Seinfeld

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine and Jerry Seinfeld

Seinfeld is a US television sitcom, considered to be one of the most popular and influential of the 1990s. It stars Jerry Seinfeld playing a character named after and based largely on himself, and is set in an apartment block in Manhattan, New York. It featured an eclectic cast of characters, mainly Jerry's friends and acquaintances - unlike many of the sitcoms of the 1980s that based themselves around family units with quotas of cute but smart-alecky children.

The show was famously described as "the show about nothing," and the comment is largely accurate, as most of the comedy was based around the largely inconsequential minutiae of everyday life, often involving petty rivalries and elaborate schemes to gain the smallest advantage over other individuals. However, themes of illogical social graces and customs, neurotic and obsessive behavior and the mysterious workings of relationships run in numerous episodes. It follows the times. The show is also unique in reflecting the activities of real people, rather than the idealized escapist characters often seen on television.

The Manhattan restaurant
frequently pictured in 'Seinfeld', located at 113th Street and Broadway

As originally conceived, the show features clips, at the beginning and end of the show, of Seinfeld delivering a standup routine that ties in to the events depicted in the episode. It is probably worth mentioning that in this sitcom the distinction between Jerry Seinfeld and the character who is portayed by Jerry Seinfeld in the eponymous sitcom is therefore blurred; the character transcends his role. In later seasons, these standup clips were given less emphasis.

After nine years on the air, the series finale of Seinfeld aired on NBC on May 14, 1998. It received a huge audience, estimated at 40 million viewers. Jerry Seinfeld holds a record for the 'most money refused' according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Characters

Jerry Seinfeld (played by Jerry Seinfeld) - a reasonably successful standup comedian, who seeks out relationships with attractive women which rarely last more than one episode. A number of episodes involve some obsession of Jerry's that results in offending the romantic interest and breaking the relationship. Another favourite obsession of Jerry's was that of Superman and Lois Lane.
George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) - a short, balding, neurotic individual domineered by his parents, especially his father Frank. He held jobs as a real estate agent, as assistant to the traveling secretary for the New York Yankees, and at Kruger Industrial Smoothing. The character of George was largely based on the show's co-creator Larry David.
Cosmo Kramer (played by Michael Richards) - tall, wild-haired, Kramer is the Seinfeld character with the loosest grip on reality, decorum, or concepts of property. (Based on Larry David's sometime neighbour, Kenny Kramer).
Elaine Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) - like Seinfeld, much of Elaine's life revolves around trying to arrange relationships with attractive individuals, although some of hers last rather longer than Jerry's. She's held jobs for Pendant Publishing, The J. Peterman Catalog, and as a personal assistant to Mr. Pitt. Elaine was a composite of two girlfriends of the creators.

In various plotlines, several of these main characters carried pseudonyms in order to get them out of various sticky situations:

George Costanza: Art Vandelay; an alias often used by George -- in one instance George tells the unemployment office he is close to getting a job at Vandelay Industries. The characters encounter a judge named Art Vandelay on the series finale. At one point George wanted to be known as "T-Bone," but his co-workers at Kruger Smoothing nicknamed him "Koko." George revealed that if he were to be a porn star, his name would be "Buck Naked." Jerry frequently calls George "Biff," referring to the Biff Loman character in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
Cosmo Kramer: H. E. Pennypacker; in one instance Kramer poses as Pennypacker, an interested buyer in an apartment in order to use the bathroom. Kramer appeared as Pennypacker to get revenge on a store, Putumayo, by repricing all the merchandise in their store with his pricing gun. Another pseudonym was Dr. Peter von Nostrand; he tried to get Elaine's chart to erase something bad another doctor had written on it. Kramer used Martin van Nostrand when he auditioned for the role of himself on the show Jerry.
Jerry Seinfeld: Kel Varnsen; the arch-rival of Pennypacker and a wealthy developer/industrialist. Notably, both of them plus Vandelay appear in the episode "The Puerto Rico Day Parade" (where Jerry's Saab - actually a Saab 900 convertible - is abused). Kel Varnsen also answered the phone of Vandelay Industries to aid in George's unemployment fraud.
Elaine Benes: Susie; after a co-worker mistakenly calls her Susie. Susie was created as a different person in theory killed off when the situation with her co-worker became too complicated.

