Fans Complain That Netflix’s ‘Seinfeld’ Art Looks Like A.I.

For people who can’t afford to shell out cropped out. 

In an effort to get viewers to click on Seinfeld instead of, say, turning off the TV and interacting with a loved one, Netflix routinely introduces different pieces of thumbnail art for the show — from Jerry looking like a moody psychopath…

…to George striking his “timeless art of seduction” pose. 

Recently, a Seinfeld fan on Reddit shared a particularly “weird” Netflix thumbnail, which a number of commenters suggested could be generative A.I. There’s definitely a lot about the image that feels off: Jerry’s a full foot taller than Elaine, Kramer is either a giant or somehow hovering in the air in the hallway, George is inexplicably staring off to the side and the door clearly isn’t from Jerry’s apartment. Plus, as one fan pointed out, Elaine is looking at Jerry in a “will they, won’t they” fashion that really isn’t in keeping with the show. 

“Definitely feels A.I. generated,” one person speculated. “A.I. is so fun and quirky… said no one,” another joked.

It’s certainly understandable that people would be suspicious, considering that several other sitcoms have gotten the SkyNet treatment lately. As we’ve mentioned before, the recent A.I.-enhanced restoration of I Love Lucy made it look as if Lucy was being stalked by old-timey sleep paralysis demons. And Netflix’s A.I.-upscale of A Different World made headlines for turning the show into “nightmare fuel” in which characters’ faces appeared to be melting à la Raiders of the Lost Ark.

But in this instance, the Seinfeld art wasn’t actually A.I. For one thing, a similarly horrified viewer shared the same thumbnail on social media in 2022, before the A.I. slop art trend had really taken off. 

Most importantly, the thumbnail’s source photo was used in this vintage Canadian TV ad. 

So the thumbnail isn’t an example of how weird and creepy A.I. is, so much as it is an example of how weird and creepy ‘90s TV publicity photos were. 

Whoever took the Seinfeld photo gave Jerry an apple box to stand on, and suggested that everybody make baffling facial expressions for the same reason that NBC marketed Frasier as a show about a guy fleeing a gang of gleeful home invaders.

And Friends, a show about ‘90s twenty-somethings living in Manhattan, naturally inspired a photo shoot in which the cast was dressed up like the sexy ghosts of Old West saloon workers.

It’s still better than A.I., though.