‘Seinfeld’ Does Not Learn From ‘The Simpsons’ Mistake: Netflix Literally Cropped Out Some Jokes
It’s the “Duff Beer” joke all over again.
When The Simpsons first appeared on Disney+, the streamer tried to find a way to present the show in widescreen, despite the fact that it was originally presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio for two decades.
Disney said when the streaming service launched that it chose to release the episodes in a 16:9 aspect ratio “in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons.” The series did not move to a widescreen format officially until 2009.
Although the early cartoon seasons filled the HD TV screen, portions of any given scene were sliced off, which meant in some cases jokes did not appear, as in 1993 episode “Selma’s Choice” the featured a gag about the different varieties of Duff Beer all being the exact same brew, as you can see below.
Starting October 1st, Seinfeld moved to Netflix, giving the streamer a classic library title to fill the void left when shows like The Office and Friends moved to the streaming services owned by their production companies. While all 180 episodes of the show about nothing are now available on the streaming service, some jokes didn’t make the cut, literally.
Several Twitter users and others on social media have pointed out that some of the visual gags from the series have been cropped out due to Netflix opting for the wider 16:9 ratio.
The cropping is most visible in the episode “The Pothole,” where instead of searching for his keys in the now-paved street, George Costanza is instead seen lashing out at…well, nothing.
Of course, Netflix has to work with the masters that Sony Pictures gave them. But eventually Disney+ relented and allowed viewers to select the aspect ratio they wanted, and Netflix has the money to reformat the show if they wish (but so far they have not.) Until that happens, fans bothered by this would be best served by firing up their DVD player and watching the show as it was released on that format.