Seinfeld (TV series)
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''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
created by
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
and
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
. It aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and focuses on his personal life with three of his friends: best friend
George Costanza George Louis Costanza is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic rela ...
(
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...
), former girlfriend
Elaine Benes Elaine Marie Benes () is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza ...
(
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...
) and his neighbor from across the hall,
Cosmo Kramer Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character in the American television sitcom '' Seinfeld'' (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David's e ...
(
Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...
). It is set mostly in an apartment building in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It has been described as "a show about nothing", often focusing on the minutiae of daily life. Interspersed in earlier episodes are moments of
stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
from the fictional Jerry Seinfeld, frequently using the episode's events for material. As a rising comedian in the late 1980s, Jerry Seinfeld was presented with an opportunity to create a show with NBC. He asked Larry David, a fellow comedian and friend, to help create a premise for a sitcom. The series was produced by West-Shapiro Productions and
Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a label of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidiar ...
and distributed by
Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gem ...
. It was largely written by David and Seinfeld, with script writers who included
Larry Charles Larry Charles (born ) is an American comedian, screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. He was a staff writer for the sitcom ''Seinfeld'' for its first five seasons. He has also directed the documentary film ''Religulous'' and the mockument ...
,
Peter Mehlman Peter Mehlman (born ) is an American television writer, comedian, and producer, best known for serving as a writer and producer on the TV series ''Seinfeld'' through nearly all of the show's nine-year run from 1989–98. He also created the 19 ...
,
Gregg Kavet Gregg Kavet is a writer and director who worked on NBC's ''Seinfeld'' for several seasons with collaborator Andy Robin. The team wrote episodes including "The Jimmy", "The Hot Tub", "The Caddy", " The Bottle Deposit", "The Fatigues", " The Comebac ...
,
Carol Leifer Carol Leifer ( ; born July 27, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actress whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts including ''The Larry Sanders ...
,
David Mandel David Mandel (born ) is writer, actor, director, and producer. He was an executive producer and showrunner of ''Veep'', and was also an executive producer and director of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and ''Seinfeld''. He is also a comedian, and on ...
,
Jeff Schaffer Jeff Schaffer (born ) is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. Early life and education Schaffer and his brother Greg (also a film and TV writer and producer) were raised in the Warren–Howland, Ohio area, about east ...
,
Steve Koren Steve Koren is an American writer/producer and screenwriter. Most notably, he has written for ''Saturday Night Live'', '' Seinfeld'', and ''Veep''. He also wrote or co-wrote the movies '' Bruce Almighty'', '' Click'', '' A Night at the Roxbury ...
,
Jennifer Crittenden Jennifer Crittenden (born ) is an American screenwriter and producer. She started her writing career on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and has since written for several other television sitcoms including ''Everybody Loves Raymo ...
,
Tom Gammill Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...
,
Max Pross Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...
, Dan O'Keefe,
Charlie Rubin Charlie Rubin is an American television comedy writer, producer, and humorist. He has written for '' National Lampoon'', ''The Carol Burnett Show'', ''In Living Color'', ''The Jon Stewart Show'', ''Saturday Night Live'', '' Seinfeld'', and ''Law ...
,
Marjorie Gross Marjorie Gross (April 18, 1956 – June 7, 1996) was a Canadian comedian best known for her work as a television writer and producer. She wrote for ''Seinfeld'', '' Newhart'', ''The Larry Sanders Show'', '' Get a Life'' and '' Square Pegs''. Bi ...
,
Alec Berg Alec Berg is an American television writer, director and executive producer. He wrote for the sitcom ''Seinfeld'' and is co-creator and executive producer of ''Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including ...
,
Elaine Pope Elaine Pope is a Canadian writer and film producer. Born in Montreal, she began her career writing TV specials for Lily Tomlin, including the 1981 TV special ''Lily: Sold Out'', as well as the ABC-TV live sketch-comedy show '' Fridays'' (a rival ...
and
Spike Feresten Spike Feresten (born ) is an American television writer, screenwriter, comedian and television personality, who is best known for his work on ''Seinfeld'', writing for David Letterman, and hosting the late night ''Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' ...
. A favorite among critics, the series led the
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
in Seasons 6 and 9 and finished among the top two (with NBC's '' ER'') every year from 1994 to 1998. Only two other shows – ''
I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...
'' and ''
The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...
–'' have finished their runs at the top of the ratings. ''Seinfeld'' is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential sitcoms of all time. It has been ranked among television's best shows in publications such as ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' and ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
''. Its most renowned episodes include " The Chinese Restaurant," "
The Soup Nazi "The Soup Nazi" is the 116th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld'', which was the sixth episode of the seventh season. It first aired in the United States on November 2, 1995. The Soup Nazi is also the nickname of the eponymous character, Yev K ...
," "
The Parking Garage "The Parking Garage" is the 23rd episode of the situation comedy ''Seinfeld''. It was the sixth episode of the show's third season. It aired on October 30, 1991 on NBC. Written by Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, the episode takes place ...
," "
The Marine Biologist "The Marine Biologist" is the 78th episode of the American sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 14th episode of the fifth season. It was originally broadcast on NBC on February 10, 1994. In the episode, George pretends to be a marine biologist in orde ...
" and "
The Contest "The Contest" is the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer hold a contest to determine who can go for the longes ...
.""TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time and over 6.5 billion different people have watched an episode". ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
''; June 15, 2009; pp. 34–49.
In 2013, the
Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...
voted it the No. 2 Best-Written TV Series of All Time (second to ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
''). E! named it the "Number 1 reason the '90s ruled","Reasons the '90s Ruled 101 – 81"
TV.com
and quotes from numerous episodes have become catchphrases in popular culture.


Cast


Main

*
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
(
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
) – Jerry is a "minor
celeb Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
"
stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
who is often depicted as " the voice of reason" amid the general insanity generated by the people in his world. The in-show character is a mild
germophobe Mysophobia, also known as verminophobia, germophobia, germaphobia, bacillophobia and bacteriophobia, is a pathological fear of contamination and germs. The term was coined by William A. Hammond in 1879 when describing a case of obsessive–com ...
and neat freak as well as an avid
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
, and
breakfast cereal Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in ...
fan. Jerry's apartment is the center of a world visited by his eccentric friends and a focus of the show. *
George Costanza George Louis Costanza is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic rela ...
(
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...
) – George is Jerry's best friend since high school. He is stingy, conniving, pedantic, and jealous of others' achievements. He is depicted as a loser who is perpetually lacking confidence about his capabilities. He rants and lies easily about his profession, relationships, and almost everything else, which usually creates trouble for him later. He often uses the alias Art Vandelay when lying or concocting a cover story. Despite these shortcomings, George is very reliable to his friends and has success in dating women, and he eventually secures a steady career as assistant to the traveling secretary for the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. The character of George was based on Larry David himself. *
Elaine Benes Elaine Marie Benes () is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza ...
(
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...
) – Elaine is Jerry's ex-girlfriend and later friend. She is friendly, while also being sarcastic, selfish, and unorganized. She sometimes tends to be too honest with people (usually by losing her temper), which often gets her into trouble. She usually gets caught up in her boyfriends' quirks, eccentric employers' unusual behaviors and idiosyncrasies, and the maladjustment of total strangers. She tends to make poor choices in men she dates and is often overly reactive. She works for a time at Pendant Publishing with Mr. Lippman and is later hired as a personal assistant for Mr. Pitt. She eventually works for the J. Peterman catalog as a writer. Elaine is popularly described as an amalgamation of David's and Seinfeld's girlfriends during their early days in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
as struggling comedians. *
Cosmo Kramer Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character in the American television sitcom '' Seinfeld'' (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David's e ...
(
Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...
) – Kramer is Jerry's
slacker A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early t ...
neighbor. His trademarks include his humorous upright pompadour hairstyle, vintage clothes, and energetic sliding bursts through Jerry's apartment door. Kramer was heavily based on a neighbor of David's during his amateur comedic years in Manhattan. At times, he appears naïve, uneducated, and impulsive, and at other times, quick-witted, helpful, and empathetic; similarly, he is exaggeratedly successful, socially, with his charisma and laid-back personality. This is seen in his success with women and employers. He has been described as a "hipster doofus". Although he never holds a steady job, he is rarely short of money and frequently invents wacky schemes that often work at first but eventually fail. Kramer is friends with Newman, and they work well together despite their differences.


