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- Seinfeld Still Has Countless Fans, Even Decades Later
Highlights
- Elaine's iconic dance almost didn't make it into the show over fears that it would affect Julia's career.
- Michael Richards got the most love from live audiences as Kramer, causing disruptions to comedic timing.
- NBC executives were initially skeptical about the "Chinese Restaurant" episode, but it became one of the most famous episodes of the show.
When it first premiered, the show about nothing didn't make major waves. But after a while, Seinfeld viewers got hooked, and with each season, more and more people tuned in to the series. After nine seasons, 180 episodes, and countless laughs, there were still details about the show that fans never even knew about.
Here's everything Seinfeld fans should know about the show, including explanations of some of the more intense (and beloved) storylines.
UPDATE: 2023/07/21 22:37 EST BY LANE VASQUEZ
Seinfeld Still Has Countless Fans, Even Decades Later
Seinfeld is just as beloved today as it was when it ended in 1998. Since then, details have emerged about the series—and its talent—that change how fans see things. This article has been updated with new images, sources, and supplemental reading on the subject of Seinfeld.
16 Elaine's Iconic Dance Almost Didn't Make It Into The Show Over Fears That They Would Affect Julia's Career
Obviously, at this point in time, Elaine's dance moves are iconic. However, there was a real fear that this storyline would totally take Julia Louis-Dreyfus' career.
After watching her perform the dance for the first time, two writers discussed whether they should keep it. Obviously, the dance won out and became an iconic piece of Seinfeld history.
15 Michael Richards Got The Most Love From The Live Audiences
This one is pretty understandable, there really has never been a character quite like Kramer before. Apparently, the live studio audiences would get so pumped when Kramer would enter a scene, that the applause began messing up the comedic timing of the show.
After cast members complained, the audience was given a time limit for cheering on Richards.
14 NBC Execs Didn't Think The Classic Chinese Restaurant Episode Would Work And Almost Scrapped It Altogether
None of the show's controversial episodes bothered NBC head honchos quite like the idea for the episode "The Chinese Restaurant."
They couldn't wrap their heads around an entire episode showing the cast waiting for a table. David insisted it was "in the spirit of the show" and it became one of the most famous episodes of the bunch.
13 Kramer Wore The Same Shoes In Every Episode And Only Two Pairs Were Used Throughout All 9 Seasons
Ok, so in one episode we did see Kramer in those ridiculous sneakers (and his wardrobe was always a bit silly). However, Richards' core wardrobe for the show cost NBC very little money.
A costume designer for the show revealed that Kramer wore the same Doc Marten boots throughout the whole series and only two pairs were used in all.
12 The Man George Was Based On Was So Angry About His Likeness Being Used, He Sued For $100 Million
While Larry David has said George is mostly based on himself, a man named Michael Costanza was not buying that and sued Seinfeld, David, and everyone at NBC for $100 million.
Comparing himself to the character, he stated "George is bald. I am bald. George is stocky. I am stocky. George and I both went to Queens College with Jerry. George's high-school teacher nicknamed him ‘Can't stand ya.’ So did mine."
He ultimately lost the lawsuit due to the statute of limitations running out; Costanza didn't sue until years after the show debuted.
11 Larry David Lent His Voice To The Show On Many Occasions
Larry David is widely applauded for using his own life as inspiration for Seinfeld. But whenever the show needed a voice, but not a face, Larry David stepped in and lent his, too. Most notably, he was the voice behind the faceless character George Steinbrenner.
Some of his other voice cameos included the subway announcer, the boxing referee, and hilariously enough, he is the man who famously asks "is anyone here a marine biologist?"
10 An Episode About Jerry Buying A Gun Was Completely Tossed
Seinfeld himself revealed that an episode revolving around gun ownership was tossed about halfway through production.
"We did the read-through and then canceled it. A lot of other stuff happened, but trying to make that funny ended up being no fun," Jerry explained.
9 Jerry And Elaine's Trip To Florida Bothered Jason Alexander So Much He Threatened To Quit If He Was Ever Left Out Of Another Episode
Jerry and Elaine's episode in Florida is a classic, but Jason Alexander resented the fact that he wasn't part of it.
Alexander was quoted as saying, "I was written out of an episode I came back the next week and I said to Larry, ‘Look, I get it. But if you do that again, do it permanently." The actor went on to appear in every other episode.
8 Michael Richards Had Little Patience For Castmates Laughing While Filming Because His Intense Portrayal Took So Much Out Of Him
In a book entitled Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything, author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong talks of Kramer's intensity "When [Jason] Alexander laughed during a scene… Richards begged, ‘You can’t, please. You don’t know how hard it is for me."
All we can say is that his hard work definitely paid off. Yet today, Michael Richards admits that he regrets taking his role so seriously.
7 The Soup Nazi Is Based On A Real Guy And Jerry Has A Real-Life Ban From His Soup Kitchen Because Of The Famous Episode
Believe it or not, the Soup Nazi is actually a real guy. That being said, Al Yeganeh, was not at all impressed with the famous episode that was based on him. In an interview, he referred to Seinfeld as a clown and was even quoted saying "He got fame through me. I made him famous."
Obviously, Jerry received a permanent ban from his establishment.
6 Kramer Accidentally Lighting A Puerto Rican Flag On Fire Caused So Much Upset, NBC Had To Apologize
For those familiar with the episode, it's not too hard to see how this scene could have offended people. However, it's also just such a classic Kramer moment, that most believe that no offense was meant.
Nonetheless, when complaints were made by the National Puerto Rican Coalition, NBC rightfully made an apology.
5 Jerry Made An Insensitive Joke To Julia On-Set While She Was Pregnant IRL, Causing Her To Burst Into Tears
Julia was pregnant IRL while filming the third season, so Jerry approached her one day and said "I have a great idea, how about we write in this season that Elaine just gets fat?"
This hit Julia where it hurt and the actress burst into tears.
In an episode of Jerry's Netflix series, however, she confessed, "It was a great idea, and we should've done it."
4 Jerry Seinfeld Turned Down An Offer Of $5 Million An Episode For A 10th Season Because 9 Is His Number
NBC was willing to pay Jerry a whopping rate of $5 million per episode for a 10th season.
However, Jerry revealed his reasoning for rejecting the offer in an interview, "Nine is cool. By the end, we will have done 180 shows (1+8=9). When I was thinking about quitting the show, I thought, nine. People said, '10 — why not 10?' But 10 is lame. Nine is my number."
3 Larry David Specifically Avoided Characters Having Sentimental Moments
Creator Larry David had one very specific role for all characters: "No hugging, no learning." This was to ensure the show kept to its original vision.
He once said in an interview, "A lot of people don't understand that Seinfeld is a dark show. If you examine the premises, terrible things happen to people. They lose jobs; somebody breaks up with a stroke victim; somebody's told they need a nose job..."
2 The Main Cast Was Behind The Decision To Kill Off Susan
Jason Alexander confirmed what fans already thought about Susan while doing an interview with Howard Stern; "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring."
He explained how Jerry and Julie both picked up on this as well, "They go, 'You know what? It's f***ing impossible. And Julia actually said, 'Don't you want to just kill her?"
And kill Susan they did, even if not all fans hated her. She wasn't the only awkward guest star on the series, though.
1 Jason Alexander's Team Encouraged Him To Blab About The Finale
Years after Seinfeld ended, a veritable scandal emerged when Jason Alexander shared that his publicist encouraged him to take a cash offer to leak the finale script.
Alexander declined, though he joked that he gave his PR team a raise afterward.