On July 5, 1989, television sitcoms as the world knew them changed forever. That was the day that Seinfeld premiered on NBC. Note that mid-summer date. That in and of itself was an indication that the network didn't have high hopes for Jerry Seinfeld and his merry band of delightfully dysfunctional friends. Back in the pre-streaming days, hyped-up shows and any series expected to be a hit premiered in the fall; sometimes they premiered in mid-season with a big media push, but they rarely (save for Seinfeld) premiered in summer. The show featured a fictional version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld alongside his friends George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).

Seinfeld has often been described as "the show about nothing," as it focused on the daily details of the lives of 30-somethings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the early 1990s. It spawned many pop culture catchphrases over its nine seasons and 180 episodes, and remains endlessly quotable today. Seinfeld has been named one of the best and most influential sitcoms of all time by several publications and outlets, including Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone. It is second on the list of the best-written television series of all time according to the Writers Guild of America (The Sopranos is number one).

Now, nearly 25 years after the show about nothing went off the air, discussions about its influence on pop culture and television are still being had. While Seinfeld has gone down in history as "the show about nothing," the fact is that it is far more intricate (and less boring) than that. In exploring the minutiae of their daily lives in New York City in the 1990s, Seinfeld dove into several philosophies while making audiences laugh and talk about it over the office water cooler the next day. In particular, Seinfeld dealt with themes of nihilism, absurdism (anyone remember "The Contest?"), existentialism, and Judaism.

What Are Nihilism, Absurdism, Existentialism, and Judaism

George talking to Jerry at the diner in Seinfeld
Columbia Pictures Television

First, let's get into the definitions of the philosophies that Seinfeld dove into during its nine seasons on NBC.

Nihilism is defined as "the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless." It's the logical conclusion to centuries of philosophical inquiry and skepticism of reality begun by Descartes with his 'Cartesian doubt' and Kant's critiques of metaphysics, leading to "extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real existence." Popularized by Nietzsche, the term took hold amongst the early 20th-century doctrines of extreme Russian revolutionary political groups that saw nothing of value in the then-current social order. Nowadays, it's typically associated with GenX.

Related: These Are Some of the Most Nihilistic Movies Ever Made

Absurdism, at its most basic level, is defined (again by Oxford) as "intentionally ridiculous or bizarre behavior or character." Now, if that doesn't perfectly describe Seinfeld, it's hard to know what does. It is further defined as "the belief that human beings exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe." In other words, it really isn't that far removed from the tenets of nihilism, except it tends to celebrate or at least attempt to enjoy the meaninglessness. Historically, absurdism was first influenced by Soren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher who dealt with the difficulties people faced (anxiety and free choice, in particular) by developing the absurd as a part of his own definition of the philosophy of existentialism.

The Seinfeld cast means their doppelgangers in The Bizzarro Jerry
Columbia Pictures Television

Existentialism is defined by Oxford as "a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will." Again, this perfectly describes many of the themes of Seinfeld and essentially the 1980s and 90s as the point in time when individualism really started to take precedence over groupthink. Kierkegaard was a prominent figure in early existentialism, but he ultimately utilized it to guide his Christianity; the atheists of the 20th century would adopt existentialism to create individual meaning in what they considered to be a world without God. The most well-known figure in this movement was Jean-Paul Sartre, who said that humanity is "condemned to be free."

Judaism is the ancient monotheistic religion with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as patriarchs, and is defined by descent and philosophical outlook as much as it is by 'religion.' Jerry Seinfeld, co-creator Larry David, Jason Alexander, and (only partly) Julia Louis-Dreyfus are Jewish, and Manhattan has a high population of Jewish people, so this is also a perfectly appropriate slant for the series to have taken.

Seinfeld And Nihilism

The cast of Seinfeld posing
Columbia Pictures Television

The nihilistic aspect of Seinfeld posits that rather than being a "show about nothing," it's really life that is "nothing." Seinfeld's brand of nihilism is best defined as a postmodern nihilism, in that, nothing means anything because everything is a joke. Everything is a joke because nothing has enough meaning to make it heavy or sad; this is perfectly represented in Larry David's famous mantra for the show: "no hugging, no learning."

"The Parking Garage" episode of Seinfeld is a good example of the nihilism inherent in the situations and settings in the series. Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer go to a mall in New Jersey so that Kramer can buy an air conditioner. When they get back to the parking garage, no one can find their car. Eventually, Kramer sets the A/C behind one of the parked cars because he's tired of carrying it, tries to memorize the parking space number, and plans to swing back with the car to get it. Elaine bought a goldfish in the mall, and she's worried that it will die in its plastic bag of water before they find the car and get back to Manhattan. George has plans to pick up his parents at 6:15pm to take them to dinner for their anniversary. Jerry has to go to the bathroom with increasing urgency as the episode unfolds. All of these are universal experiences that this episode of Seinfeld exploits to bring out the desperation in the situations.