Recurring

Many characters have made multiple appearances, notably Jerry's parents, Morty and Helen Seinfeld, who reside in Florida; George's parents, the overbearing Frank and Estelle Costanza; George's on-again, off-again fiancée Susan Ross; Jerry's
Uncle Leo Uncle Leo is a fictional character portrayed by Len Lesser in the American sitcom ''Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, ov ...
; Elaine's variety of bosses, Mr. Lippman, Mr. Pitt and J. Peterman; Elaine's on-again, off-again boyfriend David Puddy; and Kramer's friend, Newman, a mail carrier who lives in the same building and is Jerry's nemesis. In addition to recurring characters, ''Seinfeld'' features numerous celebrities who appear as themselves or girlfriends, boyfriends, bosses and other acquaintances. Many actors who made guest appearances became household names later in their careers or were already well known. ; Seinfeld's girlfriends A number of actresses made guest appearances as Seinfeld's love interests in single episodes: * Isabel (
Tawny Kitaen Julie Ellen "Tawny" Kitaen (August 5, 1961 – May 7, 2021) was an American actress, model, and media personality. She began her career as a television actress, appearing in the television films ''Malibu (film), Malibu'' (1983) and ''California ...
) – "
The Nose Job "The Nose Job" is the 26th episode of '' Seinfeld''. It is the ninth episode of the show's third season. It first aired on November 20, 1991. The episode was written by Peter Mehlman and was directed by Tom Cherones. Plot Kramer wants a jacket b ...
" (season 3, episode 9) * Nina (
Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Acad ...
) – " The Letter" (season 3, episode 20) * Marla (
Jane Leeves Jane Elizabeth Leeves (born 18 April 1961) is an English actress. Leeves played Daphne Moon on the NBC television sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 until 2004, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Awards, Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Awards, Gold ...
) – " The Virgin" (season 4, episode 10) * Sidra (
Teri Hatcher Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film ''Tomor ...
) – "
The Implant ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
" (season 4, episode 19) * Amy (
Anna Gunn Anna Gunn (born August 11, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Skyler White on the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a D ...
) – "
The Glasses "The Glasses" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The 67th episode of the series overall, it was written by the writing team Tom Gammill and Max Pross, their respective debuts for the series, and directe ...
" (season 5, episode 3) * Jody (
Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in American Pie (series), ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), Legally Blonde (franchise), ''Legally Bl ...
) – "
The Masseuse ''The Masseuse'' is a pornographic film made in 1990 and starring Randy Spears and Hyapatia Lee. Sequels and remakes A sequel, The ''Masseuse 2'' was released in 1994 and also won awards. Another sequel, ''Masseuse 3'' was released in 1998 and ...
" (season 5, episode 9) * Jane (
Jami Gertz Jami Beth Gertz (born October 28, 1965) is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films ''Crossroads'', ''The Lost Boys'', '' Less than Zero'' and '' Quicksilver'', the 1980s TV series ''Square Pegs'' and 1996's ''Twister ...
) – "
The Stall "The Stall" is the 76th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 12th episode of the fifth season, and first aired on January 6, 1994. Plot In a movie theater restroom, Elaine, realizing her stall does not have any toilet paper, asks th ...
" (season 5, episode 12) * Meryl (
Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom '' Friends'', which aired from 1994 ...
) – " The Wife" (season 5, episode 17) * Jeannie (
Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...
) – "
The Invitations "The Invitations" is the 24th and final episode of the seventh season of ''Seinfeld'' and the 134th overall episode. It originally aired on May 16, 1996, and was the last episode written by co-creator Larry David before he left the writing staff ...
" (season 7, episode 24) * Ellen (
Christine Taylor Christine Joan Taylor Stiller (born July 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for playing Marcia Brady in ''The Brady Bunch Movie'' and ''A Very Brady Sequel'', as well as roles in films like '' The Craft'', ''The Wedding Singer'', ''Z ...
) – "
The Van Buren Boys "The Van Buren Boys" is the 148th episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the 14th episode for the 8th season, originally airing on February 6, 1997. In this episode, everyone is convinced Jerry Seinfeld (character), Jerry's new girlfriend is ...
" (season 8, episode 14) * Jenna (
Kristin Davis Kristin Landen Davis (also listed as Kristin Lee Davis; born February 23, 1965) is an American actress and producer. She is known for playing Charlotte York Goldenblatt in the HBO romantic comedy series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004). She ...
) – "
The Pothole "The Pothole" is the 150th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the 16th episode for the eighth season. It aired on February 20, 1997. In the episode, Jerry is unwilling to kiss his girlfriend after she unknowingly brushes her teeth with ...
" (season 8, episode 16) * Beth (
Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...
) – "
The Yada Yada "The Yada Yada" is the 153rd episode of the American NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The 19th episode of the eighth season, it aired on April 24, 1997. Peter Mehlman and Jill Franklyn were nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Ser ...
" (season 8, episode 19) * Valerie (
Lauren Graham Lauren Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Lorelai Gilmore on The WB/ CW television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), for which she received nominations for Screen Actors Guild ...
) – " The Millenium" (season 8, episode 20) * Lanette (
Amanda Peet Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career with small parts on television, and made her feature film debut in ''Animal Room'' (1995). Her portrayal of Jill St. Claire in ''The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000) broug ...
) – "
The Summer of George "The Summer of George" is the 156th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It was also the 22nd and final episode of the eighth season. It originally aired on May 15, 1997 on NBC. In this episode, after being fired from the New York Yankees, George ...
" (season 8, episode 22) * Patty (
Lori Loughlin Lori Anne Loughlin (; born July 28, 1964) is an American actress. From 1988 to 1995, she played Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'', and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fuller House'' (2016–2018). Loughlin ...
) – "
The Serenity Now "The Serenity Now" is the 159th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the third episode of the ninth and final season. It aired in the U.S. on October 9, 1997.Marcia Cross Marcia Anne Cross (born March 25, 1962) is an American actress. She acted in daytime soap operas such as ''The Edge of Night'', '' Another World'', and ''One Life to Live'' before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on ''Knots ...
) – "
The Slicer "The Slicer" is the 163rd episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the seventh episode of the ninth and final season. It first aired on November 13, 1997.
" (season 9, episode 7)


