Seinfeld
Seinfeld | |
---|---|
Multi-camera | |
Running time | 22–24 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | July 5, 1989 May 14, 1998 | –
Related | |
Curb Your Enthusiasm |
Seinfeld (/ˈsaɪnfɛld/ SYNE-feld) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of 180 episodes. The show's ensemble cast stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and focuses on his personal life with three of his friends: best friend George Costanza (Jason Alexander), former girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and neighbor from across the hall, Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).
Seinfeld is set mostly in an apartment building in Manhattan's Upper West Side in New York City. It has been described as "a show about nothing", often focusing on the minutiae of daily life.[1] Interspersed in earlier episodes are moments of stand-up comedy 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.
Seinfeld is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential shows of all time. It has been ranked among television's best shows in publications such as Entertainment Weekly,[4] Rolling Stone[5] and TV Guide.[6][7] Its most renowned episodes include "The Chinese Restaurant", "The Soup Nazi", "The Parking Garage",[8] "The Marine Biologist", and "The Contest".[9] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America voted it the second best-written TV series of all time (second to The Sopranos).[10] E! named it the "Number 1 reason [why] the '90s ruled".[11] Quotes from numerous episodes have become catchphrases in popular culture.
Cast
Main
- germophobe and neat freak as well as an avid Superman, New York Mets, and breakfast cereal fan. Jerry's apartment is the center of a world visited by his eccentric friends and a focus of the show.[12]
- George Costanza (Jason Alexander) – George is Jerry's best friend since high school. He is stingy, conniving, pedantic, and jealous of others' achievements.[13] 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 character of George was based on Larry David himself.
- pescatarian, without the strength of conviction to keep this up regularly. She sometimes tends to be too honest with people (usually by losing her temper), which often gets her into trouble.[14] 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. Later she is 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 Yorkas struggling comedians.
- 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.[15]
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; 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) – "The Nose Job" (season 3, episode 9)
- Nina (Catherine Keener) – "The Letter" (season 3, episode 20)
- Marla (Jane Leeves) – "The Virgin" (season 4, episode 10)
- Sidra (Teri Hatcher) – "The Implant" (season 4, episode 19)
- Amy (Anna Gunn) – "The Glasses" (season 5, episode 3)
- Jody (Jennifer Coolidge) – "The Masseuse" (season 5, episode 9)
- Jane (Jami Gertz) – "The Stall" (season 5, episode 12)
- Meryl (Courteney Cox) – "The Wife" (season 5, episode 17)
- Margaret (Marita Geraghty) - "The Big Salad" (season 6, episode 2)
- Jeannie (Janeane Garofalo) – "The Invitations" (season 7, episode 24)
- Ellen (Christine Taylor) – "The Van Buren Boys" (season 8, episode 14)
- Jenna (Kristin Davis) – "The Pothole" (season 8, episode 16)
- Beth (Debra Messing) – "The Yada Yada" (season 8, episode 19)
- Valerie (Lauren Graham) – "The Millennium" (season 8, episode 20)
- Alex (Melinda Clarke) – "The Muffin Tops" (season 8, episode 21)
- Lanette (Amanda Peet) – "The Summer of George" (season 8, episode 22)
- Patty (Lori Loughlin) – "The Serenity Now" (season 9, episode 3)
- Sara (Marcia Cross) – "The Slicer" (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 "
Themes
The series was often described as "a show about nothing".[1][22] However, in 2014, Seinfeld stated: "The pitch for the show, the real pitch, when Larry and I went to NBC in 1988, was [that] 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."[23] 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."[24]
Much of the show's humor is based upon repeated use of irony, incongruity and (oftentimes unfortunate) coincidences. Additionally, guest characters are frequently introduced with little to no context, with a humorous focus on atypical names of these characters, which often contain alliteration. In keeping with Jerry Seinfeld's reputation as a clean comedian,[25] though the show frequently contains dialogue around sexual themes, the show notably avoids using almost all explicit sexual terminology. Notably, in the popular episode "The Contest", whose plot-line concerns a contest amongst the main characters to see which one can go the longest without masturbating, the word 'masturbation' is never mentioned. Seinfeld broke several conventions of mainstream television. David is credited with refusing to follow a predictable sitcom formula which would have a romantic relationship develop between Jerry and Elaine.[26]
The show offers no growth or reconciliation to its characters and eschews sentimentality.[27] 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.[27] The characters are "thirty-something singles with vague identities, no roots, and conscious indifference to morals."[28] Also unlike most sitcoms, there are no moments of pathos; the audience is never made to feel sorry for any of the characters. Even Susan's death in "The Invitations" elicits no genuine emotions from anybody in the show.[29] Seinfeld does not shy away from making light of tough topics, from death to illness to disability.[30][31]
The show frequently engages in fourth-wall breaking humor and self-satire. One such example is the
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.[34] "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,
The lexicon of Seinfeldian code words and recurring phrases that evolved around particular episodes is referred to as
".Music
A signature of Seinfeld is its theme music. Composed by
In "
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.[40]
All music is composed by Jonathan Wolff.