The cast of Seinfeld in The Parking Garage episode
Columbia Pictures Television

Elaine tries to get people in the parking garage to help them find their car but no one will help. Kramer, sick of listening to Jerry whine about how badly he has to urinate, bullies him into peeing in a corner. Jerry does so, and a security guard sees it and escorts him to the security office where he tries, unsuccessfully, to talk his way out of his predicament. The other three characters of Seinfeld's cast split up to try and find Jerry.

George decides, on Kramer's advice, to also urinate in public and is also taken to the security office. Jerry and George pay their fines and are released. They find Elaine and convince a woman to drive them around to find their car. Unfortunately, George offends her by making negative comments about Scientology, of which she is a member. When they get out of the woman's vehicle, lo and behold, they are right by their car. Kramer eventually rejoins them, but he cannot find his air conditioner. George misses his dinner with his parents. Elaine's goldfish dies. When they get in the car, it won't start.

Despite this, the quartet is in good spirits because, remember, nothing is important enough to make it heavy or sad.

Seinfeld And Absurdism

The cast of Seinfeld looking in different directions by a door
Columbia Pictures Television

Albert Camus' The Stranger is a prime example of the theory of absurdism. To sum it up succinctly, the novel opens with the protagonist, Meursault, learning of his mother's death. He goes on about his life, meeting a woman, flirting, etc. All he comes in contact with are surprised to learn his mother has just died, because he's unemotional and lackadaisical. Meursault has absurdist views that birth and death are the natural beginning and end of life and nothing in between matters. Meursault proclaimed, "It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed.” That's an overly simple look at The Stranger, but it will work for the comparison to the Seinfeld episode "The Alternate Side."

In this episode, Jerry's car is stolen, and he talks to the car thief on his car phone. Kramer is there and asks the thief to mail back the gloves he left in Jerry's car. George takes a job moving cars from one side of the street to the other to comply with alternate side parking rules. Elaine is dating a 66-year-old man who she plans on breaking up with until he has a stroke just as she's about to end their relationship. Kramer books a role in a Woody Allen film in which he has one line, "These pretzels are making me thirsty."

Seinfeld cast in the courtroom for the series finale
Columbia Pictures Television

George isn't handling his new job well and ends up in an accident that causes a massive traffic jam. George's boss suffers financially from it, costing him the money he was trying to save for an operation on his nephew's foot; because of George, the foot must be amputated. That traffic jam also slows down the ambulance on its way to pick up Elaine's boyfriend, resulting in even more brain damage to him, and the cavalcade of cars in the street screws up the filming of the Woody Allen movie, leading the director (famous for filming in New York) to vow never to shoot a film in New York City again (which, oddly enough, came true for a while). While Kramer was filming his scene in the movie, he overacted and shattered a glass, with a shard flying into Woody's eyeball. Kramer's fired, but he does end up getting his gloves mailed back to him from the car thief.

RELATED: 10 Best Episodes of Seinfeld, Streaming Now on NetflixThe absurdist view is that nothing that happens between birth and death matters; existence is absurd, so it's better to accept (or laugh at) suffering or the ridiculous randomness of life. When Camus' Meursault finds out his mother has died, he has no reaction. In "The Alternate Side," Jerry shows little stress or emotion when his car is stolen, he just accepts it and moves on. Kramer got fired from a major film, but hey, he got his gloves, so it doesn't matter. The characters look at Elaine's older (soon to be ex) boyfriend lying unconscious on the couch, and are extremely nonplused and rather unperturbed, even trying to feed him cookies. When the paramedics arrive, they question the group as to why cookie crumbs are all over the unconscious man, and our gang shrugs. It's absurd what else can you do?

Seinfeld And Existentialism

Jerry, Elaine, and George at the Chinese Restaurant in Seinfeld
Columbia Pictures Television

Jean-Paul Sartre's simple definition of existentialism is "life with no breaks," as he put forth in No Exit, his one-act play that debuted in 1944 which proposes the philosophy that "hell is other people," rather than a place God sends bad people after death. In No Exit (recently loosely adapted in the Netflix thriller Windfall), three people arrive in Hell only to realize they can never escape not only Hell but each other, either. They can't even take a temporary break by sleeping or blinking.

A prime example of Sartre's brand of existentialism is the episode of Seinfeld called "The Chinese Restaurant." Jerry, Elaine, and George walk into a Chinese restaurant and ask for a table for three. They're told it would be about a five to 10-minute wait. Well, that's not what ends up happening. Other parties and groups walk into the restaurant and are seated before they are, raising their ire. George wants to make a phone call, but the landline is constantly occupied.

