Editing Seinfeld (section)

==Production==
===Conception===
''Seinfeld'' began as a 23-minute pilot titled "[[The Seinfeld Chronicles]]". Created by [[Jerry Seinfeld]] and [[Larry David]], developed by NBC executive Rick Ludwin, and produced by [[Castle Rock Entertainment]], it was a mix of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy routines and idiosyncratic, conversational scenes focusing on mundane aspects of everyday life like laundry, the buttoning of the top button on one's shirt, and the effort by men to interpret the intent of women spending the night in Seinfeld's apartment.<ref name=TVGuide>Battaglio, Stephen (June 30, 2014). "'Annoying' 'Disorienting' 'Boring': On ''Seinfeld's'' 25th anniversary an exclusive look at the memo that almost killed the show". ''[[TV Guide]]''. pp. 18–19.</ref>

The pilot was filmed at Stage 8 of [[Ren-Mar Studios|Desilu Cahuenga]] studios, the same studio where ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]'' was filmed (seen by the crew as a good omen),<ref>{{cite video|people=[[Reiner, Rob]]|title=Seinfeld Seasons 1 & 2: Inside Looks – "The Seinfeld Chronicles"|medium=DVD|publisher=Sony Pictures Home Entertainment|date=November 23, 2004}}</ref> and was recorded at Ren-Mar Studios in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]].<ref name=S1&2DVD-NAN>{{cite video|title=Seinfeld Seasons 1 & 2: Notes about Nothing – "The Seinfeld Chronicles"|medium=DVD|publisher=Sony Pictures Home Entertainment|date=November 23, 2004}}</ref> The pilot was first screened to a group of two dozen NBC executives in [[Burbank, California]], in early 1989. This one, however, did not yield the explosion of laughter garnered by the pilots for the decade's previous NBC successes like ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' and ''[[The Golden Girls]].'' [[Brandon Tartikoff]] was not convinced the show would work. A Jewish man from New York himself, Tartikoff characterized it as "Too New York, too Jewish".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Krieger|first=Rosalin|date=October 2003|title="Does he say the word Jewish?" – Jewish representations in Seinfeld|journal=Journal for Cultural Research|volume=7|issue=4|pages=387–404|doi=10.1080/1479758032000165048|s2cid=144869141|issn=1479-7585}}</ref> Test audiences were even harsher. NBC's practice at the time was to recruit 400 households by phone to ask them to evaluate pilots it aired on an unused channel on its cable system. An NBC research department memo summarized the pilot's performance among the respondents as "weak", which [[Warren Littlefield]], then second-in-command in NBC's entertainment division, called "a dagger to the heart".<ref name=TVGuide/> Comments included, "You can't get too excited about two guys going to the laundromat", "Jerry's loser friend George isn't a forceful character", "Jerry needs a stronger supporting cast", and "Why are they interrupting the stand-up for these stupid stories?"<ref name=S1&2DVD-NAN/> Seinfeld and David did not see the memo for several years, but after they became aware of it, they hung it in a bathroom on the set. Seinfeld comments, "We thought, if someone goes in to use this bathroom, this is something they should see. It fits that moment."<ref name=TVGuide/>

Around the time the show's pilot was filmed, Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced the show, had also produced another pilot for NBC that featured [[Ann Jillian]] in her almost-similarly eponymous TV series. When ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' tested poorly with audiences, Castle Rock focused on Jillian's series, which tested better with audiences and received a full-season order. ''[[Ann Jillian (TV series)|Ann Jillian]]'' lasted only a single season of 13 episodes and was off the air by the end of 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/seinfeld-finale-at-20-hidden-tales-vault-a-comedians-bizarro-world-1111377/ |title='Seinfeld' Finale at 20: Hidden Tales From the Vault of a Comedian's Bizarro World |last=Freeman|first=Marc |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=May 13, 2018 |access-date=February 16, 2022 |quote=Castle Rock, which owned the series, had two pilots at NBC that year: Seinfeld and one with Ann Jillian. Whereas Seinfeld tested poorly, Ann Jillian tested through the roof and earned a 13-episode commitment. Castle Rock decided to focus on that.}}</ref>

