Editing Seinfeld (section)

==Series overview==

===Plotlines===
Many ''Seinfeld'' episodes are based on the writers' real-life experiences, with the experiences reinterpreted for the characters' storylines. For example, George's storyline in "[[The Revenge (Seinfeld)|The Revenge]]" is based on Larry David's experience at ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=212 |title=Seinfacts: The Revenge |publisher=[[Sony Pictures]] |access-date=December 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150813/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=212 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> "[[The Contest]]" is also based on David's experiences. "[[The Smelly Car]]" storyline is based on Peter Mehlman's lawyer friend, who could not get a bad smell out of his car. "[[The Strike (Seinfeld)|The Strike]]" is based on Dan O'Keefe's dad, who made up his own holiday: [[Festivus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=910 |title=The Strike |publisher=[[Sony Pictures]] |access-date=January 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150844/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=910 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> Other stories take a variety of turns. "[[The Chinese Restaurant]]" consists of George, Jerry, and Elaine waiting for a table throughout the entire episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=206 |title=Seinfeld – Now Playing – The Chinese Restaurant |publisher=Sony Pictures |access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111123925/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=206 |archive-date=January 11, 2012 }}</ref> "[[The Boyfriend (Seinfeld)|The Boyfriend]]", revolving around [[Keith Hernandez]], extends through two episodes. "[[The Betrayal]]" is famous for using [[reverse chronology]] and was inspired by a similar plot device in a [[Harold Pinter]] play, [[Betrayal (play)|''Betrayal'']].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=908 |title=The Betrayal |publisher=[[Sony Pictures]] |access-date=January 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150839/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=908 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> Some stories were inspired by headlines and rumors, as explained in the DVD features "Notes About Nothing", "Inside Look" and "Audio Commentary." In "[[The Maestro (Seinfeld)|The Maestro]]", Kramer's lawsuit is roughly similar to the [[McDonald's coffee case]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=703 |title=The Maestro |publisher=[[Sony Pictures]] |access-date=January 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150829/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=703 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> "[[The Outing]]" is based primarily on rumors that Larry Charles heard about Jerry Seinfeld's sexuality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=416 |title=The Outing |publisher=[[Sony Pictures]] |access-date=January 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150823/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=416 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref>

===Themes===
The series was often described as "a show about nothing".<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/s/seinfeld_7775675.shtml |title=Seinfeld |publisher=BBC |access-date=May 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427105254/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/s/seinfeld_7775675.shtml |archive-date=April 27, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/work/276165|title=Seinfeld: Overview|author=Erickson, Hal |publisher=[[Allmovie]]|access-date=May 17, 2007}}</ref> However, in 2014, Seinfeld stated: "The pitch for the show, the real pitch, when Larry and I went to NBC in 1988, was [that] we want to show how a comedian gets his material. The show "about nothing" was just a joke in an episode many years later, and Larry and I to this day are surprised that it caught on as a way that people describe the show because, to us, it's the opposite of that."<ref>{{cite web|last=Seinfeld|first=Jerry|title=Jerry Seinfeld here. I will give you an answer. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ujvrg/jerry_seinfeld_here_i_will_give_you_an_answer/ceitvvp|website=Reddit|date=January 6, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> David similarly commented: "I like taking the worst qualities that a person has and trying to make something funny out of it. Doesn't everybody do terrible things and have terrible thoughts? Just by trying to be as funny, you're going to deal with a lot of things that are real, so the show's really about something. The whole thing about the show being about nothing is ridiculous."<ref>{{cite video |title=Seinfeld Season 5: Notes about Nothing - "The Mango" |medium=DVD |publisher=Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |year=2005}}</ref>

Much of the show's humor is based upon repeated use of irony, incongruity, and (oftentimes unfortunate) coincidences. Additionally, guest characters are frequently introduced with little to no context, with a humorous focus on the atypical names of these characters, which often contain alliteration. In keeping with Seinfeld's reputation as a clean comedian,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burkeman |first=Oliver |last2= |date=January 5, 2014 |title=Jerry Seinfeld on how to be funny without sex and swearing |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jan/05/jerry-seinfeld-funny-sex-swearing-sitcom-comedy |access-date=July 12, 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> though the show frequently contains dialogue around sexual themes, the show notably avoids using almost all explicit sexual terminology. Notably, in the popular episode "[[The Contest]]", whose plot line concerns a contest amongst the main characters to see which one can go the longest without masturbating, the word 'masturbation' is never mentioned. ''Seinfeld'' broke several conventions of mainstream television. David is credited with refusing to follow a predictable sitcom formula that would have a romantic relationship develop between Jerry and Elaine.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hurd|first=Robert.|date=2006|title=Taking Seinfeld Seriously: Modernism in Popular Culture|journal=New Literary History|volume=37|issue=4|pages=761–776 |doi=10.1353/nlh.2007.0005|s2cid=55842151|issn=1080-661X}}</ref>

