This could bode very well for Netflix, but of course, comparing its user base and intenders is key.
Netflix Users Favor Seinfeld and The Office Over Friends
Comparing Netflix use to all three shows tells an interesting story. Among current Netflix users, Seinfeld and The Office are the winners in terms of favorability.
Among Netflix Intenders, those who plan to get the service, Seinfeld holds water, too, but no more than Friends does.
All in all, and somewhat surprisingly, Seinfeld has broad appeal even among the youngest of streamers, and will likely help Netflix out in terms of retaining active users and gaining new ones.