===First seasons===
When NBC announced its 1989–90 (primetime) schedule in May 1989, ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' was not included, but the show's supporters did not give up. The pilot first aired on July 5, 1989, and finished second in its time slot against the CBS police drama ''[[Jake and the Fatman]]'',<ref name=TVGuide/> receiving a [[Nielsen rating]] of 10.9/19.<ref name=S1&2DVD-NAN/> The ratings did not exhibit the regional skew Tartikoff predicted, much to the encouragement of the show's supporters. Ludwin canceled one of the [[Bob Hope]] specials budgeted for that season so the entertainment division had the money to order four more episodes of ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'', which formed the rest of [[Seinfeld (season 1)|the show's first season]] (the series was by then retitled to ''Seinfeld'')<ref name=TVGuide/><ref>{{cite web|last=Duffy|first=Mike|url=https://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/1125seinfeld.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723085248/http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/1125seinfeld.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 23, 2012|title=Give thanks for 'The 'Seinfeld' Story'|publisher=azcentral.com|date=November 24, 2004|access-date=March 19, 2008}}</ref>—a move without which ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' columnist [[Phil Rosenthal]] later said there "would be no ''Seinfeld"''.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-08-21-0508210218-story.html |author= Rosenthal, Phil |author-link= Phil Rosenthal |date= August 21, 2005 |title= NBC executive stands apart by taking stands|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date= February 16, 2022}}</ref> Although this was a very low order number for a new series—and the smallest sitcom order in TV history<ref name=S1&2DVD-NAN/>—Castle Rock failed to find any other buyers when it shopped the show to other networks, and accepted the order.<ref name=TVGuide/> ''Seinfeld'' did not return to the airwaves until May 30, 1990, and it was another three years before it became a Top 5-rated show. Preston Beckman, in charge of NBC's research department at the time, reminisced, "The show was different. Nobody had seen anything like it. It wasn't unusual for poor-testing shows to get on the air, but it was very rare that they became hits."

When the program was first repeated on July 5, 1990, it received a rating of 13.9/26. These ratings were high enough to secure a second season.<ref name="S1&2DVD-NAN" /> NBC research showed that the show was popular with young male adults, a demographic sought after by advertisers. This gave NBC an incentive to keep broadcasting the show.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rapp|first=David|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/entertainment/articles/web/20060531-jerry-seinfeld-sitcom-television-nbc-kramer-comedian-stand-up-larry-david.shtml|title=Seinfeld: The Unlikeliest Success Story|publisher=American Heritage|date=May 31, 2006|access-date=March 19, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315041818/http://www.americanheritage.com/entertainment/articles/web/20060531-jerry-seinfeld-sitcom-television-nbc-kramer-comedian-stand-up-larry-david.shtml|archive-date=March 15, 2008}}</ref> One DVD reviewer, Britt Gillette, wrote that "this initial episode exhibits the flashes of brilliance that made ''Seinfeld'' a cultural phenomenon."<ref>{{cite web|last=Gillette|first=Britt|url=http://www.articlecity.com/articles/music_and_movies/article_518.shtml|title=Seinfeld (Seasons 1 & 2) DVD Review|publisher=Article City|date=September 20, 2006|access-date=June 16, 2019|archive-date=January 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122094547/http://www.articlecity.com/articles/music_and_movies/article_518.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Filming===
Other than the pilot, the series was filmed at [[CBS Studio Center]] in [[Studio City, Los Angeles]]. The first three seasons were filmed on Soundstage 19; it then moved to the larger Stage 9 for the remainder of its production.<ref name="Studio Sets Seinfeld">{{cite web |title=Seinfeld Film Locations|url=https://sites.google.com/site/seinfeldfilmlocations/other_locations}}</ref>  Despite numerous establishing shots taken in New York City,<ref name="Huffington Post">{{cite web |title=A guide to 'Seinfeld' filming locations in New York City|date=March 10, 2015|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-guide-to-seinfeld-filmi_b_6834026|work=HuffPost}}</ref> all scenes of the actors walking in New York were also filmed at CBS Studio Center, on their New York Street [[backlot]].<ref name="RobOnLocation.com Youtube">{{cite web |title=New York Backlot at CBS Radford|website = [[YouTube]]| date=September 5, 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc3TGBoxlBc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/zc3TGBoxlBc| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Street scenes and park scenes were filmed in the CBS Studio Centre's New York Street and Central Park backlots, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seinfeld |url=https://robonlocation.com/tv/seinfeld/ |website=Rob On Location|date=April 25, 2019 }}</ref>

