History Main / SeinfeldianConversation

* In an earlier episode of [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Machinima/ChronicleOfTheAnnoyingQuest?from=Main.ChronicleOfTheAnnoyingQuest Chronicle of the Annoying Quest]], the male members of the group have a heated discussion about DoctorWho.

* ''DinosaurComics'' is based on this: with the drawings staying the same, the conversations have to change and end up covering loads of random topics (with a high proportion about Batman).

* Brian Bendis: This has been the defining trope of his comic writing from his first self-published indie work all the way through his latest run at Marvel.

** A Jerry Seinfeld special saw Jerry having a Seinfeldian Conversation ''about'' Superman ''with'' Superman. It's every bit as bizarre as you'd think.

* In ''StandByMe'', the characters talk about [[FurryConfusion what Goofy is]] and [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny whether or not Mighty Mouse could beat Superman]]. They are, of course, talking about tropes. No wonder that movie's so popular.

See also DistractingDisambiguation. When the conversation about nothing turns into an unusually passionate argument, it's a CavemenVsAstronautsDebate. If the conversation involves who would win in a fight, see UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny. See also TalkAboutTheWeather. {{Speech Centric Work}}s tend to be based heavily around Seinfeldian Conversations. Regular and [[EruditeStoner erudite]] brands of {{Stoner}} are almost guaranteed to partake of this trope; [[TruthInTelevision it's a well-known side-effect of being high on weed.]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' is the all-time reigning queen of this trope. The majority of the show is nothing but this trope, occurring over a selection of gorgeous backgrounds. When characters actually ''act'' on the results of these conversations, it sometimes feels out of character (especially since many problems can in fact be solved by talking).

** Then there was Tomo and Kagura's fight over Santa Claus. They conclude that he is paid by the government and flies at mach 100.
*** They were thinking what to say to Chiyo. Chiyo stopped them by saying that her father was Santa. Cue to Sakaki's fantasies...

* ''CromartieHighSchool'' '''is''' this trope. The anime's shining moment is when Kamiyama and Hayashida have a long, meandering conversation about how boring they find their school, whilst the animation starts looping / rewinding itself -- just to ensure that ''absolutely nothing which'' might ''move the plot along'' occurs.

** Possibly one of the best examples of Cromartie's dominance over this trope is Kamiyama's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53FkMK20aCg attempt to explain to his class how the perceptions we have of person can influence our reactions to his/her behavior.]] Only Cromartie could take a topic as dull as that and make it so bizarre and funny.
*** Another great one is the humming episode, in which the characters spend the entire episode trying to figure out where they've heard a tune that they can only hum. The spend the majority of the episode doing nothing but humming, and never come to a conclusion.

* This trope might as well be renamed "Bendisian Conversation" after Brian Bendis, as it has been the defining trope of his comic writing from his first self-published indie work all the way through his latest run at Marvel.

* Pretty much anything Barris says in ''Film/AScannerDarkly''.

* This trope is pretty much the entire content of ''Mindwalk''.

*** Not to mention that Tarantino has a prominent foot fetish, and sees foot massage as being quite intimate.

** The "Like A Virgin" and tipping-habits discussion in ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' and pretty much any conversation at the bar in ''Film/DeathProof'' are more examples. Even then the conversations serve a purpose. Mr Pink refusing to tip marks him as TheSpock, and White arguing with him marks ''him'' as TheMcCoy, setting up their relationship throughout the movie. Mr. Orange spends the scene acting like the new guy trying to fit in, and he also is the one who tells their boss what's going on -- [[spoiler: he's disclosing private information]]. Lots of other little clues give insight into personalities and relationships.

** More importantly (from their perspective) it prevents them getting in the way of the ''antagonists'' in the main story. Well, ''mostly''.
*** Nobby and Colon 'old school' coppers. Their preferred method of policing is to pick a bridge or a large stone building and guard it for the duration of their shift so no one can steal it. Their entire approach to police work is Seinfeldian.

** The UU wizards do this pretty much constantly, only Ridcully, Rincewind, the Librarian, and Ponder's group ever seem to do anything but this trope (and eating, of course). Ponder's (probably sarcastic) theory is that the faculty's minds are on higher things, leaving their mouths to run around making a nuisance of themselves.

* Like the above mentioned, pretty much all of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''. It literally begins and end with this trope.

* Andy and Maggie engage in this sort of conversation regularly on ''{{Extras}}''. In fact, in might be said that this is pretty much what their whole relationship is built on.

* Pretty much the entire series of little-known cult radio classic ''Vic and Sade'' consists of deadpan, often absurd dialogue revolving around small-town life.[[http://http://vicandsade.net/episodes.cgi Check it out.]]

* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' has a few of these: The one that most easily stands out is Revy and Eda's conversation on [[WhatWouldXDo what gun Jesus would use]].

-->-- '''Will Riker''', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''

* ''RosencrantzandGuildensternAreDead'' is mostly this. The rest of it is ''{{Hamlet}}''.

* Done frequently on ''{{Sealab2021}}'', where the characters tend to get so engrossed in their Seinfeldian Conversation that they fail to notice little things like the fact that Sealab is about to explode. (See BystanderSyndrome.)

* Usually done with nerd topics in ''TheBigBangTheory''. In one episode they start talking about who the most genuinely heroic character in the MarvelUniverse would be, going along the lines of the doctor who gives Wolverine his prostate exam. A few minutes after more plot-relevent events happen, Raj tried to bring the topic back up and Leonard dismissed it as his new question being rather stupid. Raj replied, "We are talking about probing the hinies of superheroes... there are no stupid questions."

See also DistractingDisambiguation. When the conversation about nothing turns into an unusually passionate argument, it's a CavemenVsAstronautsDebate. If the conversation involves who would win in a fight, see UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny. See also TalkAboutTheWeather. {{Speech Centric Work}}s tend to be based heavily around Seinfeldian Conversations.

* ''{{PVP}}'' had a comic about the Muppets being a source of social commentary. [[http://www.pvponline.com/2008/12/10/its-time-to-light-the-lights/ Ten Points for visual presentation.]]

** In the words of [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010610/REVIEWS08/106100301/1023 Roger Ebert]], the dialogue in PulpFiction isn't Seinfeldian at all, but "load-bearing." For example, the conversation about a pot belly between Butch and Fabienne. Instead of rehashing Butch's story arc up to that point (paid to take a fall by Marcelus, secretly bet heavily on himself, etc.), Tarantino uses the scene to very quickly establish Fabienne's character and the loving, passionate nature of their relationship. Another example of how the dialogue is used in the movie; Lance's girlfriend discusses her body piercings at length. Later, after Mia OD's on heroin, Lance and Vincent are forced to inject adrenalin directly into her heart...the ultimate body piercing experience. Hence her reflection on the incident..."Trippy."

Be warned that [[TropesAreNotGood not all viewers may like it.]] Long conversations betray the notion that film and television are [[ShowDontTell visual media,]] so not everyone [[ViewersAreGoldfish will have the patience to sit through it.]] This can be regarded as {{Padding}} and make the viewer scream [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail "GET ON WITH IT!"]]

** Asides from being a [=Cloudcuckoolander=], Osaka's big thing was puns and wordplay. Talking about kanji seems like a logical continuation.
* ''LuckyStar'' is almost entirely a series of Seinfeldian Conversations -- but imagine four high-school-age girls sitting in the coffee shop instead of Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. The first episode starts with a [[OverlyLongGag six-minute]] discussion of how to eat various foods. In fact, the trope was formerly named Choclate Cornet.

** Asides from being a CloudCuckooLander, Osaka's big thing was puns and wordplay. Talking about kanji seems like a logical continuation.
* ''LuckyStar'' is almost entirely a series of Seinfeldian Conversations -- but imagine four high-school-age girls sitting in the coffee shop instead of Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. The first episode starts with a [[OverlyLongGag six-minute]] discussion of how to eat various foods. In fact, the trope was formerly named ChoclateCornet.

* Done all the time in ''HomeMovies'', although frequently [[ThrowItIn the conversations literally are improvised]] (the actors provided a general outline but not a definite script).

* The main characters of ''{{Metalocalypse}}'' will insist on having those conversations to the detriment of anything else, no matter how hard [=CFO=] tries to get them back on track.
* An episode of ''TheSimpsons'' had two members of the Secret Service laying on the hood of Mayor Quimby's car, staring at the sky, wondering if there is anything fluffier than a cloud.

Named, of course, for ''{{Seinfeld}}'', which had this as its signature trope. The characters were always debating things like the opposite of eating tuna (Jerry suggested that eating salmon is the opposite, because they swim in the other direction; George rationalized that it was chicken salad.).

See also DistractingDisambiguation. When the conversation about nothing turns into an unusually passionate argument, it's a CavemenVsAstronautsDebate. If the conversation involves who would win in a fight, see UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny. See also TalkAboutTheWeather. {{Speech Centric Work}}s tend to be based heavily around {{Seinfeldian Conversation}}s.

* All of the ViewAskewniverse contains this to some degree. ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' is almost entirely built around SeinfeldianConversation, and there's T.S. and Brodie's conversation at the cookie stand about whether or not Lois Lane could carry {{Superman}}'s baby to term in ''Film/{{Mallrats}}''. When it happens in ''{{Dogma}}'' it's almost shocking, as it's not really Seinfeldian--the religious discussions are at least tangentially related to the plot, and most people would consider religious discussion worth a lot of thought and time. The hands-down winner, however, is ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsFfBB2W7IA&feature=related The Flying Car]]''.

