Top 10 Dark Truths About Seinfeld
#10: Elaine's Dad Was Even Scarier in Real Life
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While Jerry and George’s parents played major roles throughout the series, Elaine's father only appeared in one episode. The actor playing the parts was actually supposed to have a recurring role, but that idea was nixed during the filming of his first, and only appearance. You see, as scary as her dad was on screen, actor Lawrence Tierney was even scarier in real life. The incident that’s often mentioned involves Tierney sneaking a knife from the set into his jacket, and when questioned imitating the iconic scene from “Psycho”. Julia Louis-Dreyfus described the experience bluntly, saying “He was a total nutjob”.
#9: “Seinfeld” v. “Roseanne”
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If someone parked in your spot at work, what would you do? Hopefully, it wouldn't be what Tom Arnold did when Julia Louis-Dreyfus accidentally did just that. The incensed Arnold left an aggressive note on her windshield, reading “How stupid are you? Move your f—ing car, you a–hole!” After Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David and Jason Alexander approached him about it, a photo of a butt appeared on her car, along with an extremely vulgar insult scrawled in soap. Arnold has said that this was the work of his wife at the time, Roseanne - and the photo was of her co-star John Goodman! Still angry, Roseanne doubled down when she called Louis-Dreyfus a ‘bitch’ on David Letterman. Arnold blames it all on the Seinfeld people being “crappy”.
#8: The Disappearance of Claire the Waitress
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The pilot episode features some notable differences to the rest of the show - in particular, the presence of Claire the waitress, and the absence of Elaine. Originally, Claire - played by Lee Garlington - was going to be the main female protagonist. But she was let go after the pilot, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus was brought in as Elaine. Why, you ask? Well, according to Seinfeld, the producers wanted a character that would be more intertwined with the guys - not just pouring coffee. However, Jason Alexander has said that Garlington had rewritten her scene and Larry David wasn’t happy about it, so she was sent packing.
#7: Royalty Discrepancy
If you thought that the cast of “Seinfeld” has been getting rich off royalty payments since the show ended, you would be a quarter right. Co-creator and star Jerry Seinfeld has been raking in the dollars since the “show about nothing” went off the air, with his 15% backend equity deal. Co-creator Larry David has the same deal. It might not sound like a lot, but that 15% has made Seinfeld at least $440 million since the series ended its run in 1998. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards and Jason Alexander certainly made a pretty penny per episode, but do not have a share in the backend equity. They do still get the standard SAG-AFTRA residuals and a cut of DVD sales - which is obviously becoming less and less relevant.
#6: Finale Feelings
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Over 76 million people watched the “Seinfeld” finale in 1998. And while the series is one of the most beloved in the history of television, the finale, which sees the characters receive their comeuppance, is one of the most divisive. While some fans and critics liked it, just as many, if not more, were disappointed. And it would appear that the cast themselves feel somewhat the same. Jerry has said he was happy with the episode, but has also commented that they might have tried to go too big and “big is always bad in comedy”. For his part, Jason Alexander has called it good but not great. Julia Louis-Dreyfus got in a very funny dig at the finale during her appearance on David Letterman’s final show.
#5: Angering Puerto Ricans
If you missed “The Puerto Rican Day” episode when it aired on May 7, 1998 you would have had to wait until 2002 to see it. While the show went into syndication after it ended, that particular episode was removed from the syndication package for four years. Why? Well, the National Puerto Rican Coalition was not happy about seeing the Puerto Rican flag burned on TV. There were also complaints and protests over how Puerto Rican people were talked about and portrayed in the episode. In response to the protests, NBC did issue an apology at the time.
#4: Costanza v. Seinfeld
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It’s pretty common knowledge that the character of George Costanza is based on “Seinfeld” co-creator, and famous neurotic, Larry David. At least, it’s common knowledge to almost everyone except Michael Costanza, who went to Queens College with Jerry. He even played a truck driver in “The Parking Space” episode. However, after the series ended, Michael sued Seinfeld, and others involved with the show, for violating his civil rights. Costanza was convinced that George was based on him and that they used “his name, likeness and persona” without permission, while also portraying him “in a negative light”. He sued for $100 million. Needless to say, Costanza lost the suite.
#3: Stealing the Spotlight
While “Seinfeld” made huge celebrities out of the entire cast, there was no bigger breakout star than Michael Richards. A racist tirade in 2006 has since considerably damaged his reputation, but at the time, audiences went wild when his character Kramer slid through the door into Jerry’s apartment. The problem was that it was hard for the other cast members to deliver their lines over the roar of the audience. According to some sources, it also made them a little jealous. Whatever the reason, producers did have to eventually ask audiences to temper their reactions to Kramer’s entrance.
#2: The Real Reason Susan Was Killed Off
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So, it turns out that Julia Louis-Dreyfus killed Susan. We should probably provide more information here. You see, while the actress who played Susan, Heidi Swedberg, was a nice person, her comedic instincts didn’t mesh well with the other cast members. Jason Alexander explained to Howard Stern that he was constantly trying to adjust to her but, “I’d adjust, and then it would change.” Eventually Jerry and Julia, after having a bunch of scenes with Swedberg, understood Alexander’s frustrations and Louis-Dreyfus commented, “Don’t you want to just kill her?”. Well, Larry David heard that, and loved the idea.
#1: Jason Alexander Threatened to Quit
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The third episode of the third season is a good one. It features the famous astronaut pen and one of the funniest moments of the entire series with Elaine high on muscle relaxants. But it’s even more significant for one other reason. It’s the only episode of the series that doesn’t have George Costanza in it. Now, you might think that isn’t such a big deal. But you know who did think it was a huge deal? Jason Alexander. Fearing that Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Elaine would cause his role to become less and less relevant, Alexander actually threatened to quit the show. As he recounted to “Access Hollywood”, “I said to Larry [David], ‘Look, I get it. But if you do that again, do it permanently.”
