To many people, Julia Louis-Dreyfus will always be Elaine fromSeinfeld, yet the actor has found success in numerous other roles since, includingThe New Adventures of Old Christine. Although nothing else in her career could compete with the show that turned her into a major TV star, her underrated 2000s sitcom about a middle-aged single mother deserves more attention.
Christine Campbell is one ofLouis-Dreyfus’ best TV characters, not least because she has very little in common with Elaine Benes. The role demonstrates the full extent of Louis-Dreyfus' range as an actor, while putting her impeccable timing and knack for physical comedy to great use.
Louis-Dreyfus would go on to bigger and even better things, playing Selina Meyer inVeepthe following decade. ButSeinfeldfans will likely enjoyThe New Adventures of Old Christinemore than any other sitcomproject to have come after the landmark series starring one of its main cast members.
The New Adventures Of Old Christine Was One Of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Best Roles After Seinfeld
It Came 6 Years Before Her 1st Appearance As Selina Meyer In Veep
This2000s sitcom has been largely forgottenover the past 15 years, as TV comedy has shifted away from shows of its kind. Today, most sitcoms have a single-camera format and no laugh track, and tend to address the type of issues afflicting Christine Campbell in darker, more overtly satirical terms.
However,The New Adventures of Old Christineis undoubtedly one of the best projects Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been involved in sinceSeinfeld.The lead role inVeepand a star turn inArrested Developmentmay look better on her résumé, but her performance as Christine Campbell is just as brilliant in its own way.
Much like the four central characters at the heart ofSeinfeld, Christine finds herself on the sharp end of a comedy of errors, as she navigates life asa single mother whose ex-husband’s new partner shares her first name. She’s prone to landing herself and those around her in farcical situations, which often stem from her insecurities.
Louis-Dreyfus plays up Christine’s self-absorption and indifference to the world around her superbly, at the same time as emphasizing what a mess she’s making of her life.It’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing this rolewith such aplomb, treading the fine line between a character who’s genuinely sympathetic and one who’s worthy of outright ridicule.
How Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Christine Is Different From Her Seinfeld Character
Christine Campbell Is Older, More Insecure & More Self-Absorbed
Elaine Benes isSeinfeld’s best characterfor many fans. Even if she’s not especially likable, she’s certainly less self-centered than George, more emotionally giving than Jerry, and more relatable than Kramer. Christine Campbell has none of these qualities. She’sneurotic, occasionally hysterical, and completely self-obsessed. Whereas Elaine generally doesn’t suffer from chronic insecurities, Christine has a whole collection of them.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ TV comedy roles sinceSeinfeld
Veep
Selina Meyer
As a middle-aged, divorced mother who runs a women’s gym,Christine is extremely self-conscious of her age, body image, and how attractive she isto men. While Elaine’s dating history inSeinfeldis decidedly mixed, she isn’t nearly as overzealous in pursuit of potential suitors as Christine is, nor as liable to turn men off with her behavior.
There’s an age gap of at least 15 years between her and Elaine as characters, which is also a factor in the different trajectories of their respective dating lives. What’s more, Christine has a son in elementary school, andher image among the other parents at his school is another constant preoccupationof hers, providing much of the show’s humor.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was 28 years old when she began starring as Elaine Benes inSeinfeld, and 45 years old during the first season ofThe New Adventures of Old Christine. However, neither character’s specific age is ever specified in either show.
Elaine Benes doesn’t have any children, doesn’t really hold down a stable relationship at any point duringSeinfeld’s nine-season run, doesn’t run her own business, and leads a relatively carefree existence as a young urban professional in New York.Christine Campbell’s LA-based existence is anything but carefree, given the responsibilities she has to her son and her business.
Christine is terrified of growing old and obsessed with keeping up appearances. Between these fear-driven obsessions, the burdens of work and childcare, and her ex-husband’s behavior towards her, there are plenty ofgood reasons for her to have developed the neuroses she has.
The New Adventures Of Old Christine Was So Good, It Broke The “Seinfeld Curse”
It Was The First Post-Seinfeld Sitcom Starring One Of The Show’s Main Cast To Become A Hit
For almost a decade afterSeinfeldconcluded in 1998, the show’smain cast members were afflicted with the “SeinfeldCurse”. Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus each starred in multiple sitcom flops following their career-defining performances alongside Jerry Seinfeld. It seemed as though they were all destined never to experience major TV comedy success again.
WithThe New Adventures of Old Christine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was finally given the platform to shine as a lead actor fronting a well-written series on her own.
Naturally, it took something special to break this curse, andThe New Adventures of Old Christineproved to be the show that provided the requisite magic. Kari Lizer’s sitcom wasa ratings and reviews success from the moment it first airedin 2006, demonstrating that there was far more to Julia Louis-Dreyfus than her most famous sitcom character.
From the early days ofSeinfeld, it was always obvious that Louis-Dreyfus was one of the show’s most talented performers. WithThe New Adventures of Old Christine, she was finally given the platform to shine as a lead actor fronting a well-written series on her own, which prepared the ground for her casting as Selina Meyer inVeep.
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Cast
The New Adventures of Old Christine stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a single mother and business owner navigating the complexities of raising her son, dealing with her ex-husband, and venturing back into the dating world. The series is known for its sharp wit and humor.
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is a television sitcom that follows stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his three eccentric friends, George, Elaine, and Kramer, as they navigate everyday life in New York City during the 1990s. Premiering in 1989, the series humorously explores the mundane and often trivial aspects of social interactions.