The show offers no growth or reconciliation to its characters and eschews sentimentality.<ref name="baltimore sun">{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-05-03-1998123008-story.html|title=The world according to 'Seinfeld' No hugging, no learning. No aging, commitment or obligation. We've laughed at such postmodern sentiments for nine years. Is there anything wrong with that?|last=Zurawik|first=David|date=May 3, 1998|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref> An episode is typically driven by humor interspersed with the superficial conflicts of characters with peculiar dispositions. Many episodes revolve around the characters' involvement in the lives of others, with typically disastrous results. On the set, the notion that the characters should not develop or improve throughout the series was expressed as the "no hugging, no learning" rule. Larry David was adamant from the beginning that he did not want the characters to mature, grow or learn from their past mistakes.<ref name="baltimore sun" /> The characters are "thirty-something singles with vague identities, no roots, and conscious indifference to morals."<ref>{{cite web |last=Hurd |first=R. Wesley |date=June 1998 |title=Postmodernism: A New Model of Reality |url=http://www.mckenziestudycenter.org/philosophy/articles/postmod.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624102627/http://www.mckenziestudycenter.org/philosophy/articles/postmod.html |archive-date=June 24, 2011 |access-date=June 30, 2007 |publisher=McKenzie Study Center}}</ref> Also unlike most sitcoms, there are no moments of [[pathos]]; the audience is never made to feel sorry for any of the characters. Even Susan's death in "[[The Invitations]]" elicits no genuine emotions from anybody in the show.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/1996/06/07/latest-tv-trend-death|title=Latest TV trend: Death|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|first=Nisid|last=Hajari|date=June 7, 1996|access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref> ''Seinfeld'' does not shy away from making light of tough topics, from death to illness to disability.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Iannone|first=Carol|date=Spring 2018 |title=Seinfeld: The Politically Incorrect Comedy: Far from being about nothing, the greatest sitcom of the 1990s was a satire of a world without rules. |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537983199/AONE?u=aacc_ref&sid=AONE&xid=995520ed.|journal=Modern Age|pages=51|via=Academic OneFile}}</ref><ref name="politically-incorrect">{{cite web |last=Iannone |first=Carol |title=Seinfeld: The Politically Incorrect Comedy |url=https://isi.org/modern-age/seinfeld-the-politically-incorrect-comedy/ |website=isi.org |date=April 11, 2018 |publisher=Modern Age |access-date=April 11, 2018}}</ref>

The show frequently engages in fourth-wall-breaking humor and self-satire. One such example is the [[story arc]], where the characters promote a TV sitcom series named ''Jerry''. The [[show within a show]], ''Jerry'' was much like ''Seinfeld'' in that it was "about nothing," and Seinfeld played himself. The fictional ''Jerry'' was launched in the Season 4 finale, but unlike ''Seinfeld'', it was not picked up as a series. ''Jerry'' is one of many examples of [[metafiction]] in the show. There are no fewer than 22 fictional movies featured, like ''Rochelle, Rochelle''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/10/all-the-fictional-movies-on-seinfeld-ranked/|title=All The Fictional Movies On 'Seinfeld,' Ranked|work=UPROXX|date=October 7, 2014}}</ref> Because of these several elements, ''Seinfeld'' became the first TV series since ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' to be widely described as [[postmodern]].<ref name="Grenz">{{cite book|title=A Primer on Postmodernism|isbn=978-0-8028-0864-6|last=Grenz|first=Stanley J.|author-link=Stanley Grenz|publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.]]|date=February 1996}}</ref>

Seinfeld is an avid [[Abbott and Costello]] fan and has cited ''[[The Abbott and Costello Show]]'' as an influence on ''Seinfeld'': "Everybody on the show knows I'm a fan. We're always joking about how we do stuff from their show. George and I will often get into a riff that has the rhythm from the old Abbott and Costello shows. And sometimes, I'll hit George in the chest the way Abbott would hit Costello". The series includes numerous references to the team. George Costanza's middle name is "Louis", after Costello.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/21/arts/seinfeld-as-opening-act-for-abbott-and-costello.html|title=Seinfeld as Opening Act For Abbott and Costello|first=Bill|last=Carter|date=November 21, 1994|access-date=January 19, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|url-access=limited}}</ref> "[[The Old Man (Seinfeld)|The Old Man]]" episode features a cantankerous character named "Sid Fields" as a tribute to the landlord on the team's TV show. Kramer's friend is named Mickey Abbott. A copywriter for the J. Peterman catalog is named Eddie Sherman, after the team's longtime agent. In Episode 30, Kramer hears the famous Abbott and Costello line, "His father was a mudder. His mother was a mudder."

