The hit 90s show Seinfeld is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential shows ever. That’s not bad for famously earning the label as the “show about nothing.” Despite airing its last episode in 1998, Seinfeld still ranks highly among TV’s best shows and remains popular with original fans and those discovering it for the first time.
So, think you’re a Seinfeld fan? Here are some surprising things you probably didn’t already know about the famous sitcom.
Male Unbonding is the only episode to not have “The” in the title
When coming up with episode titles, Jerry Seinfeld didn’t want the writers to waste too much time coming up with funny titles, so a decision was made to name all the episodes “The…” followed by something from the episode. But Male Unbonding doesn’t follow this rule as the decision on titles was made after the script for Male Unboding was completed. Jerry Seinfeld eventually tried to alter the title to The Male Unbonding but was unsuccessful.
Jason Alexander thought the show would flop
In an interview with Australia’s Today Show, the actor and co-creator of Seinfeld revealed that he didn’t think the show would get past the pilot episode, and that “we all thought it was unique but not necessarily in a good way.” Thankfully, many people disagreed with him.
The final episode is one of the most viewed shows of all time
During its peak in the late 1990s, Seinfeld had viewers glued to their TV screens and a whopping 76.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the final episode of the famous sitcom, making it one of the most watched TV show finales of all time.
1380 sets were built for the show
Throughout Seinfeld’s nine seasons, Thomas “Tho” Azzari, the sitcom’s production designer, built over 1,000 sets. Speaking of his designs, Azzari said, “You don’t want to take away from what’s going on. That’s why Jerry’s apartment is gray. The color is the actors.”
Oh, and the show was filmed in LA
While the sitcom is famously set in New York, Seinfeld was mostly filmed on set in Los Angeles. But some of the exterior shots like Monk’s Café and Jerry’s apartment, were shot in New York.
The Junior Mint had a stunt double…
In the world of flying mints, the Junior Mint may steal the spotlight for the iconic scene in Seinfeld’s The Junior Mint episode, but in reality, it needed a bigger stunt double: a York Peppermint Patty. Director Tom Cherones revealed that after failing to capture the tiny Junior Mint flipping in the air, they went on to flip a York Peppermint Patty instead, and they got the shot on the first take.
Jerry’s girlfriend in The Junior Mint was almost named Cloris
Originally, Jerry’s girlfriend in The Junior Mint episode was meant to be named Cloris, but during filming, a suggestion from the live studio audience changed that. When told that her name “rhymed with a part of the female anatomy,” the name “Dolores” was shouted out by an audience member, which was deemed funnier than “Cloris”.
The composer behind the iconic theme music also wrote the theme songs for other hit shows
You know that funky tune at the beginning of every episode? Well, we have composer Johnathan Wolff to thank for those groovy riffs. Not only did he compose the theme music for Seinfeld, but he also created the intros to other hit shows, like Will & Grace and Saved by the Bell: The College Years.
Every theme song is unique in each episode
In 2017, composer Johnathan Wolff revealed that due to the variation in length and content of Seinfeld’s stand-up intros, the theme song in each episode had to be tailored to match the pacing of his routine.
That moment in The Sniffing Accountant was unscripted
You know what we’re talking about. When Michael Richards, playing Kramer, impressively chugs a beer and smokes a cigarette simultaneously. In the first take, he accidentally let out a loud burp with a puff of smoke. Who said men couldn’t multitask? This unscripted funny moment was loved by the audience and kept in the final edit.
You can find Seinfeld’s Puffy Shirt in the National Museum of American History
In the iconic episode The Puffy Shirt, Jerry agrees to wear a ridiculous puffy shirt on the Today show, thanks to a miscommunication with Kramer’s girlfriend. This episode is celebrated for its ridiculousness and the puffy shirt has become an iconic symbol of the series. It’s so iconic that it’s made its way into the National Museum of American History.
Friends? More like enemies
At one point, NBC proposed a Seinfeld and Friends crossover, until Larry David and another writer shot the idea down, saying “Only if we get to kill Ross.” Yikes.
George and Jerry’s final scene mirrors their first scene
In one of Seinfeld’s first scenes, Jerry and George have a conversation where Jerry criticizes the button placement on George’s shirt. Things come full circle when, in the pair’s final scene together, Jerry makes the same comment about the button placement, leading George to ask whether they’d had this chat before. Yup, they had.