No. | Title | Episode(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Seinfeld Theme" | 0:52 | |
2. | "Seinfeld Theme" | "The Highlights of 100" | 0:40 |
3. | "Seinfeld Theme" | "The Chronicle" | 0:33 |
4. | "The Jerry Show Theme" | "The Pilot, Part 2" | 0:50 |
5. | "Kramer's Pimpwalk" | "The Wig Master" | 0:53 |
6. | "Jerry the Mailman" | "The Andrea Doria" | 0:35 |
7. | "Himalayan Walking Shoes" | "The Hot Tub" | 0:56 |
8. | "John Jermaine Jazz #1 (feat. Bob Sheppard)" | "The Rye" | 2:52 |
9. | "John Jermaine Jazz #2 (feat. Bob Sheppard)" | "The Rye" | 2:24 |
10. | "John Jermaine Jazz #3 (feat. Bob Sheppard)" | "The Rye" | 2:48 |
11. | "Kramer's Boombox" | "The Package" | 1:15 |
12. | "Jerry vs Newman Chase" | "The Soul Mate" | 0:32 |
13. | "Cable Guy vs Kramer Chase" | "The Cadillac, Part 2", "The Butter Shave" | 2:10 |
14. | "Noxin" | "The Cadillac, Part 2" | 1:18 |
15. | "Jesus Is One (feat. Jack Diamond)" | "The Burning" | 0:31 |
16. | "Kramer's Crappy Banjo" | "The Muffin Tops" | 0:37 |
17. | "Peterman in Burmese Jungle" | "The Chicken Roaster" | 0:37 |
18. | "TV Cartoon / Wheels on the Bus" | "The Contest" | 1:00 |
19. | "Finale Suitcase Montage" | "The Finale" | 0:51 |
20. | "Waiting for the Verdict Blues" | "The Finale" | 0:47 |
21. | "This Night Show" | "The Trip, Part 1" | 0:50 |
22. | "Rock Music Video" | "The Trip, Part 1" | 1:22 |
23. | "The Lopper" | "The Frogger" | 0:33 |
24. | "1937 Wedding Cake Waltz" | "The Frogger" | 0:39 |
25. | "Kramer Bachelor Auction" | "The Barber" | 0:52 |
26. | "Rochelle, Rochelle the Musical" | "The Understudy" | 0:42 |
27. | "Pier Contemplation" | "The Invitations" | 0:39 |
28. | "Loud Dixieland Band" | "The Mom & Pop Store" | 1:42 |
29. | "Scarsdale Surprise" | "The Summer of George" | 0:33 |
30. | "Checkmate/Chunnel/Death Blow" | "The Movie", "The Pool Guy", "The Little Kicks" | 4:02 |
31. | "Blimp" | "The Puerto Rican Day" | 2:44 |
32. | "The Pain & the Yearning" | "The Comeback" | 2:19 |
33. | "George's Answering Machine (Greatest American Hero)" | "The Susie" | 0:29 |
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | Viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||||
1 | 5 | July 5, 1989 | June 21, 1990 | — | — | 19.2 | |
2 | 12 | January 23, 1991 | June 26, 1991 | 46 | 12.5 | 18.1 | |
3 | 23 | September 18, 1991 | May 6, 1992 | 43 | 12.5 | 17.7 | |
4 | 24 | August 12, 1992 | May 20, 1993 | 25[41] | 13.7 | 20.0 | |
5 | 22 | September 16, 1993 | May 19, 1994 | 3[42] | 19.4 | 29.6 | |
6 | 24 | September 22, 1994 | May 18, 1995 | 1[43] | 20.6 | 31.1 | |
7 | 24 | September 21, 1995 | May 16, 1996 | 2[44] | 21.2 | 33.1 | |
8 | 22 | September 19, 1996 | May 15, 1997 | 2[45] | 20.5 | 32.3 | |
9 | 24 | September 25, 1997 | May 14, 1998 | 1[46] | 22.0 | 35.5 |
Compared to other family and group
Many characters were based primarily on Seinfeld's and David's real-life acquaintances. Two prominent recurring characters were based on well-known people:
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.[51]
The show maintains a strong sense of continuity, as characters and plots from past episodes are often referenced or expanded on. Occasionally, story arcs span multiple episodes and even entire seasons, such as Season 4, which revolves around the pilot pitch to NBC by Jerry and George. Another example is Jerry's girlfriend Vanessa, who appears in "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, 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."[52] Entertainment Weekly'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."[53] 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 comeuppance.
