Why isn't Seinfeld as popular as Friends in India?

Not everyone can understand art, but everyone can appreciate beauty. -Me I guess my quote is like Seinfeld too. Not everyone seems to get it. (I'm talking about the Quora administrators.)

Because Friends is more easily available and it's difficult to find good torrent links for Seinfeld. :P

Why is Chetan Bhagat more popular in India than Dickens? Not a fair comparison. Both the shows are great. Seinfeld has covered more aspects of life than any other show. Thats what you can do when you have to do "nothing". Everything.

I totally get what you're saying. I simply love Seinfeld and am in absolute awe of the magnificent brilliance of the creators. None of my friends had heard of Seinfeld and it took me a while to convince them to give it a try. Even then, most of them did not like it. I have pushed people to get past the first few episodes of Friends as well, and they were simply hooked pretty soon. As to why exactly it is not as popular in India, I am not sure. I can only guess. 1) Friends was all over the television during the 90s on multiple channels and everyone was talking about it. Seinfeld, as far as I remember, aired on Indian television only in early 2000s; that too just once a day. 2) There are not many "hot" people on Seinfeld as opposed to Friends which is basically a bunch of good-looking people who happen to be friends. I don't want to be crass, but beauty on television matters (probably more to us Indians), as sad a fact as it may be. 3) Seinfeld has always taken pride in being a superlatively emotionless show and would mock anyone who showed the slightest hint of mushiness. Friends, on the other hand, was full of such moments and a lot of heartwarming scenes which is unimaginable for Seinfeld. Indians love (at times hyperbolic) emotions and are somehow not attracted to anything that lacks it. 4) The writing of Seinfeld was brilliant. BRILLIANT. The nuances of life captured by the show is incomparable. It shows you a manipulated yet a more real, uglier picture of life where fiances die, you lose jobs, you're dumped; everything. These situations are presented in Friends too. But when the guys on Friends are in trouble, you cry with them. When the guys on Seinfeld are in trouble, you just wait and see what a jerk they can be about it and laugh it off. Indians are not that cool, especially when it comes to television. 5) Not to stereotype, but most Indians would never empathise with someone like Jerry, Elaine or George, who couldn't care less about their friends and take pleasure in their misfortunes. If they're watching TV, there better be a happy ending. ALWAYS. 6) Seinfeld was not an "in your face" funny television series. Its brilliance needs to be understood by most people, and we do not tend to stick to it for long enough to understand the characters on Seinfeld completely and be witness to the sheer comedic genius that the show is.

FRIENDS was this constantly running show on TV for years in India which is one reason but lately, lot of people are discovering the show for the first time. The comedy in FRIENDS is very universal and can be understood by anyone. As opposed to a show like Seinfeld which is observational comedy based on Jerry Seinfeld's standup which is not everyone's cup of tea not even in the USA. What most people don't realise is that many comedy syntaxes used in FRIENDS have been used over the years in many sitcoms and comedy programs over the years. However to an Indian audience, it creates a huge impact as they are viewing these for the first time. To simulate a typical Seinfeld routine would be sorta like " What's the deal with softballs? They say it's soft but once you dont have a bridge to your nose anymore, it doesn't seem so soft anymore. "  And with Indian audiences, I don't think this would pan out well as either they wouldn't find this genre of humour funny or it would simply go over their heads.

I have watched both Friends (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/?ref_=nv_sr_1) and Seinfeld (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/?ref_=nv_sr_1) I like Seinfeld MORE (by the smallest of margins) just because of the ingenuous humor and its relation to the REAL life! There have been many answers pointing out that Friends was more accessible to the masses in India as was not the case with Seinfeld. Also, a lot of people watch shows because of peer influence. Many people recommend Friends as a tv series to begin with. So, a lot of people do not even know about the amazing existence of Seinfeld. All of my friends who have watched BOTH  the shows, concede that Seinfeld is better on some levels. The ones who haven't even heard of Seinfeld battle with their lives in defending that Friends is better! This issue is more like the wars between separate fandoms! Go to a Breaking Bad fan and tell him that Sopranos is equally good (if not better), and the fan (who probably hasn't seen even a minute of Sopranos) will start quarreling to prove that BB is supreme! So instead of indulging in all of that, I prefer to watch and enjoy all different varieties of TV shows/series/sitcoms!

I have asked the same question over and over again but got no real answers. Personally, I prefer Seinfeld to Friends. I think more than the appearance of people, it is to do with the writing and plot of the shows. I found that Friends was more liked by the girls in the country than Seinfeld, which most of them, though not all of them, really hate (I have no idea why!). The reason why they like Friends is because of its romantic angle(s), something Seinfeld always lacked (and that was a good thing). Seinfeld was an emotionless show abut nothing. Friends was a 'cute' show about 6 Friends, who eventually hook up with each other (with exceptions). Friends appeals to you when you're in your teens because you're just getting into the whole dating thing and that is when most people watched it in the first place. Seinfeld is more of a post college kind of thing because that is when you can really appreciate the characters in the show. I have watched Friends once, probably because everyone else was doing it. But I have watched Seinfeld at least 4 times - start to finish. It's great!

I love Seinfeld. I love how crazy and neurotic Jerry is, and I see so much of myself in George Costanza. The humor in Seinfeld is really black, and it targets a very specific audience. However, most people in India want the lifestyle depicted in Friends. They want a group where the sex ratio is 1:1 and they want a hangout place like the Central Perk coffeehouse. They want their lives to revolve around their romances and friendships. Friends is easier to relate to, and that's why most people prefer it over Seinfeld.

-The Humor in Seinfeld  is very different than in friends.   Seinfeld premises are based more on Irony and bits of  Dark comedy . -Freinds  is more " in your face "  kind of humor . - The Characters intentions  and motives for most actions in Friends  Have to be Morally Good i.e.  Everyone has to be  a hero /do gooder   and we Indians love that. -Characters on Seinfeld are not constrained by Morals.  Their  actions can be more selfish in nature and they show  us what /who we really are as Humans.  Most ppl dont like to be shown their true self.-Most Characters on friends  look glamorous  , whereas  Lead characters on Seinfeld  look like " Normal " people.  - For people who don't like/arent used to  Irony/dark comedy kind of Humor   would  Not like  Seinfeld  immediately,  you need to watch atleast 2-3 episodes to Get hooked on to it and appreciate it's brilliance ,  I think  this is also one of the big reasons friends is more popular in India.