Secondary Characters

Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) and Estelle Costanza (played by Estelle Harris) - doting parents of George, who live in Queens.
Morty Seinfeld - Jerry's dad. He sold raincoats for 35 years. He hates velcro--he can't stand the tearing sound.
Newman (played by Wayne Knight) - portly, annoying U.S. postal carrier neighbor of Jerry and Kramer's.
Mr. Steinbrenner (voice by Larry David) - George Costanza's boss while working for the Yankees; his face is never shown.
Kenny Bania - an unfunny stand-up comedian who has routines on chocolate drink mixes such as Bosco and Ovaltine. Jerry contributed some material to Banya's ovaltine routine. He likes to eat at Mendy's.
Tim Whatley - a dentist who converted to Judaism for the jokes and a regifter.
Bob Sacamano - a friend of Kramer (never shown) who is often referred to as the source of nutty ideas or inaccurate information.
Soup Nazi - based on a real person, a man who easily denied customers his delicious soup.
David Puddy - on-again, off-again 'religious' boyfriend of Elaine Benes. He wore an 8-ball jacket and enjoyed giving high fives while working as a salesman in a Saab dealership.
Uncle Leo - Jerry's unavoidable and annoying Uncle who always greets Jerry with a hearty "JERRY, HELLO!" His son Jeffrey works for the Parks Department.
J. Peterman - eccentric and loquacious boss of Elaine Benes. He has a long, interesting history that includes heroin addiction.
Noreen - a friend of Elaine who dated the high talker. Elaine continuously destroyed Noreen's life until Kramer intervened and urged her to return to the military.
Lloyd Braun - a long-time associate of George & Jerry, Estelle Costanza constantly badgered George for not being more like Lloyd. Lloyd used to work for David Dinkins until he passed along Elaine's suggestion that everyone in New York City wear name tags. Dinkins lost the race and Braun had a nervous breakdown. He enjoys "lo meiny" Chinese chewing gum.
Jack Clompus - a resident of Del Boca Vista, where Jerry's parents have retired. Jerry gets into a fiasco with him over an astronaut's pen.
Babu Bhat - from Pakistan, Jerry seems to mess up his life at every turn, by giving bad business advice on his restaurant, not passing on his immigration notice. Thinks Jerry is a "very, very bad man".
Crazy Joe Davola - attacked Kramer, blames Jerry for misfortunes, dated Elaine, depressed that Elaine rejected him, dressed up like clown
Bob Cobb - a conductor who prefers to be called "Maestro" and has a villa in Tuscany.
Mickey Abbott - a little person who took various acting gigs with Kramer.
Poppie - owner of an Italian restaurant who disapproves of abortion, known to not wash his hands after visiting the bathroom, believes a pizza is a pizza when you put your fists in the dough, rejects cucumbers as a pizza topping, and peed on Jerry's brand new couch. The "Poppie couch" turns up in later episodes.
Lomez - another mysterious friend of Kramer.
Susan Ross - Ex-fiancée of George, dies from toxic wedding invitation envelope adhesive. She was a former executive at NBC when Jerry and George were pitching "Jerry." After her death, George is roped into being a trustee for her memorial charity foundation.
Marla the Virgin - professional closet organizer who Jerry dates, trying to bed her, only to lose her to JFK Jr.
Izzy Mandelbaum - played by Lloyd Bridges, fellow resident of Jerry's parents in Del Boca Vista in Florida; head of family-owned Magic Pan restaurants and has a running rivalry with Jerry.
The Drake - a mutual friend of main characters, often referred to by "Gotta love The Drake" or "I hate The Drake."
Alec Berg - friend who gives hockey tickets to Jerry.

Notable one-time characters

Brody - Kramer's movie pirater friend, packs a gun, eats too much candy.
Slippery Pete and Schlomo - two shady Slavic fellows that George hires to move his Frogger machine without power being interrupted.
Vegetable lasagna - European guy, who sits in the plane seat next to Elaine and Puddy and has to put up with incessant fighting. Named after his food preference on the plane, even though he insists his name is Magnus.
Miss Rhode Island (Karen) - Jerry dates her, accidentally kills her doves, forcing her to sing for the talent contest, which goes horribly.
Bubble Boy - Jerry agrees to visit a boy in a plastic bubble, but finds he is a bratty spoiled kid; George gets in fight over typo on a Trivial Pursuit card, when it says the Moops invaded Spain.

