Seinfeld was a special show. They tried to recreate that feeling the second it became a hit. Only thing I can say is close to that series is Larry David's Curb your Enthusiasm (which I have to admit, I actually like better). The stand up comedian getting his own series thing died out in the 90's. That wasn't even why Seinfeld was good in the first place. I like Jerry and I actually dig his stand up, but the show wouldn't be half as memorable without George, Kramer, Neuman, and Frank Costanza. Heck, King of Queens... sure, Kevin James was funny in it, but I really watched for Patton Oswald and Jerry Stiller. Modern shows thrive on a strong ensemble cast. Mulheny is doing it butt backwards. Besides, stand up isn't as popular as it was in the 90's. We have different streams of comedy now. Stand up is still there and thriving, but there's more outlets for that sort of thing.But yeah, so many sitcoms seem to try and recreate the magic of SEINFELD which cannot be recreated; at the same time, a lot of these new medical dramas that have been coming out the last few years all admit that they want to be this generation's M*A*S*H - it just can't be done.
Besides. Name one sitcom from the 90's that isn't Cheers, Friends, Seinfeld, Fraisier, Everybody loves Raymond that left a significant impact and people still talk about. And TGIF's stuff doesn't count. There's some great second string shows like Drew Carey and Third Rock from the Sun... but then we have the Caroline in the City, The Single Guy...uh... a bunch of others I can't remember... stuff that was on the WB...eh... it's like we only remember those 5 shows, and therefore those have to be the shows to emulate.
Really... anyone remember there was a sitcom based on Dave Barry that starred the judge from Night Court. Had Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" as the themesong? Anyone? I swear for the longest time I dreamt it and it didn't exist.