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Chubby, wearing glasses, constantly hungry, hatching mischievous plans and giggling like only true maniacs are able to: that would be Newman, then. Best described as Jerry Seinfeld's nemesis, the character first made a voice-only cameo in Season Two, with Larry David (subsequently dubbed in reruns and on the DVD after the part was recast) expressing the fat loser's frustration. It is here, however, that he makes his first real appearance, played by Wayne Knight, also known for smaller parts in films like basic Instinct and Jurassic Park.But let's not get ahead of ourselves: the main focus of the episode is the suicide attempt by one of Jerry's neighbors. When the incident lands him in a coma, Jerry embarks on a relationship with his girlfriend. As it happens, Newman is a good friend of the poor guy, and vows to make sure Jerry gets in trouble, while also finding time to hang out with Kramer. As this goes on, George sees a psychic who has no good news for him, and Elaine gets mad when she has to stop eating before surgery.Suicide is something that few sitcoms at the time would have had the guts to deal with in a lighter fashion. Then again, given the bolder choices of content made by the writers in later seasons, their approach to the matter is rather tame. Besides, the whole story is just an excuse for Jerry and Newman to square off. The series co-creator has acknowledged in interviews that he and Larry David knew right off the bat that Knight would be perfect for the role, and their confidence is repaid more than expected from the very moment the villainous nerd makes his entrance, with Jerry sarcastically saying: "Hello, Newman!" and his adversary replying with fake cheerfulness: "Hello, Jerry!". No offense to Jerry Stiller, who later joined the show as George's father, but Wayne Knight could easily be the funniest guest star in Seinfeld's wildly successful history.
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