Seasons 1–3
The show premiered as
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. "
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".[62] "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.[63]
Seasons 4–5
Season 4 marked the sitcom's entry into the
Much publicity followed the controversial episode "
Season 5 was an even bigger ratings hit, consisting of popular episodes, such as "
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;[71] "The Switch", in which Kramer's mom, Babs, reveals that his first name is Cosmo;[72] and "The Understudy", in which Elaine meets J. Peterman for the first time.[73] 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", in which George plans to date award-winning actress Marisa Tomei,[74] and "The Bottle Deposit", with Elaine and Sue Ellen participating in a bidding war to buy JFK's golf clubs in an auction.[75]
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 final season included episodes like "
A major controversy caused in the ninth season was the accidental burning of a
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.[89] Seinfeld was featured on the cover of Time magazine's first issue of 1998.[90] The series ended with a 75-minute episode (cut to 60 minutes in 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", 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", 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".[91] The secrecy only seemed to increase speculation about how the series would end. The producers of the episode gave false information to the media, spreading a rumor about Newman ending up in the hospital and Jerry and Elaine sitting in a chapel, presumably to marry.[92]
The final episode enjoyed a historic audience,[93] estimated at 76.3 million viewers[94] (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, Cheers, and The Fugitive.[95] 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" 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.[96] 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.[97] Seinfeld told the network that he was not married nor had children, and wished to focus on his personal life.[98][55] As reported in July 2007, he was the second-highest earner in the TV industry, earning at the time $60 million a year.[99] The episode became the first to command over $1 million a minute for advertising—a mark previously attained only by the Super Bowl.[100]
Syndication
According to
Production
Seinfeld began as a 23-minute pilot titled The Seinfeld Chronicles. Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, developed by NBC executive Rick Ludwin, and produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, 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.[105] Each episode of the series used to cost $3 million to $3.5 million.[106]
The pilot was filmed at Stage 8 of
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 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.[110]
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 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.[108] 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.[113] One DVD reviewer, Britt Gillette, wrote that "this initial episode exhibits the flashes of brilliance that made Seinfeld a cultural phenomenon."[114]
Other than the pilot, the series was filmed at
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.[119]
Filming usually went long, as the cast and David were perfectionists. If a joke did not 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.[119] Laugh tracks were used only for matching shots, not for artificially adding laughter.[119]
Various locations used for establishing shots included Tom's Restaurant at 112th Street and Broadway (Monk's Cafe), Midtown West's Roosevelt Hospital (recurring exterior emergency room scene, and indoor scenes in 'The Junior Mint' and 'The Bris'), Cornell Medical Centre at 525 East 68th Street, 22-39 37th Street, Queens (The Costanza's house), the Taconic State Parkway exit to the Hopewell Junction, Dutchess County, New York (driving scene in 'The Bubble Boy'), and the Amagansett farmers market, Long Island ('The Hamptons'). The exterior shot used for Jerry's New York apartment building was actually located at 757 S New Hampshire Avenue, Los Angeles. The real-life exterior of Pendant Publishing, Elaine's workplace, is located at 1325 Ave of the Americas, New York. The live stand-up comedy performed by Seinfeld at the beginning of most episodes was truly filmed at The Improv, a comedy club at 358 West 44th Street, Manhattan; though it closed in 1993, a new comedy club still operates at this site today.[120][121] The Yankee stadium exterior seen in the show has now been demolished. Most office building establishing shots are real businesses and locations. Various real street locations can be gleaned from the car windows during driving scenes.