Plotlines

Many ''Seinfeld'' episodes are based on the writers' real-life experiences, with the experiences reinterpreted for the characters' storylines. For example, George's storyline in "
The Revenge" is based on Larry David's experience at ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''. "
The Contest "The Contest" is the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer hold a contest to determine who can go for the longes ...
" is also based on David's experiences. "
The Smelly Car "The Smelly Car" is the 61st episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. The episode is the 20th episode of the fourth season. It aired on April 15, 1993 on NBC. In this episode, the body odor left by a restaurant valet in Jerry's car further transfer ...
" storyline is based on Peter Mehlman's lawyer friend, who could not get a bad smell out of his car. "
The Strike ''The Strike'' (also known as ''Strike!'', although this is more properly the title of the fictitious Hollywood movie featured in the episode) is one of the short comedy films – written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, and directed by Ric ...
" is based on Dan O'Keefe's dad, who made up his own holiday:
Festivus Festivus () is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. Originally created by author Daniel O'Keefe, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focu ...
. Other stories take a variety of turns. " The Chinese Restaurant" consists of George, Jerry and Elaine waiting for a table throughout the entire episode. " The Boyfriend," revolving around
Keith Hernandez Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. Hernandez was a five-time All-Star who shared the 1979 NL MVP ...
, extends through two episodes. "
The Betrayal "The Betrayal" is the 164th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the eighth episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on November 20, 1997. In this episode, Jerry betrays George by having sex with his girlfriend Nina, right be ...
" is famous for using
reverse chronology Reverse chronology is a narrative structure and method of storytelling whereby the Plot (narrative), plot is revealed in reverse order. In a story employing this technique, the first Scene (fiction), scene shown is actually the conclusion to the ...
and was inspired by a similar plot device in a
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...
play, ''Betrayal''. Some stories were inspired by headlines and rumors, as explained in the DVD features "Notes About Nothing," "Inside Look" and "Audio Commentary." In " The Maestro," Kramer's lawsuit is roughly similar to the
McDonald's coffee case ''Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants'', also known as the McDonald's coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit, was a highly publicized 1994 product liability lawsuit in the United States against the McDonald's restaurant chain. The plaintiff, Ste ...
. " The Outing" is based primarily on rumors that Larry Charles heard about Jerry Seinfeld's sexuality.


Themes

The series was often described as "a show about nothing." However, in 2014, Seinfeld stated: "The pitch for the show, the real pitch, when Larry and I went to NBC in 1988, was we want to show how a comedian gets his material. The show about nothing was just a joke in an episode many years later, and Larry and I to this day are surprised that it caught on as a way that people describe the show, because to us it's the opposite of that." David similarly commented: "I like taking the worst qualities that a person has and trying to make something funny out of it. Doesn’t everybody do terrible things and have terrible thoughts? Just by trying to be as funny, you’re going to deal with a lot of things that are real, so the show’s really about something. The whole thing about the show being about nothing is ridiculous." Much of the show's humor is based upon repeated use of irony, incongruity and (oftentimes unfortunate) coincidences. ''Seinfeld'' broke several conventions of mainstream television. David is credited with refusing to follow the predictable sitcom formula that would have a blossoming romantic relationship develop between Jerry and Elaine. The show offers no growth or reconciliation to its characters and eschews sentimentality. An episode is typically driven by humor interspersed with the superficial conflicts of characters with peculiar dispositions. Many episodes revolve around the characters' involvement in the lives of others with typically disastrous results. On the set, the notion that the characters should not develop or improve throughout the series was expressed as the "no hugging, no learning" rule. Also unlike most sitcoms, there are no moments of
pathos Pathos (, ; plural: ''pathea'' or ''pathê''; , for "suffering" or "experience") appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a term used most often in rhetoric (in which it is c ...
; the audience is never made to feel sorry for any of the characters. Even Susan's death in "
The Invitations "The Invitations" is the 24th and final episode of the seventh season of ''Seinfeld'' and the 134th overall episode. It originally aired on May 16, 1996, and was the last episode written by co-creator Larry David before he left the writing staff ...
" elicits no genuine emotions from anybody in the show. ''Seinfeld'' does not shy away from making light of tough topics, from death to illness to disability. The characters are "thirty-something singles with vague identities, no roots, and conscious indifference to morals." Usual conventions were broken, like isolating the characters from the actors playing them and separating the characters' world from that of the actors and audience. One such example is the
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
where the characters promote a TV sitcom series named ''Jerry''. The show within a show, ''Jerry'' was much like ''Seinfeld'' in that it was "about nothing" and Seinfeld played himself. The fictional ''Jerry'' was launched in the Season 4 finale, but unlike ''Seinfeld'', it wasn't picked up as a series. ''Jerry'' is one of many examples of
metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction which emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...
in the show. There are no fewer than 22 fictional movies featured, like ''Rochelle, Rochelle''. Because of these several elements, ''Seinfeld'' became the first TV series since ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known ...
'' to be widely described as Postmodernism, postmodern. Seinfeld is an avid Abbott and Costello fan, and has cited ''The Abbott and Costello Show'' as an influence on ''Seinfeld'': "Everybody on the show knows I'm a fan. We're always joking about how we do stuff from their show. George and I will often get into a riff that has the rhythm from the old Abbott and Costello shows. And sometimes I'll hit George in the chest the way Abbott would hit Costello." The series includes numerous references to the team. George Costanza's middle name is "Louis," after Costello. "The Old Man (Seinfeld), The Old Man" episode features a cantankerous character named "Sid Fields" as a tribute to the landlord on the team's TV show. Kramer's friend is named Mickey Abbott. A copywriter for the J. Peterman catalog is named Eddie Sherman, after the team's longtime agent. In Episode 30, Kramer hears the famous Abbott and Costello line, "His father was a mudder. His mother was a mudder."


Catchphrases

Many terms were coined, popularized or re-popularized in the series' run and have become part of popular culture, including "The Yada Yada, Yada, yada, yada", "The Soup Nazi, No soup for you!", "Master of my domain”, and "The Outing, Not that there's anything wrong with that." The lexicon of Seinfeldian code words and recurring phrases that evolved around particular episodes is referred to as Seinlanguage, which is also the title of Jerry Seinfeld's best-selling book on humor. These terms include "The Bizarro Jerry, man hands", "The Hamptons (Seinfeld), shrinkage", "The Label Maker, regift", and "The Implant, double dip".


Music

A signature of ''Seinfeld'' is its theme music. Composed by Jonathan Wolff (musician), Jonathan Wolff, it consists of distinct solo Sampling (music), sampled Bass guitar, electric bass riffs that open the show and connect the scenes, often accompanied by beatboxing. The bass music eventually replaced the original piano/synth music by Jep Epstein when it was played again after the first broadcast of The Seinfeld Chronicles, the pilot episode. The show lacked a traditional title track and the riffs were played over the first moments of dialogue or action. They vary throughout each episode and are played in an improvised funk style, matching the timing of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy delivery or transitions in the editing. An additional musical theme with an ensemble, led by a synthesized mid-range brass instrument, ends each episode. In "The Note (Seinfeld), The Note", the first episode of Season 3, the bumper music featured a Scat singing, scatting female jazz singer who sang a phrase that sounded like "easy to beat". Jerry Seinfeld and executive producer Larry David both liked Wolff's additions, and three episodes were produced with this new style of music. However, they had neglected to inform NBC and Castle Rock executives of the change, and when the season premiere aired, the executives were surprised and unimpressed and requested that they return to the original style. The subsequent two episodes were redone, leaving this episode as the only one with additional music elements. In the commentary of "The Note", Louis-Dreyfus facetiously suggests it was removed because the perceived lyric related closely to the low ratings at the time. In the final three seasons, the bits were tweaked slightly with more frantic rhythms; a bass guitar was added in addition to the sampled bass from earlier seasons. Throughout the show, the main theme could be restyled in different ways depending on the episode. For instance, in "The Betrayal", part of which takes place in India, the theme is heard played on a sitar. The soundtrack was given a digital release on July 2, 2021.