A source of problems for the cast was the small sets, especially that of Jerry's apartment; Alexander noted, "If you knew you were doing a series for nine years, you would never build that set." Adding to the problem was that the scripts contained only minimal physical direction, leaving the actors needing help to come up with actions to perform while speaking. Eventually, they got into a routine of directing each other on how to make their movements look natural. Alexander said this helped them build chemistry with each other.<ref name="productionweek">{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye3bFno_1NU |title=Jason Alexander discusses a typical week of production on "Seinfeld" - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG |date=July 9, 2014 |author=Archive of American Television |publisher=YouTube |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Ye3bFno_1NU |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Filming usually went long, as the cast and Larry David were perfectionists. If a joke did not elicit the desired reaction, they rewrote it and performed it again. In at least one case, "The Marine Biologist," this led to David writing an entirely new scene requiring Alexander to memorize a monologue in only a matter of minutes. [[Laugh track]]s were used only for matching shots, not for artificially adding laughter.<ref name=productionweek/>

Various locations used for establishing shots included Tom's Restaurant at 112th Street and Broadway (Monk's Cafe), Midtown West's Roosevelt Hospital (recurring exterior emergency room scene and indoor scenes in 'The Junior Mint' and 'The Bris'), Cornell Medical Centre at 525 East 68th Street, 22-39 37th Street, Queens (The Costanza's house), the Taconic State Parkway exit to the Hopewell Junction, Dutchess County, New York (driving scene in 'The Bubble Boy'), and the Amagansett farmers market, Long Island ('The Hamptons'). The exterior shot used for Jerry's New York apartment building was actually located at 757 S New Hampshire Avenue, Los Angeles. The real-life exterior of Pendant Publishing, Elaine's workplace, is located at 1325 Ave of the Americas, New York. The live stand-up comedy performed by Seinfeld at the beginning of most episodes was truly filmed at The Improv, a comedy club at 358 West 44th Street, Manhattan; though it closed in 1993, another comedy club operates at the site today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Bubble Boy. |url=https://mapsaboutnothing.com/2013/05/14/the-bubble-boy/ |access-date=February 23, 2023 |website=Maps about nothing. A global guide to Seinfeld.|date=May 14, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Junior Mint |url=https://mapsaboutnothing.com/2013/05/14/the-junior-mint/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Maps about nothing. Maps of Seinfeld.|date=May 14, 2013 }}</ref> The [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] exterior seen in the show has now been demolished. Most office building establishing shots are real businesses and locations. Various real street locations can be gleaned from the car windows during driving scenes. By the final season, each episode of the series cost $3 million to $3.5 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times/131322659/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906134803/https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times/131322659/|title=Moolah, moolah, moolah|newspaper=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]]|page=37|archivedate=September 6, 2023|date=May 14, 1998|accessdate=September 6, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

More than 120 episodes make reference to the [[Superman (franchise)|''Superman'' franchise]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.looper.com/844011/is-there-really-a-superman-reference-in-every-seinfeld-episode/ |title=Television Is There Really A Superman Reference In Every Seinfeld Episode? |website=Looper |last=Leeman |first=Zachary |date=April 26, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2023}}</ref> [[Teri Hatcher]], who played Lois Lane on ''[[Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman]]'', plays Jerry's girlfriend Sidra. [[Paula Marshall]], who played Christina Riley on [[Superboy (TV series)|the ''Superboy'' TV series]], portrays the journalist Sharon, who Jerry says reminds him of Lois Lane. [[Sherman Howard]], who played Lex Luthor on ''Superboy'', portrays Roy. Superman logos and figurines frequently appear in Jerry's apartment. Seinfeld and Superman later appear in an American Express commercial. The show was written by David and Seinfeld, along with writers who included [[Larry Charles]], [[Peter Mehlman]], [[Gregg Kavet]], [[Carol Leifer]], [[David Mandel]], [[Jeff Schaffer]], [[Steve Koren]], [[Jennifer Crittenden]], [[Tom Gammill]], [[Max Pross]], [[Dan O'Keefe (writer)|Dan O'Keefe]], [[Charlie Rubin]], [[Marjorie Gross]], [[Alec Berg]], [[Elaine Pope]], and [[Spike Feresten]].