In July 1989, a little-known situation comedy premiered on NBC, "The Seinfeld Chronicles". The reason for the early premiere was the fact that many executives thought the four-episode test run wouldn't last until premiere week in September. Programs aired in July were part of what networks called "Garbage Dump Theatre" for just that reason.
As with many aspects of the show, "The Seinfeld Chronicles" bucked that trend, and began their 'second' season soonafter the summer pilots. It was then that "something unpredictable" began, but "in the end, it [was the] right" program for the times.
Fifteen years ago Tuesday, on May 14, 1998, "Seinfeld" finished its nine-season run on NBC's "Must See TV" on Thursday nights. When it began its run, Ted Danson and Shelley Long ruled the TV roost with "Cheers", which later transitioned to "Frasier". During its run, it often competed with ABC's "Home Improvement", and toward the end of the season, a new New York-centric sitcom with a similarly highly-syndicated future was getting its roots on CBS's Monday Night, "Everybody Loves Raymond".
For those nine years, Americans and people around the world got to know a lot about Jerome K. Seinfeld, George Louis Costanza, Elaine Marie Benes and Cosmo Kramer.
Americans also realized, thanks to "Seinfeld", how one single normally mundane situation could be turned into over 23 minutes of attention-grabbing television. It's no wonder that "TV Guide" called "Seinfeld" the "greatest television program of all time".
Those 15 years since "Seinfeld" left the primetime lineup have flown by, almost as fast as the nine years of programming did for those that remember watching it 'live'.
Jerry Seinfeld, a co-creator of "Seinfeld" with fellow comedian Larry David, is remembered as the voice of reason in the series. Still, he had his moments:
Being a comedian, his observational jokes were usually met with laughter, but not in the case of Aunt Manya, who he angered when he told guests at a dinner party in Season 2 that he "hate[d] anyone who ever had a pony." Expecting a laugh line, Jerry was startled at Manya's objection.
His archnemesis, Newman, was an often-seen antagonist in the series, who loved to see "Sein-smelled" suffer. During the 'Finale', Newman, played by Wayne Knight, can be seen slouching in his car, crunching on potato chips and laughing menacingly at the fate that has befallen his neighbor.
Jerry would often of course tease Newman, and point out his often exaggerated statements. "That-is one magic lugie!" he memorably exclaimed, finishing his verbal debunking of Newman and Kramer's "spit" theory. The pair claimed that New York Mets player Keith Hernandez spit on them because Newman, disgusted at the team's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, called Hernandez a "pretty boy" when passing him exiting Shea Stadium.
"Give it up you old bag!" Jerry once yelled at elderly Mabel Choate, stealing her dessert bread. "Help! That man stole my marble rye!" Choate, played by Frances Bay of "Happy Gilmore" fame, yelled in vain after Seinfeld ran off with the last loaf from the corner bakery. The act later came back to bite him when Choate, who had since moved to Florida, was the deciding vote in ejecting Jerry's TV parents, Morty & Helen Seinfeld, from their Pines of Mar Gables, Fla. housing community. The eviction became official after she recognized Seinfeld at the eviction 'hearing'. Morty (Barney Martin) famously offered a "Nixonian Wave" to the crowd as he got into Jerry's car and drove away, to the evil snickering of one Jack Klompus. Klompus once accused Jerry of stealing an astronaut pen.
A frequent sight at Monk's Coffee Shop, a fictional diner on the Upper West Side near Jerry's W. 81 Street apartment, the benevolent Jerry, who at one point bought his parents an infamous Cadillac, decided he would offer advice to a struggling novice restaurateur near his building.
That man, Babu Bhatt (Brian George), a Pakistani national, at first was overjoyed to have a visitor to his bare restaurant. Eventually, he was seen swinging his finger menacingly at Jerry, calling him a "very bad man". Not only had Jerry's advice helped his restaurant go bankrupt, but the comedian's alleged ineptitude to properly sort his mail led to Bhatt's deportation to Islamabad.
Jerry also was once written a summons for urinating in public after the quartet became lost in a New Jersey parking garage. Seinfeld reportedly had as many as 74 girlfriends, plus Elaine, during the course of the program.
The exterior shot of "Monk's" is in reality the southwest corner of "Tom's Diner", a favorite lunch spot for many along the non-touristy stretch of Broadway at W. 112 Street.
Jerry's ex-girlfriend, Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) was one of the most memorable lead females of the 90s sitcom era. Her "little kicks" dance routine has likely never been copied by anyone.
Her longtime boss, Jacobo "J." Peterman, played by the effervescent John O'Hurley, was often a source of Elaine's discontent with her life at times. Peterman once accused Elaine of being addicted to opium, and substantiated the claims publicly when Kramer appeared in her office, sweating and frantic: "You're the only one that's got the good stuff, and I need it bad, baby, because I feel like I got bugs crawling up my skin," a disheveled looking Kramer panted, as Peterman passed Elaine's office, peering in.