Episodes

''Seinfeld'' stood out from family and group Situation comedy, sitcoms of its time. The principal characters are not related by family or work connections but remain distinctly close friends throughout the series. Many characters were based primarily on Seinfeld's and David's real-life acquaintances. Two prominent recurring characters were based on well-known people: Jacopo Peterman of the The J. Peterman Company, J. Peterman catalog (based on John Peterman) and George Steinbrenner (Seinfeld character), George Steinbrenner, owner of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. Many characters were introduced as new writers got involved with ''Seinfeld''. Other characters based on real people include the Soup Nazi and Jackie Chiles, who was based on Johnnie Cochran. ''Seinfeld'' follows a story structure: story thread is presented at the beginning of every episode, which involves the characters starting in their situations, and rapid scene shifts between plot lines bring the stories together. Even though it does not follow a pattern as other sitcoms, the characters' stories variously intertwine in each episode. Despite the separate plot strands, the narratives reveal the creators' "consistent efforts to maintain the intimacy" among the small cast of characters. The show maintains a strong sense of continuity (fiction), continuity, as characters and plots from past episodes are often referenced or expanded on. Occasionally, story arcs span multiple episodes and even entire seasons, the most memorable being Seinfeld (season 4), Season 4, which revolved around the television pilot, pilot pitch to NBC by Jerry and George. Another example is Jerry's girlfriend Vanessa, who appears in "The Stake Out (Seinfeld), The Stake Out" and with whom he ends the relationship when things do not work out in "The Stock Tip". Other examples are Kramer getting his jacket back and Elaine heading the "Peterman catalog".
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
, the head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons, was praised for keeping a close eye on minor details and making sure the main characters' lives remained consistent and believable. ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', David's later comedy series, expanded on this idea by following a specific theme for all but one season in the series. A major difference between ''Seinfeld'' and sitcoms that preceded it is that the principal characters never learn from their mistakes. In effect, they are indifferent and even callous toward the outside world and sometimes one another. A mantra of the show's producers was "No hugging, no learning." ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
''s TV critic Ken Tucker has described them as "a group dynamic rooted in jealousy, rage, insecurity, despair, hopelessness, and a touching lack of faith in one's fellow human beings." This leads to very few happy endings, except at somebody else's expense. More often in every episode, situations resolve with characters getting a justly deserved :wikt: comeuppance, comeuppance.


Seasons 1–3

The show premiered as ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' on July 5, 1989. After it aired, a pickup by NBC seemed unlikely and the show was offered to Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, which declined to pick it up. Rick Ludwin, head of late night and special events for NBC, however, diverted money from his budget by canceling a Bob Hope#Broadcasting, Bob Hope television special, and the next four episodes were filmed. These episodes were highly rated as they followed summer re-runs of ''Cheers'' on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m., and the series was finally picked up. At one point NBC considered airing these episodes on Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. but gave the slot to a short-lived sitcom called ''FM (American TV series), FM'' instead. The series was renamed simply ''Seinfeld'' after the failure of short-lived 1990 American Broadcasting Company, ABC series ''The Marshall Chronicles''. After airing the remaining four episodes of its first season the summer of 1990, NBC ordered 13 more episodes. David believed that he and Seinfeld had no more stories to tell, and advised Seinfeld to turn down the order, but Seinfeld agreed to the additional episodes. Season 2 was bumped off its scheduled premiere of January 16, 1991, due to the outbreak of the Gulf War, Persian Gulf War. It settled into a regular time slot on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. and eventually flipped with veteran series ''Night Court'' to 9 p.m. TV critics championed ''Seinfeld'' in its early seasons, even as it was slow to cultivate a substantial audience. For the first three seasons, Jerry's stand-up comedy act would bookend an episode, even functioning as transitions during the show. A few episodes set a benchmark for later seasons. "The Deal (Seinfeld episode), The Deal" establishes Jerry and Elaine's relationship by setting rules about sleeping together and remaining friends. "The Parking Garage (Seinfeld episode), The Parking Garage" was the first episode shot with no audience for the episode and, after "The Chinese Restaurant (Seinfeld episode), The Chinese Restaurant," to not show Jerry's apartment. "The Keys (Seinfeld episode), The Keys" contains a crossover to CBS show ''Murphy Brown'', marking the first such cooperation between rival networks. "The Busboy (Seinfeld), The Busboy" introduces George, Kramer and Elaine as having their own storylines for the first time. Although Castle Rock Entertainment's Glenn Padnick thought Seinfeld was too generous, showcasing his co-stars' comedic talent became a trademark throughout the series. Larry Charles wrote an episode for Season 2, "The Bet," in which Elaine buys a gun from Kramer's friend. This episode was not filmed because the content was deemed unacceptable and was replaced by the episode "The Phone Message." "The Stranded (Seinfeld), The Stranded," which aired during Season 3, was initially intended for Season 2. In the beginning of this episode, Jerry clears up the continuity error over George's real estate job.


Seasons 4–5

Season 4 marked the sitcom's entry into the
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
Top 30, coinciding with several popular episodes, such as "The Bubble Boy (Seinfeld episode), The Bubble Boy" in which George and the bubble boy argue over ''Trivial Pursuit'', and "The Junior Mint (Seinfeld episode), The Junior Mint" in which Jerry and Kramer accidentally fumble a mint in the operating room. This was the first season to use a story arc of Jerry and George creating their own sitcom, ''Jerry''. Also at this time, the use of Jerry's stand-up act slowly declined, and the stand-up segment in the middle of ''Seinfeld'' episodes was cut. Much publicity followed the controversial episode, "The Contest (Seinfeld), The Contest", an Emmy Award-winning episode written by David, whose subject matter was considered inappropriate for prime time network TV. To circumvent this taboo, the word "masturbation" was never used in the script, instead substituted for by a variety of oblique references. Midway through that season, ''Seinfeld'' was moved from its original 9:00 p.m. time slot on Wednesdays to 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays, following ''Cheers'' again, which gave the show even more popularity. Ratings also sparked the move, as Tim Allen's sitcom ''Home Improvement (TV series), Home Improvement'' on ABC had aired at the same time and ''Improvement'' kept beating ''Seinfeld'' in the ratings. NBC moved the series after Ted Danson announced the end of ''Cheers'' and ''Seinfeld'' quickly surpassed the ratings of the 9:00 p.m. ''Cheers'' reruns that spring. The show won an Emmy Award for ''Outstanding Comedy Series'' in 1993, beating out its family-oriented, time-slot competitor ''Home Improvement'', which was only in its second season on rival network ABC. Season 5 was an even bigger ratings hit, consisting of popular episodes, such as "The Puffy Shirt" in which Jerry feels embarrassed wearing a "pirate" shirt on ''The Today Show'', "The Non-Fat Yogurt" featuring Rudy Giuliani, the Republican Party (United States), Republican then-mayor-elect of New York, and "The Opposite" in which George, doing the opposite of what his instincts tell him he should do, lands a job with the New York Yankees and Elaine leaves "Pendant Publishing" because of a comedy of errors that led to its demise. Another story arc has George returning to live with his parents. In the midst of the story arc, Kramer creates and promotes his coffee table book. The show was again nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, but lost to the ''Cheers'' spin-off ''Frasier'', then in its first season. ''Seinfeld'' was nominated for the same award every year for its entire run but, after its win at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994, always lost to ''Frasier'', which went on to win a record 39 Emmy Awards in its 11-season run.