===Catchphrases===
Many terms were coined, popularized, or re-popularized in the series' run and have become part of popular culture,<ref>{{cite news|first=Caryn|last=James|url=https://www.nytimes.com/specials/seinfeld/sein5-11parting.html|title=Goodbye! Already|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 22, 2007|date=May 12, 1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123105924/http://www.nytimes.com/specials/seinfeld/sein5-11parting.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=January 23, 2008|url-access=limited}}</ref> including "[[The Yada Yada|Yada, yada, yada]]",<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 22, 1999 |title=SEINFELD ASSESSES INFLUENCE |url=https://people.com/celebrity/seinfeld-assesses-influence/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126200103/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,615581,00.html |archive-date=January 26, 2008 |access-date=October 6, 2022}}</ref> "[[No soup for you!]]", "[[Master of my domain]]", "[[The Chaperone (Seinfeld)|That's a shame]]", and "[[Not that there's anything wrong with that]]." The lexicon of Seinfeldian code words and recurring phrases that evolved around particular episodes is referred to as [[Seinlanguage]], which is also the title of Jerry Seinfeld's best-selling book on humor.<ref name="Grenz" /> These terms include "[[man hands]]", "[[The Hamptons (Seinfeld)|shrinkage]]", "[[The Label Maker|regift]]", and "[[The Implant|double dip]]".

===Consumer products===
A recurring feature of ''Seinfeld'' was its inclusion of specific products, especially [[candy]], as plot points. These might be a central feature of a plot (e.g., [[Junior Mints]], [[Twix]], [[Chuckles]], [[Jujyfruits]], bite-size [[3 Musketeers (chocolate bar)|Three Musketeers]], [[Snickers]], [[Chunky (candy bar)|Chunky]], [[Oh Henry!]], [[Drake's Cakes|Drake's]] Coffee Cake and [[PEZ]]), or an association of candy with a guest character (e.g. Oh Henry! bars) or simply a conversational aside (e.g., Chuckles, [[Clark Bar]], [[Twinkies]]). A large number of non-candy products were also featured throughout the series.

The show's creators claim that they weren't engaging in a product placement strategy for commercial gain. One motivation for the use of real-world products, entirely unrelated to commercial considerations, is the comedy value of funny-sounding phrases and words. "I knew I wanted Kramer to think of watching the operation like going to see a movie," explained ''Seinfeld'' writer/producer Andy Robin in an interview published in ''The Hollywood Reporter''. "At first, I thought maybe a piece of popcorn falls into the patient. I ran that by my brother, and he said, 'No, Junior Mints are just funnier.'"<ref>{{cite news|title=A look at some of the biggest hits in movie and TV product placement|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000901395|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011140335/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000901395 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=April 28, 2005|access-date=November 10, 2007|author=<!--Not stated-->}}</ref>

Many advertisers capitalized on the popularity of ''Seinfeld''. [[American Express]] created a [[webisode]] where Jerry Seinfeld and an animated [[Superman]] (voiced by [[Patrick Warburton]], who played the role of Puddy) starred in its commercial. The makers of the [[Contraceptive sponge|Today Sponge]] created the "Spongeworthy" game on their website, inspired by "[[The Sponge]]." An advertisement featured Jason Alexander in a [[Chrysler]] commercial. In this, Alexander acts much like his character George, and his relationship with [[Lee Iacocca]] plays on George's relationship with Steinbrenner. Similarly, Michael Richards was the focus of a series of advertisements for [[Vodafone]], which ran in [[Australia]], where he dressed and acted precisely like Kramer, including the trademark bumbling pratfalls. In addition, the show occasionally incorporated fictional products like a [[Scotch whisky|Scotch]] brand called "Hennigan's" (a blend of "[[Hennessy]]" and "[[Brannigans]]") and a [[canned meat]] product called "Beef-a-reeno" (a parody of "[[Chef Boyardee|Beef-a-roni]]").

===Music===
A signature of ''Seinfeld'' is its theme music. Composed by [[Jonathan Wolff (musician)|Jonathan Wolff]], it consists of distinct solo [[Sampling (music)|sampled]] [[electric bass]] riffs that open the show and connect the scenes, often accompanied by [[beatboxing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaQ7y5OeHWI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/oaQ7y5OeHWI| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Entertainment Tonight – Jonathan Wolff Seinfeld music|work=YouTube|date=July 11, 2013 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The bass music eventually replaced the original piano/synth music by Jep Epstein when it was played again after the first broadcast of [[The Seinfeld Chronicles|the pilot episode]]. The show lacked a traditional title track and the riffs were played over the first moments of dialogue or action. They vary throughout each episode and are played in an improvised funk style, matching the timing of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy delivery or transitions in the editing. An additional musical theme with an ensemble, led by a synthesized mid-range brass instrument, ends each episode.