More than 120 episodes make reference to the Superman franchise.[122] Teri Hatcher, who played Lois Lane on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, plays Jerry's girlfriend Sidra. Paula Marshall, who played Christina Riley on the Superboy TV series, portrays the journalist Sharon, who Jerry says reminds him of Lois Lane. Sherman Howard, who played Lex Luthor on Superboy, portrays Roy. Superman logos and figurines frequently appear in Jerry's apartment. Seinfeld and Superman later appear in an American Express commercial.
The show was written by David and Seinfeld, along with writers who included
.High-definition versions
There are two
Reception and legacy
Elizabeth Magnotta and Alexandra Strohl analyze the success of Seinfeld with recourse to the 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, comprised of the setting, characters, prior discourse, relationships of the characters, and the topic."[125] Specifically, Magnotta and Strohl focus on "The Marine Biologist", 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 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".[126] 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".[30][31]
Nod Miller, of the University of East London, has discussed the self-referential qualities of the show:
Seinfeld is suffused with
postmodern themes. To begin with, the boundary between reality and fiction is frequently blurred: this is illustrated in the central device of having Jerry Seinfeld play the character, Jerry Seinfeld. In the show's fourth season, several episodes revolved around the narrative of Jerry and George (whose character is co-creator Larry David's alter ego) pitching 'a show about nothing' based on the everyday life of a stand-up comedian to NBC. The reaction of the fictional NBC executives, by all accounts, mirrored the initial responses of those who eventually commissioned Seinfeld. The fourth season ends with 'The Pilot', an episode focusing on the casting, taping, and screening of the show-within-the-show, Jerry. This episode also illustrates neatly the self-referential quality which is one of Seinfeld's hallmarks. The series finale was so replete with references to earlier shows as to render it largely incomprehensible to those not already well-versed in the personae and preoccupations of the Seinfeld universe.[127]
U.S. television ratings
Season | TV season | Episodes | Timeslot | Original air dates | Nielsen ratings[129]
|
Most watched episode | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season premiere | Season finale | Rank | Rating | Viewers (millions) |
Title | Viewers (millions) | |||||
1 | 1989–90 | 5 | Wednesday at 9:30 pm (Episode 1) Thursday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 2–5) |
July 5, 1989 | June 21, 1990 | — | — | 19.26 | "The Stake Out" | 22.5[130] | |
2 | 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" | 24.7[131] | |
3 | 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[132] | |
4 | 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" | 32.8[133] | |
5 | 1993–94 | 22 | Thursday at 9:00 pm | September 16, 1993 | May 19, 1994 | #3 | 19.6 | 29.59 | "The Stall" and "The Marine Biologist" | 35.0[134][135] | |
6 | 1994–95 | 24 | September 22, 1994 | May 18, 1995 | #1 | 20.6 | 30.06 | "The Switch" | 36.6[136] | ||
7 | 1995–96 | 24 | September 21, 1995 | May 16, 1996 | #2 | 21.2 | 33.19 | "The Engagement" | 37.6[137] | ||
8 | 1996–97 | 22 | September 19, 1996 | May 15, 1997 | #2 | 20.5 | 32.48 | "The Money" | 37.34[138] | ||
9 | 1997–98 | 24 | September 25, 1997 | May 14, 1998 | #1 | 22.0 | 38.03 (32.15)[139] |
"The Finale" ("The Puerto Rican Day") |
76.26[140] (38.78)[141] |
Awards and nominations
Seinfeld has received awards and nominations in various categories throughout the mid-1990s. It was awarded the
TV Guide named it the greatest TV show of all time in 2002,[6] and in 2013, the magazine ranked it as the second-greatest TV show.[7] A 2015 The Hollywood Reporter survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people named Seinfeld as their #5 favorite show.[145] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked Seinfeld as the sixth-greatest TV show of all time.[146] In 2023, Variety ranked Seinfeld as the eighth-greatest TV show of all time.[147]
Consumer products
A recurring feature of Seinfeld was its inclusion of specific products, especially
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.'"[148]
Many advertisers capitalized on the popularity of Seinfeld. American Express created a webisode where Jerry Seinfeld and an animated Superman (voiced by Patrick Warburton, who played the role of Puddy) starred in its commercial. The makers of the 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
Home media and streaming
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 by food company General Mills.