Seinfeld cast by the neon symbol for The Chinese Restaurant
Columbia Pictures Television

Eventually, the three simply leave the restaurant. The episode ends up being a perfect example of existentialism, where the gang realizes the meaninglessness of their predicament (waiting for something that will never come in an unfair, frustrating setting), which reflects the theories of "life with no breaks" and hell being "other people." However, existentialism is different from nihilism, because the characters invent trivial bits of meaning during their waiting, and engage with the banality and sufferings of life with humor and wit, showing that meaninglessness doesn't have to be depressing. Beyond the storyline, the way the episode was shot is even significant. "The Chinese Restaurant" was shot in real-time with no scene breaks ("life with no breaks"), which also plays into existential philosophy.

This episode can also be perfectly compared to Samuel Beckett's two-act play Waiting for Godot. In this play, Vladimir and Estragon meet by a leafless tree and engage in several random discussions while waiting for Godot to arrive. He never does. And they leave. (They eventually return, but the play ends with them waiting, waiting, waiting...).

Seinfeld And Judaism

The cast of Seinfeld hugging
Columbia Pictures Television

Addressing Seinfeld and Judaism is far simpler overall. New York City has one of the biggest populations of Jewish people in the world outside of Israel. It is home to about 1.5 million Jews. Seinfeld is one of the most Jewish shows ever produced (until recent streaming shows Unorthodox and My Unorthodox Life, at least). Seinfeld introduced Jewish traits and sayings to its viewers and, alongside Mel Brooks, is arguably responsible for some of the funniest Jewish comedy.

Be honest. Did you know what a shiksa was before George and Elaine talked about it in the episode called "The Serenity Now?"

In this episode, the son of Elaine's former boss is preparing his Bar Mitzvah. The 13-year-old boy tries to both French kiss Elaine and feel her up. This is how Elaine learned she had "shiksa appeal," a phenomenon where Jewish men pursue non-Jewish women. George told her, “Jewish men love being with a woman who is not like their mother." Elaine ends up being invited to six more bar mitzvahs as a result of her "shiksa appeal."

RELATED: Here's Why a Seinfeld Reboot Should Happen"The Yada Yada" episode introduced us to Jerry's dentist Tim Whatley (played by a pre-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston), a recent convert to Judaism who Jerry suspects only converted so that he could tell Jewish jokes. "The Hamptons" episode is most famous for introducing the term shrinkage into popular culture, however, it also presents a Jewish woman, Rachel, who is dating Jerry who keeps Kosher and therefore cannot eat the lobster Kramer provided for the party. (Kosher Jews don't eat shellfish.) Rachel tells George's date about his shrinkage which makes her leave in the middle of the night. The next morning, George gets his revenge by making scrambled eggs for breakfast. Rachel digs into them, only to have George divulge that the eggs contain lobster.

In "The Fatigues" the topic of dating and finding a Jewish partner is addressed. One of Elaine's employees bemoans how hard it is to find a girl, "especially someone Jewish." Kramer is also hosting a Jewish singles night and cooking up a traditional Jewish feast of brisket, kugel, and kreplach. The meal failed miserably.

Kramer and Frank serving food in the Seinfeld episode The Fatigues
Columbia Pictures Television

Possibly the most Jewish episode of the entire nine-season run of Seinfeld is the episode called "The Bris." Jerry and Elaine are asked to be the godparents of their friends' new baby. Viewers were introduced to the mohel a Jewish person trained to perform the brit milah, or circumcision. This episode addressed botched circumcisions, mohels with shaky hands, and a misguided attempt by Kramer to rescue the baby from having his circumcision (along with double-dipping).

The Judaism of Seinfeld is more philosophical than religious; it reflects Jewish secularism (sometimes called Jewish atheism), where you don't actually have to believe in God to be Jewish. In fact, in their book American Grace, Robert Putnam and David Campbell found that half of all American Jews doubt the existence of God. Seinfeld's Jewish leanings are reflective of a tradition that often finds meaning in absurdity, a point where Judaism intersects with the aforementioned philosophies and is indicative of them. There's even the school of Jewish existentialism, which combines theology and philosophy to find meaning in human existence in the absence of an interventionist God (espoused by post-Holocaust thinkers like Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas, and Hannah Arendt).

Now, after reading all of this, can we settle the argument once and for all that the "show about nothing" was actually about the act of living itself, and interacting with our friends, family, and communities, all while making us laugh? Then again, maybe all that amounts to "nothing" in the end, but it sure is funny.