Seasons 6–7

In Season 6, Andy Ackerman replaced Tom Cherones as director of the show. The series remained well regarded and produced some of its most famous episodes, such as "The Beard", in which Jerry is put through a lie detector test to make him admit that he watched ''Melrose Place;'' "The Switch (Seinfeld), The Switch", in which Kramer's mom, Babs, reveals that his first name is Cosmo; and "The Understudy (Seinfeld), The Understudy", in which Elaine meets J. Peterman for the first time. Story arcs used in this season were Elaine working as a personal assistant to her eccentric boss Justin Pitt and George's parents' temporary separation. This was the first season in which ''Seinfeld'' reached No. 1 in the Nielsen Ratings. The use of Jerry's stand-up act declined with the end stand-up segment no longer appearing because the storylines for all four characters grew denser. In Season 7, a story arc involved George getting engaged to his ex-girlfriend, Susan Ross, after the pilot ''Jerry'' proved unsuccessful. In it, George spends most of the season regretting and trying to get out of the engagement. Along with the regular half-hour episodes, two notable one-hour episodes were "The Cadillac (Seinfeld), The Cadillac", in which George plans to date award-winning actress Marisa Tomei, and "The Bottle Deposit", with Elaine and Sue Ellen participating in a bidding war to buy JFK's golf clubs in an auction.


Seasons 8–9

''Seinfeld’s'' final two seasons were regarded as being distinct from the earlier seasons. Most noticeably, David left the writing crew (but returned to write "The Finale (Seinfeld), The Finale" in 1998), resulting in Seinfeld taking over David's duties as showrunner, and, under the direction of a new writing staff, ''Seinfeld'' became a faster-paced show. The show no longer contained extracts of Jerry performing stand-up comedy—Jerry had no time or energy for this with his new responsibilities—and storylines occasionally delved into fantasy and broad humor. For example, in "The Bizarro Jerry", Elaine is torn between exact opposites of her friends and Jerry dates a woman who has the now-famous "man hands". Some notable episodes from Season 8 include "The Little Kicks" showing Elaine's horrible dancing, and "The Chicken Roaster" which portrays the ''Kenny Rogers Roasters'' chicken restaurant which opened during that time. A story arc in this season involves Peterman going to Burma in "The Foundation (Seinfeld), The Foundation" until he recovered from a nervous breakdown in "The Money", followed by Elaine writing Peterman's biography in "
The Van Buren Boys "The Van Buren Boys" is the 148th episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the 14th episode for the 8th season, originally airing on February 6, 1997. In this episode, everyone is convinced Jerry Seinfeld (character), Jerry's new girlfriend is ...
", which leads to Kramer's parody of Kenny Kramer's Reality Tour seen in "The Muffin Tops". The final season included episodes like "The Merv Griffin Show (Seinfeld), The Merv Griffin Show" in which Kramer converts his apartment into a talk-show studio and plays the character of talk-show host, "The Betrayal" that presents in reverse chronological order what happened to Sue Ellen's wedding in India, and "The Frogger" in which George pushes a ''Frogger'' machine across the street, mimicking the action of the game itself. The last season included a story arc in which Elaine has an on/off relationship with David Puddy, Puddy. Despite the enormous popularity and willingness of the cast to return for a tenth season, Seinfeld decided to end the show after Season 9, believing he would thereby be able to ensure the show would maintain its quality and go out on top. NBC offered him over $100 million for a tenth season, but Seinfeld declined. A major controversy caused in this final season was the accidental burning of a Puerto Rican flag by Kramer in "The Puerto Rican Day". This scene caused a furor among Puerto Ricans, and as a result, NBC showed this episode only once. Seinfeld defused the protestors by not letting this episode continue in syndication, as revealed in "Inside Look" on DVD. However, the episode would be added to the syndicated rerun package several years later uncut.


Series finale

After nine years on the air, NBC and Seinfeld announced on December 25, 1997, that the series would end production the following spring in 1998. The announcement made the front page of the major New York newspapers, including ''The New York Times''. Seinfeld was featured on the cover of ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's first issue of 1998. The series ended with a 75-minute episode (cut to 60 minutes in Broadcast syndication, syndication, in two parts) written by co-creator and ex-executive producer Larry David, which aired on May 14, 1998. Before the finale, a 45-minute retrospective clip show, "The Chronicle (Seinfeld), The Chronicle", was aired. The retrospective was expanded to an hour after the original airing and aired again on NBC as an hour-long episode, and has since aired in syndication. It was the first episode since the finale of Season 7, "
The Invitations "The Invitations" is the 24th and final episode of the seventh season of ''Seinfeld'' and the 134th overall episode. It originally aired on May 16, 1996, and was the last episode written by co-creator Larry David before he left the writing staff ...
", to feature opening and closing stand-up comedy acts by Seinfeld. The finale was filmed before an audience of NBC executives and friends of the show. The press and public were shut out of the taping to keep its plot secret; those who attended the shoot of the final episode were required to sign written "vows of silence". The secrecy only seemed to increase speculation about how the series would end. The producers of the episode tweaked the media about the hype, spreading a false rumor about Newman ending up in the hospital and Jerry and Elaine sitting in a chapel, presumably to marry. The final episode enjoyed a historic audience, estimated at 76.3 million viewers (58% of all viewers that night) making it the fourth-most watched regular series finale in U.S. TV history, behind ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'', ''Cheers'', and ''The Fugitive (1963 TV series), The Fugitive''. However, the finale received mixed reviews from critics and fans of the show. The finale poked fun at the many rumors that were circulating, seeming to move into multiple supposed plots before settling on its true storyline—a lengthy trial where the gang is prosecuted for violating a "Duty to rescue, Duty to Rescue" law and sentenced to prison terms. According to ''Forbes'' magazine, Seinfeld's earnings from the show in 1998 came to US$267 million, including syndication earnings. He refused NBC's offer of $5 million per episode, or over $100 million total, to continue into a tenth season. The offer NBC made to Seinfeld was over three times higher per episode than anyone on TV had ever been offered before. Seinfeld told the network that he was not married nor had children, and wished to focus on his personal life. As reported in July 2007, he was the second-highest earner in the TV industry, earning at the time $60 million a year. The episode became the first to command over $1 million a minute for advertising—a mark previously attained only by the Super Bowl.


Syndication

According to Barry Meyer, chairman of Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment (parent company of Castle Rock), ''Seinfeld'' made $2.7 billion through June 2010. the show had made an estimated $4.06 billion in syndication. Steve Bannon, who invested in the show, later said, "We calculated what it would get us if it made it to syndication. We were wrong by a factor of five". In September 2019, it was announced that Viacom (2005–2019), Viacom (now Paramount Global) had acquired cable syndication rights to the series from TBS (American TV channel), TBS, with it airing on Comedy Central beginning in October 2021 and Nick at Nite in May 2022.


