Sit down to watch Jerry Seinfeld's new stand-up special on Netflix and you won't be disappointed.

It's Jerry at his best — the best Jerry!

But that's because you've heard most of it before. It's the material you loved from Seinfeld and his stand-up comedy from the 80s and 90s.

Aside from a few references to his childhood and some updated jokes — a reference to Uber here and a shout out to Netflix there — fans will recognise many of the punchlines.

It's familiar. It's loveable. It's Jerry Seinfeld.

Some might say: "delicious, scrumptious, outstanding."

But what's the deal with comedians telling the same jokes … and getting away with it?

By now, Seinfeld's jokes should no longer be funny. We've seen them on repeat time and time again.

But according to writer, producer and comedy critic Lefa Singleton Norton, that's exactly Seinfeld's success.

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"It says a lot about the Seinfeld material that you can't really tell when a lot of those jokes were written. They're so universal," she said.

"You're talking about material about how strange it is to be in the world. That sort of stuff doesn't age — he could have written it yesterday, he could have written it 20 years ago."

And of course it also helps having such a recognisable voice and brand.

"This is what audiences want … they want him to be Seinfeld. They don't want to discover that he's suddenly decided to do long, storytelling narration shows," she said.

We have come to expect (and want) a certain type of joke from Jerry Seinfeld. ( Supplied: Netflix )

But Australian comedians aren't so lucky

Despite our love for comedy and reputation for larrikinism, we Australians are a tough crowd.

Lefa Singleton Norton has seen a few shows in her time and says we're not as forgiving as Americans when it comes to hearing the same stuff twice.

For six years she produced a weekly magazine during the Melbourne international comedy festivals, speaking to comedians and reviewing their acts.

"For an Australian comic, once you've told a joke on television, you more or less can't perform it anymore," Singleton Norton said.

"[Comedians] talk about it as being 'burnt' material. Once it's done, it's done.

"Unless of course you become someone like Dave Hughes or Tom Gleeson, and you have that kind of profile where people come wanting you to be the same."

We. Want. More. Gleeson! ( ABC TV )

And that's largely because we have such a small market here.

"Comics will take an hour-long set and take it to the Melbourne Comedy festival, to Sydney, to Brisbane and to Adelaide," Singleton Norton said.

"But the next year if you tried to bring back that same set, that would be really frowned upon. That would be thought of as, 'wait a minute I heard that last year'."

Our American friends have it much easier

In the US, people want the familiar. They love it.

"When you look at the Eddie Murphy or classic comedy stand-up TV specials, people love to be able to recite them," Singleton Norton said.

"People love to know what's coming, they love to be in on the joke. And you don't care that you've heard it before."

And for Seinfeld, it's an added bonus that throwbacks are in vogue.

Netflix promised the special would see Jerry perform "the jokes that put him on the comedy map" and that's exactly what's been delivered.

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"I think there's a real nostalgia for Seinfeld the TV show now, and its riding a whole new wave of being a cult interest for younger people," Singleton Norton said.

"I think that this special is very deliberately made to capitalise on that wave."

So what DO Australians love?

Kath and Kim. Utopia. Please Like Me. The Katering Show.

According to Singleton Norton, we like comedy characters.

"In Australia we like to see familiar characters over and over — sketch comedies where we get to see a character develop," she said.

"We tend to do that, rather than watch a comedian persona stand up and talk to us."

And luckily for Seinfeld, he's both. He's Even Steven, remember?

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