DVD releases
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment) released all nine seasons of Seinfeld on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4 between 2004 and 2007.[149] 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,[150] 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,[151] another Limited Edition boxset was released, appearing to be almost identical to the 2009 version with some minor differences. On November 14, 2018,[152] a Festivus Celebration Edition was released which contained napkins and cups, playing cards and thumb wrestle gadgets. On August 12, 2020,[153] another The Complete Series boxset was released, this time the box is blue and contains 8 Amaray style cases.
DVD name | Release dates | ||
---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |
Vol 1: Seasons 1 & 2 | November 23, 2004[149] | November 1, 2004[154] | October 13, 2004[155] |
Vol 2: Season 3 | November 23, 2004[149] | November 1, 2004[156] | October 18, 2004[157] |
Vol 3: Season 4 | May 17, 2005[149] | June 13, 2005[158] | May 25, 2005[159] |
Vol 4: Season 5 | November 22, 2005[149] | November 28, 2005[160] | November 23, 2005[161] |
Vol 5: Season 6 | November 22, 2005[149] | November 28, 2005[162] | November 23, 2005[163] |
Vol 6: Season 7 | November 21, 2006[149] | November 20, 2006[164] | November 8, 2006[165] |
Vol 7: Season 8 | June 5, 2007[149] | June 4, 2007[166] | June 13, 2007[167] |
Vol 8: Season 9 | November 6, 2007[149] | November 19, 2007[168] | October 24, 2007[169] |
Complete Series (Original) | November 6, 2007[170] | — | — |
Complete Series (Reissue) | November 5, 2013[171] | October 9, 2018[172] | — |
Streaming
All 4 (UK)
Free streaming service
Crave (Canada)
In Canada, the series streamed on Crave, having left on September 30, 2021.
Hulu (US)
On April 29, 2015, it was officially announced, during
Prime Video (UK)
In January 2017, Amazon acquired the UK rights to all seasons of Seinfeld for its Amazon Prime Video streaming service.[180]
Stan (Australia)
On November 8, 2016, the Australian streaming service
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 2023, Netflix's version of Seinfeld is available in 4K resolution.[184][185][186][187][188] 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+.[189][190][191] Netflix has yet to comment on this situation.
After Seinfeld
Another scene
On the November 1, 2007, episode of
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.[193]
On an episode of Saturday Night Live 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.[194] 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.[195]
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 and Listen Up, and Michael Richards' The Michael Richards Show.
This phenomenon was mentioned throughout the second season of Larry David'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."[196][197]
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.[198] 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!"[199] The show produced enough episodes to air in reruns in syndication for several years, something the other shows did not achieve.[200] The Saturday Night Live 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.[201]
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Early in March 2009, it was announced that the Seinfeld cast would reunite for
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Notes
- ^ Some prints of Seinfeld credit the company as Columbia Pictures Television Distribution. Columbia TriStar Television (often credited as Columbia TriStar Television Distribution on prints) took over distribution in 1995, followed by Sony Pictures Television in 2002 (as Sony Pictures Television Studios in the Comedy Central prints since 2021, Nick at Nite prints in 2022, and TV Land prints since 2023[a]) and handling syndication.
- ^ The Sony Pictures Television logo from the show's pre-2021 prints is shown at the end of the network's on-screen credits in the TV Land prints.
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- Saturday Night Live season 25
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- ^ a b c d Carter, Bill (February 2, 2014). "Halftime Brings a Much-Anticipated 'Seinfeld' Reunion". Retrieved February 2, 2014.
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General references
- Mirzoeff, Nicholas. "Seinfeld". ISBN 1-84457-201-3.
- Fretts, Bruce (1993). The Entertainment Weekly Seinfeld Companion. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-67036-7.
- Dawson, Ryan (2006). "Seinfeld: a show about something" Cambridge University.
- Irwin, William, ed. (1999). Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing. Peru, Illinois: Open Court Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8126-9409-0..
- 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: ISBN 0-252-06813-0.
- Gattuso, Greg (1996). The Seinfeld Universe: The Entire Domain. New York: Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2001-9..
- Murphy, Noah. Seinfeld: A Beginner's Guide. Brisbane: Penguin Books. 2011.
- ISBN 0-553-09606-0..
- Weaver, D.T. & Oliver, M.B. (2000) Summary of the paper: "Television Programs and Advertising: Measuring the Effectiveness of Product Placement Within Seinfeld".