Seinfeld (1990–1998)

The continuing misadventures of neurotic New York stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York friends.

Creators:

Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld

Stars:

Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 58 wins & 127 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Jerry Seinfeld	...	Jerry Seinfeld (172 episodes, 1990-1998)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Elaine Benes (172 episodes, 1990-1998)
Michael Richards	...	Kramer (172 episodes, 1990-1998)
Jason Alexander	...	George Costanza (172 episodes, 1990-1998)

Storyline

Jerry Seinfeld stars in this television comedy series as himself, a comedian. The premise of this sitcom is Jerry and his friends going through everyday life, discussing various quirky situations that we can all relate to (especially if we live in New York). The eccentric personalities of the offbeat characters who make up Jerry's social circle contribute to the fun.

---

Plot Keywords:

comedian | neurotic | eccentric | stand up comedian | new york yankees | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Television

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Good News, Bad News

Filming Locations:

757 New Hampshire, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, West-Shapiro

Technical Specs

Runtime:

23 min 23 min (180 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bob Balaban played an NBC network executive who approved a sitcom pilot to be called "Jerry". Balaban was chosen because of his resemblance to NBC executive Warren Littlefield, the man who allowed Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David to produce the "Seinfeld" pilot. Balaban also played Littlefield himself in the HBO movie The Late Shift.

---

Goofs

The exterior of Monk's Cafe does not match the interior of Monk's cafe: the number & type of windows is different, the layout of the entrance is architecturally different.

---

Quotes

Cosmo Kramer: Is this oak?
Mr. Lager: Think it's pine.
Cosmo Kramer: Pine is good.
Mr. Lager: Yeah, pine's okay.

---

Crazy Credits

The series does not have an opening credits sequence. Instead, the lead actor credits play out over a scene. Now commonplace in sitcoms and drama series, this was considered a novelty in 1990 and sparked a debate over the future of opening credits in TV series.

---

Connections

Referenced in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Focus Group (2006)

User Reviews

Seinfeld, a cultural landmark?

I caught a few episodes of Seinfeld over it's final two seasons run on public channel, and made it a point to catch a lot more of Jerry and friends during it's reruns. I found it very amusing on first viewings, but as time wore on, I began to like it more and more, and to eagerly borrow taped episodes from friends, and to hunt for re-runs on syndicated channels.

Of the two comedy TV series in the history of television, I would choose both Seinfeld and Monty Python as the cultural landmarks of the medium. In Seinfeld, there is not a trace of sentimentality and glib moralizing that plagues the American sitcom genre. Characters do not hug each other on Christmas, fall in love, wax on and on about family and friends, there is no faux-cathartic season ender so favoured by the writers of, say, "Friends".

Instead, we have the narcissistic Jerry, constantly mining the minutiae of everyday detail for every bit of situational comedy; we have the hyper-aggressive Elaine, whose strings of breakups with boyfriends are as impressive as her petty neuroses leading up to the breakups themselves; the ultimate schlub-loser George, who lies to every single woman he dates, sells faulty equipment to the handicapped and muscles off women and children when fleeing an apartment fire; and the impossibly inventive physical comedy of the entrepreneur cum schmooze Kramer.

Over and over again, week in and week out, the quartet discuss trivialities with unbridled zeal, as the non-descript narrative pings from one mundane setting to another. Seldom has such wit been generated by such gargantually pointless human endeavours. That is where the brilliance of Seinfeld lies, in the ability to go to the most bizarre ends to fulfill the potential of a less than hopeful comedic premise; and the endless, pointlessly smug and nihilistic banter that almost invariably escalates into some of TV's classic lines, such as when George shouts triumphantly after winning an argument that "there is no bigger loser than me!".

Surely, we won't find something like this again, for many more years to come.