Production

''Seinfeld'' began as a 23-minute pilot titled ''The Seinfeld Chronicles''. Created by
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
and
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
, developed by NBC executive Rick Ludwin, and produced by
Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a label of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidiar ...
, it was a mix of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy routines and idiosyncratic, conversational scenes focusing on mundane aspects of everyday life like laundry, the buttoning of the top button on one's shirt, and the effort by men to interpret the intent of women spending the night in Seinfeld's apartment.Battaglio, Stephen (June 30, 2014). "'Annoying' 'Disorienting' 'Boring': On ''Seinfeld's'' 25th anniversary an exclusive look at the memo that almost killed the show". ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
''. pp. 18–19.
The pilot was filmed at Stage 8 of Ren-Mar Studios, Desilu Cahuenga studios, the same studio where ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' was filmed (seen by the crew as a good omen), and was recorded at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood. The pilot was first screened to a group of two dozen NBC executives in Burbank, California, in early 1989. It did not yield the explosion of laughter garnered by the pilots for the decade's previous NBC successes like ''The Cosby Show'' and ''The Golden Girls.'' Brandon Tartikoff was not convinced the show would work. A Jewish man from New York himself, Tartikoff characterized it as "Too New York, too Jewish" (a sentiment which would also lead to the Cosmo character's later surname change from the more Jewish-sounding Kessler to Kramer). Test audiences were even harsher. NBC's practice at the time was to recruit 400 households by phone to ask them to evaluate pilots it aired on an unused channel on its cable system. An NBC research department memo summarized the pilot's performance among the respondents as "weak", which Warren Littlefield, then second-in-command in NBC's entertainment division, called "a dagger to the heart". Comments included, "You can't get too excited about two guys going to the laundromat"; "Jerry's loser friend George isn't a forceful character"; "Jerry needs a stronger supporting cast"; and "Why are they interrupting the stand-up for these stupid stories?" Seinfeld and David did not see the memo for several years, but after they became aware of it, they hung it in a bathroom on the set. Seinfeld comments, "We thought, if someone goes in to use this bathroom, this is something they should see. It fits that moment." Around the time the show's pilot was filmed, Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced the show, had also produced another pilot for NBC that featured Ann Jillian in her almost-similarly eponymous Ann Jillian (TV series), TV series. When ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' tested poorly with audiences, Castle Rock focused on Jillian's series, which tested better with audiences and received a full-season order. ''Ann Jillian'' lasted only a single season of 13 episodes and was off the air by the end of 1990. When NBC announced its 1989–90 (primetime) schedule in May 1989, ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' was not included, but the show's supporters did not give up. The pilot first aired on July 5, 1989, and finished second in its time slot against the CBS police drama ''Jake and the Fatman'', receiving a Nielsen ratings, Nielsen rating of 10.9/19. The ratings did not exhibit the regional skew Tartikoff predicted, much to the encouragement of the show's supporters. Ludwin canceled one of the Bob Hope specials budgeted for that season so the entertainment division had the money to order four more episodes of ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'', which formed the rest of Seinfeld (season 1), the show's first season (the series was by then retitled to ''Seinfeld'')—a move without which ''Chicago Tribune'' columnist Phil Rosenthal later said there "would be no ''Seinfeld"''. Although this was a very low order number for a new series—and the smallest sitcom order in TV history—Castle Rock failed to find any other buyers when it shopped the show to other networks, and accepted the order. ''Seinfeld'' did not return to the airwaves until May 30, 1990, and it was another three years before it became a Top 5-rated show. Preston Beckman, in charge of NBC's research department at the time, reminisced, "The show was different. Nobody had seen anything like it. It wasn't unusual for poor-testing shows to get on the air, but it was very rare that they became hits." When it was first repeated on July 5, 1990, it received a rating of 13.9/26. These ratings were high enough to secure a second season. NBC research showed that the show was popular with young male adults, a demographic sought after by advertisers. This gave NBC an incentive to keep broadcasting the show. One DVD reviewer, Britt Gillette, wrote that "this initial episode exhibits the flashes of brilliance that made ''Seinfeld'' a cultural phenomenon." Other than the pilot, the series was filmed at CBS Studio Center, in Studio City, California. The first three seasons were filmed on soundstage 19; it then moved to the larger Stage 9 for the remainder of its production. Despite numerous establishing shots taken in New York City, all scenes of the actors walking in New York were also filmed at CBS Studio Center, on their New York Street backlot. Other locations on the CBS lot were also used, as well as scenes filmed at Paramount Studios and Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Brothers Studios Hollywood. A source of problems for the cast was the small sets, especially that of Jerry's apartment; Alexander noted "If you knew you were doing a series for nine years, you would never build that set". Adding to the problem was that the scripts contained only minimal physical direction, leaving the actors struggling to come up with actions to perform while speaking. Eventually, they got into a routine of directing each other on how to make their movements look natural. Alexander said this helped them build chemistry with each other. Filming usually went long, as the cast and David were perfectionists. If a joke didn't elicit the reaction they hoped for, they rewrote it and performed it again. In at least one case, "The Marine Biologist", this led to David writing an entirely new scene requiring Alexander to memorize a monologue in only a matter of minutes. Laugh tracks were used only for matching shots, not for artificially adding laughter.


High-definition versions

There are two High-definition television, high-definition versions of ''Seinfeld''. The first is that of the network TV (non-syndicated) versions in the original aspect ratio of 4:3 that were downscaled for the DVD releases. Clips from this high-definition version in its upscale were seen on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
during ''The Seinfeld Story'' special. Syndicated broadcast stations and the cable networks TBS (American TV channel), TBS and Comedy Central began airing the syndicated version of ''Seinfeld'' in HD. Unlike the version used for the DVD, Sony Pictures cropped the top and bottom parts of the frame, while restoring previously cropped images on the sides, from the 35mm movie film, 35mm film source, to use the entire 16:9 frame.


Reception and legacy

Elizabeth Magnotta and Alexandra Strohl analyze the success of ''Seinfeld'' with recourse to the Theories of humor#Incongruity theory, incongruity theory of humor: "The Incongruity Theory claims that humor is created out of a violation of an expectation. For humor to result from this unexpected result, the event must have an appropriate emotional climate, the setting, characters, prior discourse, relationships of the characters, and the topic." Specifically, Magnotta and Strohl focus on "
The Marine Biologist "The Marine Biologist" is the 78th episode of the American sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 14th episode of the fifth season. It was originally broadcast on NBC on February 10, 1994. In the episode, George pretends to be a marine biologist in orde ...
", where George is embroiled in yet another lie, and on "The Red Dot", where George tries to save a few dollars at Elaine's expense by giving her a marked-down cashmere wool, cashmere sweater. In "Translating ''Seinfeld''", Jennifer Armstrong notes that ''Seinfeld'' is less popular among non-English speakers as its unique style of humor is "too cultural and word-based to make for easy translation". Carol Iannone sums up the legacy of this American hit in her ''Modern Age'' article "''Seinfeld'': The Politically Incorrect Comedy" when she says, "It may be the first situation comedy truly to achieve the status of art". Nod Miller, of the University of East London, has discussed the self-referential qualities of the show: William Irwin (philosopher), William Irwin has edited an anthology of scholarly essays on philosophy in ''Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing''. Some entries include "The Jerry Problem and the Socratic Problem", "George's Failed Quest for Happiness: An Aristotelian Analysis", "Elaine's Moral Character", "Kramer the 'Seducer, "Making Something Out of Nothing: Seinfeld, Sophism, Sophistry and the Tao", "Seinfeld, Subjectivity, and Jean-Paul Sartre, Sartre", "Mr. Peterman, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Me", and "Minimally Decent Samaritans and Uncommon Law".


