A Format Not To Be Continued

I recently rented a couple of the discs from the recent Seinfeld DVD release. I've seen most of these episodes several times in syndication, but I was surpised at how much I enjoyed watching the early episodes. One show that I had never seen start-to-finish was "The Boyfriend," the two-part episode featuring guest star Keith Hernandez. It was one of the few times the show had used a guest star playing themselves (interestingly enough, most others were also ballplayers like Danny Tartabull and Paul O'Neill) and the scene featuring Kramer, Newman, Hernandez and the "magic loogie" is a classic.

But the show most struck me because of the fact that you almost never see two-part sitcom episodes any more. You do see the occasional season-finale cliffhanger (Friends did this often) but the in-season two-parter is basically extinct. I always remember liking them as a kid, as that "To Be Continued..." message instantly created suspense and gave you something to look forward to the next week. But these days, sitcom production is all about syndication potential, and the two-parter isn't conducive to that. I do think that there is creative potential for the format however, based on the popularity of reality TV. When you think about it, Survivor, The Apprentice and shows of that ilk are just one long string of "To Be Continued..."s and that's what keeps audiences hooked. I guess we'll always have DVD to remind us of the good 'ol days.