* In ''[[OceansEleven Ocean's Twelve]]'', upon being told they were going to be killed,the group immediately got into an argument of why the group was called "Ocean's Eleven"

* [[PostModernism Postmodern]] novel ''Bear V Shark'' is an extended discussion on, well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. The entire thing is like a very long SeinfeldianConversation.

* Like the above mentioned, pretty much all of ''{{Seinfeld}}''. It literally begins and end with this trope.

** A Jerry Seinfeld special saw Jerry having a SeinfeldianConversation ''about'' Superman ''with'' Superman. It's every bit as bizarre as you'd think.

* ''Trapped in the Drive Thru'' by Music/WeirdAlYankovic, based on Trapped in the Closet. Particularly the first part (of three).
* Music/CrowdedHouse concerts always contain lots of SeinfeldianConversation between songs.

* Done frequently on ''{{Sealab2021}}'', where the characters tend to get so engrossed in their SeinfeldianConversation that they fail to notice little things like the fact that Sealab is about to explode. (See BystanderSyndrome.)

** One gag featured world dictators having a SeinfeldianConversation about ''Seinfeld''.

* The pilot of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' opens with a several-minute SeinfeldianConversation, which ends with a few lines about ''{{Seinfeld}}'' being a show about nothing.

* This is the medium that is characterized by questions in the vein of "Can {{Batman}} beat the ComicBook/FantasticFour alone, or does he need {{Spiderman}}'s help to take on the Human Torch?" If you ever met (or if you are) a comic book nerd, you know the debate will be better than any presidential election debate.

* ''[[WebComic/EightBitTheater 8-bit Theater]]'' once featured a spirited debate between Black Mage and Red Mage on [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny who would win in a fight]] between {{Batman}} and DoctorDoom.

* There is a ''HarryPotter'' fanfic (either [[http://saras-girl.livejournal.com/8930.html here]] or [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4842696/1/Reparations here]]) in which Ron and Draco's first nonhostile conversation ever centered on whether it's possible to figure out the [[TwistEnding twist]] of ''TheSixthSense'' before it's revealed. (Draco claims he figured it out by himself, while Ron says it's impossible).

* Used frequently in films by QuentinTarantino, usually immediately followed by some seemingly non-sequitur (and frequently violent) act by the speakers; e.g., The "foot massage" and "Royale with Cheese" conversations in ''PulpFiction''. Here, it is generally being used to underscore how blasé the characters have become towards a daily routine most people would find appalling, or at least extraordinary.

** The "Like A Virgin" and tipping-habits discussion in ''ReservoirDogs'' and pretty much any conversation at the bar in ''Death Proof'' are more examples. Even then the conversations serve a purpose. Mr Pink refusing to tip marks him as TheSpock, and White arguing with him marks ''him'' as TheMcCoy, setting up their relationship throughout the movie. Mr. Orange spends the scene acting like the new guy trying to fit in, and he also is the one who tells their boss what's going on -- [[spoiler: he's disclosing private information]]. Lots of other little clues give insight into personalities and relationships.

* All of the ViewAskewniverse contains this to some degree. ''{{Clerks}}'' is almost entirely built around SeinfeldianConversation, and there's T.S. and Brodie's conversation at the cookie stand about whether or not Lois Lane could carry {{Superman}}'s baby to term in ''{{Mallrats}}''. When it happens in ''{{Dogma}}'' it's almost shocking, as it's not really Seinfeldian--the religious discussions are at least tangentially related to the plot, and most people would consider religious discussion worth a lot of thought and time. The hands-down winner, however, is ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsFfBB2W7IA&feature=related The Flying Car]]''.

* Subverted in ''DonnieDarko'' in which the exchange just pisses Donnie off and makes his friends all look like idiots.

* Barry Levinson's Baltimore movies - Film/{{Diner}}, Film/TinMen, {{Avalon}} and LibertyHeights - are filled with examples of this trope (Diner in particular might be the UrExample).

-->-- '''William Riker''', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''

* ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' frequently features the gang engaged in a heated argument about a ludicrous topic in an inappropriate moment, such as discussing the difference between "bears" and "twinks" while in a business meeting.

** That's what happens when a slice of life 4koma is made into an anime, see Azumanga Daioh above.

See also DistractingDisambiguation. When the conversation about nothing turns into an unusually passionate argument, it's a CavemenVsAstronautsDebate. If the conversation involves who would win in a fight, see UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny. See also TalkAboutTheWeather. Works in which this occurs most of the time are known as {{Speech Centric Work}}s.