Seinfeld Series

Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons. Many of its catchphrases have entered into the pop culture lexicon. The show led the Nielsen Ratings in its sixth and ninth seasons, and finished among the top two (along with ER) every year from 1994 to 1998.

The series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as an eponymous, fictionalized version of himself. Set predominantly in an apartment block on New York City's Upper West Side, the show features a host of Jerry's friends and acquaintances, including George Louis Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Marie Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). Seinfeld was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, (which Warner Bros. owns), and distributed by Columbia Pictures Television and Columbia TriStar Television (now Sony Pictures Television). Seinfeld was largely co-written by David and Seinfeld, with later input from numerous script writers, including Larry Charles, Peter Mehlman, Gregg Kavet, Andy Robin, Carol Leifer, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer, Steve Koren, Jennifer Crittenden, Tom Gammill & Max Pross, Alec Berg and Spike Feresten. Seinfeld is now widely considered one of the greatest American television programs of all time.

First Telecast: July 5, 1989
Last Telecast: May 14, 1998
Episodes: 180 Color Episodes + 1 Special

Ratings History

Season 1 = Not in the Top 30
Season 2 = Not in the Top 30
Season 3 = Not in the Top 30
Season 4 = 25
Season 5 = 3
Season 6 = 1
Season 7 = 2
Season 8 = 2
Season 9 = 1

The Origins

Seinfeld was pitched, like the self-parodying "show within a show" of season four, as a "show about nothing". It is a show about four friends and their misadventures in the upper west side of Manhattan. Seinfeld stood out from the typical family- or coworker-driven TV sitcoms of its time. None of the principal Seinfeld characters were related by blood or worked together. Unlike most sitcoms, its episodes didn't revolve around central dramatic events or contrived comic situations; instead, the plots focused on real life minutiae—such as waiting in line at the movies, going out for dinner, or buying a suit.

Starting in the first season, the show would begin with clips of Jerry Seinfeld delivering a stand-up comedy routine, set in a club. The theme of his act tied to the plot of each episode. This device sometimes revealed where Jerry got his material and deliberately blurred the distinction between the Jerry Seinfeld actor and his character, the fictional comedian. (Some episodes do suggest that he does play his fictional self while doing his comedy.) Originally, the clips bookended the episodes, as well as functioning as cutscenes during the show. After season three, the cutscenes in the middle of the episodes became less common; after season five, the clips that ended the shows also became less common; and after season seven, the clips were discontinued. The show's main characters, and many secondary or one-shot characters, were modeled after Seinfeld's and David's real-life acquaintances. Other recurring characters were based on well-known, real-life counterparts, such as the Soup Nazi (based on Soup Kitchen International manager Al Yeganeh), Jacopo Peterman of the J. Peterman catalogue (nominally based on John Peterman), and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

In most Seinfeld episodes, one story thread is presented at the beginning, involving the characters in separate and unrelated situations. Rapid scene shifts between story lines move the action forward. Eventually, some or all of the separate story lines converge—often unexpectedly. Despite the separate plot strands, the narratives reveal "consistent efforts to maintain intimacy" between the small cast of characters.

The show kept a strong sense of continuity—characters and plots from past episodes were frequently referenced or expanded upon. Occasionally, storylines would span multiple episodes and even entire seasons. Larry David, the show's head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons, was celebrated for keeping a close eye on minor details and making sure the main characters' lives remained consistent and believable. He would later make use of season-long story arcs in his next series, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The show stood apart from other sitcoms of the time for not centering around the characters learning moral lessons. In effect, the characters are often morally indifferent or callous, though nonetheless hilarious. For instance, in the episode "The Sponge" Jerry worries that the woman he is dating is "too good". Seinfeld never explored dramatic themes in episodes, despite the often tragic events that occurred, including the deaths of characters. Jason Alexander has stated that he felt that Seinfeld was a very dark show about very dark people, but done with such a likable cast, makes the show almost light-hearted.