Celebrities who played themselves

Keith Hernandez - Jerry and George met the Mets player in the locker room of their health club. He is a big fan of Jerry's comedy and he becomes awkwardly entangled with Elaine and Jerry.
Jon Voigt - he bit Kramer's arm.
Marisa Tomei - had a major crush on George while he was engaged to Susan Ross.
Corbin Bernsen - George made a trip with Jerry to appear on the Tonight Show and he ran into Corbin Bernsen there. George tells him his idea for the perfect L A Law episode.
George Wendt - George also runs into him at the Tonight Show. He suggests they change the setting of Cheers because "it's enough with the bar already." Bernsen and Wendt make George the butt of their jokes on the Tonight Show.
Mel Torme - The Velvet Fog himself sings at a charity fundraiser, when Kramer is mistaken as a disabled person.
Fred Savage - Kramer runs into former Wonder Years star at a cafe in Los Angeles, and tries to pitch his script.
Raquel Welch - Gets fired by Kramer from the "Scarsdale Surprise" play, then cat-fights with Elaine, in the "Summer of George" episode.
Paul O'Neill - Kramer tells him he has promised a sick boy that O'Neill will hit two home runs in that day's game. O'Neill gets one home run and a triple with an error, but Kramer insists, "Come on, Bobby, that's just as good!"
Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter - During his tenure as assistant to the Yankees' General Manager, George is temporarily brilliant from lack of sex and teaches them how to hit.
Danny Tartabull - George sidetracks his promised appearance on a public television fund raiser to chase down a driver that he (wrongly) thinks gave them the finger.
Bette Midler - While playing catcher for the softball team from her Broadway show, "Rochelle, Rochelle: The Musical", Midler is run down by George on a decisive play at the plate. While she recuperates, Kramer becomes her personal handler and gushes, "You are so freaking talented!"
Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford - Kramer appears on their television show to promote his coffee table book about coffee tables.
Bryant Gumbel - Jerry wears the puffy shirt onto the Today show, and host Gumbel says, "I'm sorry, it is just a VERY unusual shirt. It could be kind of a whole new look for you.. you know, you could be kind of like the pirate-comedian."

Seinfeld Sayings

A few notable expressions from Seinfeld became popular phrases in everyday speech (Seinfeldisms). Among the most famous:

anti-dentite - someone who discriminates against dentists, which Kramer accuses Jerry of being.
baldist - someone who discriminates against bald people, George often being the victim.
close talker - a person who doesn't understand the concept of personal space during conversation.
conjugal visit sex - supposedly the best sex to have, make-up sex being second.
double-dipper - a person who inserts chip into dip, takes a bite, and unhygenically re-dips the chip, thereby essentially putting the whole mouth into the dip. George's double-dipping causes a scuffle at a funeral.
Festivus - a December holiday created by Frank Costanza to counteract the commercialism of those other December holidays.
high talker - a person who speaks in an abnormal high pitch, usually to describe a male who sounds like a female.
in the vault - an expression to indicate a secret, told in confidence, as in don't worry, "it's the in the vault."
low talker - a person who speaks very softly. This can have very adverse effects especially when Jerry was 'low talked' into wearing a puffy shirt on The Today Show.
"Hoochie Mama!!" - an expression used by Kramer (please describle it better...)
make-up sex - the sex when making up after an argument, which is best type other than conjugal visit sex.
Manssiere or bro - names proposed by Kramer and Frank Costanza for support garments for male breasts.
man hands - phrase to describe a woman's hands when they are 'less than feminine.'
master of my domain - used to describe one's fortitude in refraining from masturbation.
queen of the castle - used to describe woman's (Elaine's) fortitude in refraining from masturbation. feminine form of "master of my domain." Elaine was queen of the castle until she saw John F. Kennedy Junior in an exercise class.
mimbo - a male bimbo.
Moops - a typo for "Moors" on a Trival Pursuit card in the Bubble Boy episode.
Mulva - the name Jerry guessed for a woman he was dating whose name he couldn't remember, all he knew was that it rhymed with a part of a woman's anatomy. After she stormed off in a huff because he couldn't remember her name, he realized it was Dolores.
"Nnnnewman!" - as to identify a single individual being responsible for something, or all, that's bad.
"No soup for you" - an exclamation used in the event where someone changes his or her mind about giving something to someone else. The word "soup" may be replaced with the object at hand; the reference to the show can still be very obvious if the speaker uses the correct tone of voice.
"Not that there's anything wrong with that" - politically correct standard disclaimer, used to indicate that while one was not homosexual, one did not particularly disapprove of it.
regift/regifter - take a (usually undesirable) present given to you, and give to someone else.
"Serenity now!" - something that George's father Frank paradoxically yells as a mantra to calm down.
Sexual camel - someone who can go long periods between sex
Shiksappeal - someone who is appealing, but non-Jewish; a play on Yiddish word shiksa.
Shmoopie - nauseatingly sweet term of affection used by couples for each other, as in "I love you, Shmoopie!" Jerry uses it with a girlfriend, to George and Elaine's disgust.
shrinkage - the shrinking of a man's (specifically George Costanza) penis in cold water. "Like a frightened turtle," as Jerry says.
soup nazi - a person who would often need to say: "No soup for you!"
spongeworthy - that a potential sexual partner is particularly attractive; in the original episodes, being "spongeworthy" meant Elaine was willing to use one of her limited supply of (no longer produced) contraceptive sponges with this person.
Stopping short - the technique of a driver who slams on the brakes in the car, in order to get a cheap feel of the person in the passenger seat. Frank Costanza was the master.
that'll be ... five ... ten ... minutes - to put off those who are in waiting, such as for a free table in a restaurant, for what overtly appears a moderate duration, but with the effect or even the intention not to eventually end their wait at all.
"These pretzels are making me thirsty" - a filler phrase when irritated or nervous, and at a loss for words.
the jimmy leg - a condition that people have when their leg undergoes spasms while sleeping causing his/her significant other to lose sleep. This condition may cause a couple to sleep in different beds; Frank and Estelle Costanza resorted to sleeping in twin beds as a result of her jimmy arm.
the tap - during sex, to get a tap on the shoulder to cease activities because of subpar performance.
to get upset self-reflectively - as in "George is getting upset!", exclaimed by George Louis Costanza himself. Self-reflective speech was initially a defining attribute of Jimmy.
to just ... write it off!! - to use a phrase without instruction.
to name name(s) - as expression of the ultimate and irredeemable betrayal of an (until then shared) idea, or good; in referring to the betrayer.
to refer to Jerry Seinfeld as "Seinfield (sic.)", or "Miste (sic.) ... Seinfield" - as to demonstrate familiarity with the particlar instances in which Jerry Seinfeld was so addressed; and hence familiarity with The Seinfeld Chronicles as a whole; and, not least, to express appreciation for all co-authors, and actors.
two-face - describes a girl who looks good in one lighting condition, and ugly in another. Also used: "hotsy totsy, hotsy notsy."
"Vvvvargas!" - as to identify a single individual being responsible for something, or all, that's good.
"yada yada yada" - used largely like "et cetera, et cetera", although in the original Seinfeld episode it was used to gloss over important details.
"You are so good looking" - a proposed alternative phrase for when someone sneezes, rather than "God bless you."
"You gotta see the baby!" - annoying phrase muttered by new parents to uninterested friends.

References

Jerry Seinfeld; Sein Language; Bantam; ISBN 0553096060 (hardcover, 1993)
Bruce Fretts (Author); Entertainment Weekly Seinfeld Companion; Warner Books; ISBN 0446670367 (paperback, 1993)
William Irwin (Editor); Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing; Open Court Publishing Company; ISBN 0812694090 (paperback, 1999)
Ted L. Nancy (Author); Letters from a Nut; Avon; ISBN 0380973545 (1st edition, hardcover, 1999)
Ted L. Nancy, Jerry Seinfeld (Introduction); Extra Nutty!: Even More Letters from a Nut; St. Martin's Press; ISBN 0312261551 (hardcover, 2000)
Jerry Seinfeld (Author); Halloween (Collector's Edition with CD); Little Brown & Co (Juv Trd); ISBN 0316134546 (hardcover; book and CD edition, 2002)