"Not on my watch!" Peterman yelled, "I won't have you turning my office into a den of iniquity!" he exclaimed, and physically tossed Kramer out of the office. Kramer had only been asking Elaine to use her shower, as his and Jerry's apartment building's water pressure had been reduced.
Elaine was also a proliferator of catchphrases. On the subject of an acquaintance not sharing toilet paper, she asked, "so you can't spare a square?"; used the term "mimbo" to describe what she called a "male bimbo", and despite her stature, would occasionally resort to a powerful shove to the chest of a victim, yelling "Get-Out!"
She once frightened a woman on the subway by acknowledging that she was heading out of Manhattan to be the "best man at a lesbian wedding". That same day, ex-boyfriend Jerry awoke on his inbound train to a naked man (Ernie Sabella, the voice of Disney's Pumbaa the Warthog) reading a newspaper al natural, as if everything on the MTA vehicle was normal.
Kramer's activities and memorable moments could write a book. Some noted memories of the "K-Man" include a stint as an underwear model, a host of Japanese tourists who become stuck in his humidified dresser, a speed dater described by Elaine as a "hipster doofus", and an accused pimp accosting a woman while wearing "Joseph's" Technicolor Dreamcoat.
The accident prone Kramer severely injured himself while having convulsions at the sound of journalist Mary Hart's voice, breaking a sofa leg. In another instance, he fell asleep on a downtown-bound "1" Train heading for South Ferry. As the subway bounced along, Kramer's tall stature became humorously contorted as he dozed. He also was remembered for passing a kidney stone so loudly at a circus that a number of large animals became frightened.
And who can forget Art Vandelay, or George Costanza as he was sometimes called. After attempting to drug his boss at the realty he worked at, George went on to have a long career with the Yankees. However, his dealings with the House that Steinbrenner Built weren't always clean. He created a mini apartment under his desk, was banned from Steinbrenner's favorite calzone shop, and reprimanded by a surprised boss, Mr. Wilhelm, after he was heard swearing at the Houston Astros' front office: "You tell that S.O.B. that no Yankee b*****d is ever coming to Houston!" after attempting to assimilate with the raunchy staff from Texas.
George had been sucker punched by Marisa Tomei, robbed by a prostitute and chained to a bed, referred to by his boss as "Koko the Monkey", and accused [rightfully so] of falsifying his handicapped status by one of his bosses, Mr. Tomasulo (Gordon Jump).
There was "Independent George", also known as "Movie George, Coffee Shop George, Liar George, [and] Bawdy George". Jerry allegedly tried to "kill" Independent George by attempting to introduce him to "Relationship George". He of course also pretended to be either a marine biologist or Latex importer-exporter Art Vandelay, using the latter to attempt to fool his assigned agent, Lenore Sokol, at the New York State Department of Labor.
"Seinfeld" often featured episodes involving the entire quartet in a common storyline. "The Contest" was no different. As described by Jerry's date at the time, Marla Penny (Jane Leeves of "Frasier"), the four proceeded to "see how long they could go without gratifying themselves!" Marla told Judge Arthur Vandelay during the finale that the group was "horrible".
Even minor characters in the program are well-remembered nationwide. "Soup Nazi" Yev Kassem, a fictional representation of former Azerbaijani food stand operator Al Yeganeh, banned every character from his stand, except Kramer who he found a connection with. He later closed up shop after Elaine discovered his recipes in an armoire... "You're done, Soup Nazi! No Soup For You!"
Elaine's on-and-off boyfriend David Puddy (Patrick Warburton) was a frequent guest on the show. Memorable moments of Puddy's included an appearance at a New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils hockey game at Madison Square Garden, in which he dressed as the visiting team. His face painted to look like the Jersey Devil, he severely frightened an attending priest by turning to him and screaming "Yeah! Devils! Devils!".
Prior to its 1998 culmination, a "clip show" aired, featuring the best moments over the years. A sign that the program was the true epitome of the 1990s in America, the clip show finished with a clip show of its own, showing behind-the-scenes photographs of the cast members, accompanied by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day singing "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", an instant hit still remembered today by many as "The Seinfeld Clip Show Song".
The Finale, which aired 15 years ago today, on what was a Thursday night in 1998, completed a full circle of events beginning and ending with Jerry pointing out to George, as the four sat in a Massachusetts jail, the same thing he did at a diner in the 1989 pilot regarding George's dress shirt: "You know, that button is in the completely wrong spot".
[SEE THE FAMOUS MONTAGE, INTRODUCED BY JERRY SEINFELD HIMSELF, BELOW, famously assisted by Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre]:
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