U.S. television ratings

, - , + TV viewership in the United States , - ! rowspan="2" colspan="2" , Season ! rowspan="2" , TV season ! rowspan="2" , Episodes ! rowspan="2" , Timeslot ! colspan="2" , Original air dates ! colspan="3" , Nielsen Company, Nielsen ratings ! colspan="2" , Most watched episode , - ! Season premiere ! Season finale ! Rank ! Rating ! Viewers
(millions) ! Title ! Viewers
(millions) , - , style="background:#339be9" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_3_(1989–90), 1 , , 1989–90 United States network television schedule, 1989–90 , , 5 , , Wednesday at 9:30 pm (Episode 1)
Thursday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 2–5) , , July 5, 1989 , , June 21, 1990 , , rowspan , , rowspan , , 19.26 , , "The Stake Out (Seinfeld), The Stake Out" , , 22.5 , - , style="background:#f7d712;", , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_2_(1991), 2 , , 1990–91 United States network television schedule, 1990–91 , , 12 , , Wednesday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 1–4, 12)
Thursday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 5–11) , , January 23, 1991 , , June 26, 1991 , , , , , , 18.07 , , "The Apartment (Seinfeld), The Apartment" , , 24.7 , - , style="background:#244d8d" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_3_(1991–92), 3 , , 1991–92 United States network television schedule, 1991–92 , , 23 , , Wednesday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 1–11, 18)
Wednesday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 12–17, 19–23) , , September 18, 1991 , , May 6, 1992 , , #42 , , 12.5 , , 17.66 , , " The Letter" , , 22.3 , - , style="background:#49a9a3" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_4_(1992–93), 4 , , 1992–93 United States network television schedule, 1992–93 , , 24 , , Wednesday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 1–3, 5–15)
Wednesday at 9:30 pm (Episode 4)
Thursday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 16–22)
Thursday at 8:00 pm (Episode 23)
Thursday at 8:30 pm (Episode 24) , , August 12, 1992 , , May 20, 1993 , , #25 , , 13.7 , , 20.91 , , "The Pilot (Seinfeld), The Pilot" , , 32.8 , - , style="background:#4c5385" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_5_(1993–94), 5 , , 1993–94 United States network television schedule, 1993–94 , , 22 , , rowspan="5", Thursday at 9:00 pm, , September 16, 1993 , , May 19, 1994 , , #3 , , 19.6 , , 29.59 , , "
The Stall "The Stall" is the 76th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 12th episode of the fifth season, and first aired on January 6, 1994. Plot In a movie theater restroom, Elaine, realizing her stall does not have any toilet paper, asks th ...
" and "
The Marine Biologist "The Marine Biologist" is the 78th episode of the American sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 14th episode of the fifth season. It was originally broadcast on NBC on February 10, 1994. In the episode, George pretends to be a marine biologist in orde ...
" , , 35.0 , - , style="background:#6d9cb3" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_6_(1994–95), 6 , , 1994–95 United States network television schedule, 1994–95 , , 24 , , September 22, 1994 , , May 18, 1995 , , #1 , , 20.6 , , 30.06 , , "The Switch (Seinfeld), The Switch" , , 36.6 , - , style="background:#5f5758" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_7_(1995–96), 7 , , 1995–96 United States network television schedule, 1995–96 , , 24 , , September 21, 1995 , , May 16, 1996 , , #2 , , 21.2 , , 33.19 , , "The Engagement (Seinfeld), The Engagement" , , 37.6 , - , style="background:#b5b7bc;", , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_8_(1996–97), 8 , , 1996–97 United States network television schedule, 1996–97 , , 22 , , September 19, 1996 , , May 15, 1997 , , #2 , , 20.5 , , 32.48 , , "The Money" , , 37.3 , - , style="background:#68471a" , , , List of Seinfeld episodes#Season_9_(1997–98), 9 , , 1997–98 United States network television schedule, 1997–98 , , 24 , , September 25, 1997 , , May 14, 1998 , , #1 , , 22.0 , , 38.03
(32.15)Excluding ''The Finale (Seinfeld), The Finale'' (76.26 million viewers) and ''The Clip Show'' (58.53 million viewers) , , "The Finale (Seinfeld), The Finale"
("The Puerto Rican Day") , , 76.3
(38.8)


Awards and nominations

''Seinfeld'' has received awards and nominations in various categories throughout the mid-1990s. It was awarded the Emmy Award, Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993, Golden Globe Award for Best TV-Series (Comedy) in 1994 and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 1995, 1997 and 1998.1st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – "Seinfeld"
Retrieved on March 14, 2008
3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – Official Site
"Seinfeld" Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved on March 14, 2008,
Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – "Seinfeld"
Retrieved on March 14, 2008,
Apart from these, the show was also nominated for an Emmy award from 1992 to 1998 for Outstanding Comedy Series, Golden Globe award from 1994 to 1998 for Best TV-Series (Comedy), and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 1995 to 1998. The show even received the Peabody Award in 1993. ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' named it the TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, greatest TV show of all time in 2002. and in 2013, the magazine ranked it as the second-greatest TV show. A 2015 ''The Hollywood Reporter'' survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people named ''Seinfeld'' as their #5 favorite show. In 2022, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' ranked ''Seinfeld'' as the sixth-greatest TV show of all time.


Consumer products

A recurring feature of ''Seinfeld'' was its inclusion of specific products, especially candy, as plot points. These might be a central feature of a plot (e.g., Junior Mints, Twix, Chuckles, Jujyfruits, bite-size 3 Musketeers (chocolate bar), Three Musketeers, Snickers, Chunky (candy bar), Chunky, Oh Henry!, Drake's Cakes, Drake's Coffee Cake and PEZ), or an association of candy with a guest character (e.g. Oh Henry! bars) or simply a conversational aside (e.g., Chuckles, Clark Bar, Twinkies). A large number of non-candy products were also featured throughout the series. The show's creators claim that they weren't engaging in a product placement strategy for commercial gain. One motivation for the use of real-world products, quite unrelated to commercial considerations, is the comedy value of funny-sounding phrases and words. "I knew I wanted Kramer to think of watching the operation like going to see a movie", explained ''Seinfeld'' writer/producer Andy Robin in an interview published in ''The Hollywood Reporter''. "At first, I thought maybe a piece of popcorn falls into the patient. I ran that by my brother, and he said, 'No, Junior Mints are just funnier.'" Many advertisers capitalized on the popularity of ''Seinfeld''. American Express created a webisode where Jerry Seinfeld and an animated
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
(voiced by Patrick Warburton, who played the role of Puddy) starred in its commercial. The makers of the Contraceptive sponge, Today Sponge created the "Spongeworthy" game, on their website, inspired by "The Sponge". An advertisement featured Jason Alexander in a Chrysler commercial. In this, Alexander acts much like his character George, and his relationship with Lee Iacocca plays on George's relationship with Steinbrenner. Similarly, Michael Richards was the focus of a series of advertisements for Vodafone which ran in Australia where he dressed and acted exactly like Kramer, including the trademark bumbling pratfalls. In addition, the show occasionally incorporated fictional products like a Scotch whisky, Scotch brand called "Hennigan's" (a blend of "Hennessy" and "Brannigans") and a canned meat product called "Beef-a-reeno" (a parody of "Chef Boyardee, Beef-a-roni").


Home media


VHS release

The hour-long, two-part clip show episode "The Highlights of 100" became the first ''Seinfeld'' episode available on home video when it was released on VHS in 1995.


DVD releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released all nine seasons of ''Seinfeld'' on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4 between 2004 and 2007. On November 6, 2007, ''Seinfeld: The Complete Series'' was released on DVD. The complete series box set includes a 2007 "roundtable" reunion of the four main cast members and Larry David; only highlights of this were also included in the Season 9 set. In Australia (Region 4), the first complete series boxset was released on October 24, 2007. This set contained "The Coffee Table Book" and slipcase packaging and was a Limited Edition. In late 2007/2008, all the individual seasons were re-released in a single Amaray style case. The second boxset was released on December 2, 2008, and was a Collectible Fridge design packaging. On August 5, 2009, another Limited Edition boxset was released, similar to the first boxset but does not include the book and the packaging was slightly different. On November 23, 2011, another Limited Edition boxset was released, appearing to be almost identical to the 2009 version with some minor differences. On November 14, 2018, a Festivus Celebration Edition was released which contained napkins and cups, playing cards and thumb wrestle gadgets. On August 12, 2020, another The Complete Series boxset was released, this time the box is blue and contains 8 Amaray style cases.