Jerry Seinfeld wanted Jake Johannsen to play George
While it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of George, Jerry Seinfeld initially approached comedian Jake Johannsen for the role. Thankfully, Johannsen declined the offer, leading to Jason Alexander being cast as Seinfeld’s best buddy.
Jerry had 66 girlfriends throughout the series
Throughout Seinfeld’s nine-series run, Jerry goes on many dates with many women. It’s believed that he racked up 66 girlfriends during the show’s run (honestly, who can keep up with this man?).
The show is much darker than people realise
There’s no denying the fact that Seinfeld is rooted in comedy. But when Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld wrote the show, they had a firm rule of maintaining a “no hugging, no learning” motto, thereby avoiding any form of sentimentality throughout the show. David went on to say, in an interview with The Atlantic, “A lot of people don’t understand that Seinfeld is a dark show. Terrible things happen to people. They lose jobs; somebody breaks up with a stroke victim; somebody’s told they need a nose job. That’s my sensibility.”
The Soup Nazi was based on a real person
One of the most iconic characters from Seinfeld is the Soup Nazi, who was based on Al Yeganeh, a real-life owner of a soup kitchen in Manhattan. In an interview with CNN, he was told, “You’re famous because of him” (referring to Jerry Seinfeld), to which Yeganeh replied, “No. He got fame through me. I made him famous.” Yeganeh hates the association with Seinfeld so much that he allegedly banned the comedian from his soup stall.
Susan Ross was written out of the show on purpose
The unexpected death of George’s fiancée, Susan Ross, due to toxic envelope glue (ah yes, that common cause of death), left a lot of Seinfeld viewers puzzled. Years later, Jason Alexander disclosed the real reason behind this abrupt exit. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alexander explained the challenges he faced in scenes with Heidi Swedberg, noting their mismatched comedic instincts.
Jerry Seinfeld gave the cast a pricey gift after the final episode
Patrick Warburton, known for his role as David Puddy, shared with News.com.au that Jerry Seinfeld gifted the cast a pretty memorable leaving gift, when they wrapped up filming the last episode. He said, “We all got a lovely Cartier watch that said Seinfeld underneath.”
The Puerto Rican Day episode led to outrage
Seinfeld’s The Puerto Rican Day episode caused outrage for burning and stomping on the territory’s flag. It was the second highest-rated episode of the series but it also caused much controversy, crossing the fine line between humor and offense. After protests were held and harshly worded letters were written, NBC pulled The Puerto Rican Day episode from syndication.
Julia was known for getting a case of the giggles
When shooting scenes late into the evening, Julia Louise-Dreyfus (aka Elaine), often got a case of the giggles when feeling tired. In fact, most of her bloopers were from shooting late sessions.
The Rye episode was based on a real life event
What do you do when your writing feels stale? Turn to real life. The Rye episode follows George and Jerry embarking on a quest to replace a loaf of rye bread. Interestingly, this storyline was inspired by a real-life incident, which was shared with Seinfeld by comedian and writer Carol Leifer.
Michael Richards improvised his rant in The Calzone
In The Calzone episode, George’s boss develops an obsession with calzones from Paisano’s, leading George to enlist Kramer’s help after getting banned. During the episode, Michael Richards, who was playing Kramer, launches a nonsensical Italian rant, which was totally improvised.
The real Costanza sued Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David for $100 million
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld have always said that George Costanza’s character is based on Larry David himself. Despite this, Seinfeld’s former friend, Michael Costanza, filed a massive $100 million lawsuit against Seinfeld, David, and NBC, alleging that his likeness was used in the show.
Jerry Seinfeld’s obsession with the number 9 cost him $110 Million
Jerry Seinfeld’s affinity for the number nine influenced his decision to conclude Seinfeld after nine seasons, as he found the number symbolically significant. Despite NBC’s lucrative offer of $110 million for a 10th season, Jerry declined, preferring to end the series on his favorite number.
Jerry is the only cast member with a perfect attendance record
You might think that certain members in the cast of Seinfeld would appear in every episode, but that isn’t the case. Jerry Seinfeld is the only cast member to feature in all 180 episodes, with Jason Alexander coming in a close second, missing just the one episode, called The Pen.
