Seinfeld, the show about nothing, was one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. Whether it was the eccentricities of the characters or just the bizarre, yet relatable situations they found themselves in, Seinfeld just resonated with people.
Running for a nine-year span between 1989 to 1998, Seinfeld revolved around a fictionalized version of the show's co-creator and star, Jerry Seinfeld, and his day-to-day life in New York City with his best friend, George Costanza, his ex-girlfriend, Elaine Benes, and his offbeat neighbor, Cosmo Kramer.
Seinfeld was constantly a ratings winner and won a mind-boggling three Golden Globes, 10 Primetime Emmys, and four People's Choice Awards during its run. In fact, Seinfeld was so popular that an estimated 76.3 million viewers — or 58 percent of all U.S. viewers — tuned in for the show's finale, making it the fourth most watched finale in the history of U.S. television, trailing only MAS*H, Cheers, and The Fugitive.
With great popularity comes great fandom and Seinfeld has its fair share of dedicated devotees, wanting to know every last detail about every aspect of the show. Hopefully, those devoted fans can find something they weren't aware of in this list and feel free to add your own Seinfeld trivia in the comments, because some people think they know it all…
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
1. Steve Buscemi Originally Auditioned For The Role Of George
Just let that Faceswap sink in for a second, but he was just one of many soon-to-be successful actors to audition for the role. Danny DeVito was also considered for the part and Paul Shaffer, David Letterman's band leader, turned the role down. Shaffer was earmarked for his resemblance of co-creator Larry David, on whom the part was based.
2. Frank Sinatra Died While The Series Finale Was Being Aired
Ol' Blue Eyes passed away during the West Coast airing of the episode, but amazingly it only took an ambulance four minutes to get to Sinatra's Los Angeles home. The L.A. fire chief later said the reason that there was so little traffic on the road was because everyone was at home watching Seinfeld.
3. The Interior Of Monk's Cafe Doesn't Match The Exterior
The exterior scenes for Monk's Cafe were shot at Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway in New York City, whereas the interior shots were filmed on a soundstage. Tom's Restaurant is a well-lit place with four large rectangular windows when viewed from the side, but Monk's Cafe has two small domed windows with curtains.
4. Jerry And George Have The Same Conversation To Begin And End The Series
At the beginning of the very first episode, George and Jerry are talking about a button. At the end of the final episode while sitting in a jail cell, they are having the same conversation about a button: ”See, now to me, that button is in the worst possible spot. The second button literally makes or breaks the shirt. Look at it, it’s too high, it’s in no-man’s land.”
5. Kramer Got A Little Too Popular
Yes, that really can happen. As Kramer's popularity grew, the rest of the cast began to complain that the studio audience's prolonged applause for his entrance was ruining the pace of the show.
6. Seinfeld Was Awarded By The American Academy Of Dermatology
That's right, the AAD awarded the show for promoting skin cancer awareness in the episode, The Slicer. Marcia Cross, or Pimple Popper MD as Jerry referred to her, plays a dermatologist that Jerry was dating. He dumped her, but had to come crawling back when he needed a mole checked.
7. Jason Alexander's Wardrobe Was Often One Size Too Small
This was done to make him uncomfortable and help him stay in character, the result being that George was perpetually annoyed. Being the only cast member to never win an Emmy probably helped, too.
8. Jerry Wasn't Really Sure About His Own Address
In the episode The Beard, Jerry told polygraph examiner that his address is 129 West 81st Street. Strange, because the exterior shots of his apartment always say 757.
9. Jerry Seinfeld's Obsession With The Number Nine Is What Ended The Show
The number nine is why Seinfeld knocked back an offer of $110 million dollars for a 10th season. From a 1998 Vanity Fair article: "He was born in '54 (5+4=9), graduated from high school in '72 (7+2=9), first appeared on The Tonight Show in '81 (8+1=9), and Seinfeld premiered in 1989 (1+9+8+9=27; 2+7=9). His show comes on at 9 p.m. 'By the end, we will have done 180 shows (1+8=9). And then I found out that nine in numerology means completion.'"
10. Julia Louis-Dreyfus Was Pregnant During Seasons 3 and 8
It wasn't written into the show, so how do you hide that? Just have Elaine stand behind couches or carry boxes and laundry baskets. Then there is the completely shapeless '90s fashion…
11. Co-Creator Larry David Enforced A "No Hugging, No Learning" Policy
OK, there was the occasional hug here and there, but they weren't particularly comfortable. What David meant was there was to be no sentimentality and the characters weren't to grow in any way from their experiences.
12. Junior Mints Weren't Kramer's First Candy Of Choice
"Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint, it's delicious!" Maybe so, but Kramer probably would've preferred M&Ms or Lifesavers among choices, but these companies didn't really see the humor in having their product fall inside a patient on an operating table. Junior Mints, however, experienced a huge surge in sales as a result.
13. Jerry Must've Eaten A Lot Of Cereal
Or not, because there were 12 cereal boxes in his cupboard by the finale: Honeycomb, two boxes of Frosted Shredded Wheat, Grape-Nuts, Honey-Nut Shredded Wheat, Waffle Crisps, Shredded Wheat, Honey Bunches of Oats, Bits 'N' Pieces, Blueberry Morning, Golden Multi-Grain Flakes, and Froot Loops.
14. Jerry's Puffy Shirt Is In The Smithsonian
Well, one of them is. Another used in the same episode sold for $16,500 at an auction in 2002.