Streaming


All 4 (UK)

Free streaming service All 4 has been running ''Seinfeld'' in its original 4:3 format since February 2020.


Crave (Canada)

In Canada, the series streamed on Crave (streaming service), Crave, having left on September 30, 2021.


Hulu (US)

On April 29, 2015, it was officially announced, during Hulu's upfront (advertising), upfronts presentation in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, that all nine seasons of ''Seinfeld'' would Streaming media, stream on the platform starting in June 2015. The deal was for around $130 million to $180 million. On May 20, 2015, Hulu announced that every episode would be available starting June 24, 2015. Hulu's streaming rights for the series expired on June 23, 2021.


Prime Video (UK)

In January 2017, Amazon (company), Amazon acquired the UK rights to all seasons of ''Seinfeld'' for its Amazon Prime Video streaming service.


Stan (Australia)

On November 8, 2016, the Australian streaming service Stan (streaming service), Stan announced via Twitter that later in the week all episodes would be available to stream for the first time in Australia. All episodes were available from November 11, 2016, with the remastered versions of all episodes on the service featuring HD and Widescreen enhancements. The widescreen offered was cropped from the original 4:3 format negatives, thus resulting in better visual quality than the previously available DVD version, however, the top and bottom portions of the frame were cut out to achieve the widescreen aspect ratio. In April 2020, all seasons of ''Seinfeld'' were also made available on-demand via pay television service Foxtel, as well as its internet-based alternative Foxtel Now.


Netflix

In September 2019, Netflix and Sony Pictures announced that Netflix had acquired the exclusive global streaming rights for ''Seinfeld'', starting on October 1, 2021, superseding the above Hulu and Amazon rights. As of October 1, 2021, Netflix's version of ''Seinfeld'' is available in 4K resolution. The transition was criticized as the show, initially displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio, had been converted to 16:9, resulting in some gags getting cropped, similarly to how ''The Simpsons'' was initially rendered on Disney+. Netflix has yet to comment on this situation.


After ''Seinfeld''


Another scene

On the November 1, 2007, episode of ''The Daily Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', Jerry Seinfeld mentioned the possibility of shooting one last scene, after the characters leave jail. He mentioned that he was too busy to do it at the time, but didn't announce what the scene would entail, as its production isn't a certainty. In a commentary from the final season DVD, Seinfeld outlines that he and Jason Alexander spoke about this scene being in Monk's Cafe, with George saying "That was brutal" about the foursome's stint in prison. On an episode of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' that Jerry Seinfeld hosted on October 2, 1999, a sketch was produced that showed what life was like for Jerry behind bars after being transferred to the fictional prison portrayed on the HBO series ''Oz (TV series), Oz''. The roughly four-minute sketch shows the opening credits for the HBO series with clips of Jerry mixed in doing various activities around the prison. The sketch continues and mixes in different storylines from both ''Oz'' and ''Seinfeld'' and has Jerry interacting with various characters from the show in his typical quick-witted, sarcastic way.


The ''Seinfeld'' "curse"

Louis-Dreyfus, Alexander, and Richards have all tried to launch new sitcoms as title-role characters. Almost every show was canceled quickly, usually within the first season. This gave rise to the term ''Seinfeld curse'': the failure of a sitcom starring one of the three, despite the conventional wisdom that each person's ''Seinfeld'' popularity should almost guarantee a strong, built-in audience for the actor's new show. Shows specifically cited regarding the ''Seinfeld curse'' are Julia Louis-Dreyfus's ''Watching Ellie'', Jason Alexander's ''Bob Patterson (TV series), Bob Patterson'' and ''Listen Up! (TV series), Listen Up!'', and Michael Richards' ''The Michael Richards Show''. This phenomenon was mentioned throughout the second season of
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...
's HBO program ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', which aired in 2001. In real life, David has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a curse, saying, "It's so completely idiotic. It's very hard to have a successful sitcom." The success of Louis-Dreyfus in the 2006–2010 CBS sitcom ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'', which included winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2006, led many to believe that she had broken the curse. In her acceptance speech, Louis-Dreyfus held up her award and exclaimed, "I'm not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!" The show produced 100 episodes, enough episodes to air in reruns in broadcast syndication, syndication for several years, something the other shows did not achieve. The ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' episode hosted by Louis-Dreyfus made references to the curse. Nevertheless, the series ratings declined soon after and it was cancelled after the fifth season. She went on to win six further Emmys (for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) for her acclaimed performance as Vice President Selina Meyer in the HBO comedy series ''Veep (TV series), Veep''. After ''Veep'' ended, Louis-Dreyfus officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021 as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.


''Curb Your Enthusiasm''

Early in March 2009, it was announced that the ''Seinfeld'' cast would reunite for Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 7, season seven of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''. The cast first appeared in the third episode of the season, all playing fictional versions of themselves. The season-long story is that Larry David tries to initiate a ''Seinfeld'' reunion show as a ploy to win back his ex-wife, Cheryl. Along with the four main characters, some ''Seinfeld'' supporting actors like Wayne Knight, Estelle Harris and Steve Hytner appeared in the ninth episode at a table read for the reunion show. Although much dialogue in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is improvised, the plot was scripted, and the ''Seinfeld'' special that aired within the show was scripted and directed by ''Seinfeld'' regular Andy Ackerman, making this the first time since ''Seinfeld'' went off the air that the central cast appeared together in a scripted show.


''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee''

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
, Jason Alexander, and Wayne Knight, playing their respective ''Seinfeld'' characters, appeared in a spot presented during halftime of Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014. Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX came up with the idea of doing such a spot, due in part to the Super Bowl's location being New York City adjacent that year. An uncut version appeared on Crackle (company), Crackle.com immediately afterward, as an episode of ''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' titled "The Over-Cheer", establishing Seinfeld's character on the series as an older version of his ''Seinfeld'' character. Although the spot was used to advertise Seinfeld's web series, it was not considered a commercial, as Sony, which produces the series, did not pay for it. While Seinfeld indicated that the webisode would probably be the last cast reunion, saying, "I have a feeling you've seen the final coda on that very unique experience", since then,
Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...
and
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...
have also appeared in episodes.


Notes


References


General references

* Mirzoeff, Nicholas. "Seinfeld". British Film Institute, TV Classics. 2007. . * * Dawson, Ryan (2006).
"Seinfeld: a show about something"
' Cambridge University. * . * Gantz, Katherine. ''"Not That There's Anything Wrong with That": Reading the Queer in Seinfeld''. In Calvin Thomas (Ed.). ''Straight with a Twist: Queer Theory and the Subject of Heterosexuality''. Champaign. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. . * . * Murphy, Noah. ''Seinfeld: A Beginner's Guide''. Brisbane: Penguin Books. 2011. * . * Weaver, D.T. & Oliver, M.B. (2000) Summary of the paper
"Television Programs and Advertising: Measuring the Effectiveness of Product Placement Within Seinfeld".


External links

* * * *
''Seinfeld'' Emmys
{{Authority control Seinfeld, 1980s American sitcoms 1989 American television series debuts 1990s American sitcoms 1998 American television series endings Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners Culture of New York City English-language television shows Jewish comedy and humor Television series about Jews and Judaism NBC original programming Nielsen ratings winners Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Peabody Award-winning television programs Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series winners Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television series about show business Television series by Castle Rock Entertainment Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in Manhattan Television series created by Larry David Television series created by Jerry Seinfeld