In "[[The Note (Seinfeld)|The Note]]", the first episode of Season 3, the bumper music featured [[scatting]] female backup singers who sang a phrase that sounded like the tune "Easy to Beat". Jerry Seinfeld and executive producer Larry David both liked Wolff's additions, and three episodes were produced with this new style of music. However, they had neglected to inform NBC and Castle Rock executives of the change, and when the season premiere aired, the executives were surprised and unimpressed and requested that they return to the original style. The subsequent two episodes were redone, leaving this episode as the only one with additional music elements.<ref>Season 3 DVD: Inside Look of 'The Note'</ref> In the commentary of "The Note," Louis-Dreyfus facetiously suggests it was removed because the perceived lyric related closely to the low ratings at the time.<ref>Season 3 DVD: 'The Note' commentary</ref> In the final three seasons, the bits were tweaked slightly with more frantic rhythms; a bass guitar was added in addition to the sampled bass from earlier seasons. Throughout the show, the main theme could be restyled in different ways depending on the episode. For instance, in "The Betrayal," part of which takes place in India, the theme is heard played on a [[sitar]]. The soundtrack was given a digital release on July 2, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/seinfeld-soundtrack-to-be-released-1235009969/|title='Seinfeld' Soundtrack to Be Released… Finally (EXCLUSIVE)|work=Variety|first=Jon|last=Burlingame|date=July 1, 2021|access-date=July 2, 2021}}</ref>
{{Track listing
| headline      = ''Seinfeld'' (Original Television Soundtrack)
| extra_column  = Episode(s)

| all_music = Jonathan Wolff.

| title1 = ''Seinfeld'' Theme
| length1 = 0:52

| title2 = ''Seinfeld'' Theme
| extra2 = "[[The Highlights of 100]]"
| length2 = 0:40

| title3 = ''Seinfeld'' Theme
| extra3 = "[[The Chronicle (Seinfeld)|The Chronicle]]"
| length3 = 0:33

| title4 = The Jerry Show Theme | extra4 = "[[The Pilot (Seinfeld)|The Pilot]], Part 2"
| length4 = 0:50

| title5 = Kramer's Pimpwalk
| extra5 = "[[The Wig Master]]"
| length5 = 0:53

| title6 = Jerry the Mailman
| extra6 = "[[The Andrea Doria (Seinfeld)|The Andrea Doria]]"
| length6 = 0:35

| title7 = Himalayan Walking Shoes
| extra7 = "[[The Hot Tub]]"
| length7 = 0:56

| title8 = John Jermaine Jazz #1 (feat. Bob Sheppard)
| extra8 = "[[The Rye]]"
| length8 = 2:52

| title9 = John Jermaine Jazz #2 (feat. Bob Sheppard)
| extra9 = "The Rye"
| length9 = 2:24

| title10 = John Jermaine Jazz #3 (feat. Bob Sheppard)
| extra10 = "The Rye"
| length10 = 2:48

| title11 = Kramer's Boombox
| extra11 = "[[The Package (Seinfeld)|The Package]]"
| length11 = 1:15

| title12 = Jerry vs Newman Chase
| extra12 = "[[The Soul Mate]]"
| length12 = 0:32

| title13 = Cable Guy vs Kramer Chase
| extra13 = "[[The Cadillac]], Part 2", "[[The Butter Shave]]"
| length13 = 2:10

| title14 = Noxin
| extra14 = "The Cadillac, Part 2"
| length14 = 1:18

| title15 = Jesus Is One (feat. Jack Diamond)
| extra15 = "[[The Burning (Seinfeld)|The Burning]]"
| length15 = 0:31

| title16 = Kramer's Crappy Banjo
| extra16 = "[[The Muffin Tops]]"
| length16 = 0:37

| title17 = Peterman in Burmese Jungle
| extra17 = "[[The Chicken Roaster]]"
| length17 = 0:37

| title18 = TV Cartoon / Wheels on the Bus
| extra18 = "[[The Contest]]"
| length18 = 1:00

| title19 = Finale Suitcase Montage
| extra19 = "[[The Finale (Seinfeld)|The Finale]]"
| length19 = 0:51

| title20 = Waiting for the Verdict Blues
| extra20 = "The Finale"
| length20 = 0:47

| title21 = This Night Show
| extra21 = "[[The Trip (Seinfeld)|The Trip]], Part 1"
| length21 = 0:50

| title22 = Rock Music Video
| extra22 = "The Trip, Part 1"
| length22 = 1:22

| title23 = The Lopper
| extra23 = "[[The Frogger]]"
| length23 = 0:33

| title24 = 1937 Wedding Cake Waltz
| extra24 = "The Frogger"
| length24 = 0:39

| title25 = Kramer Bachelor Auction
| extra25 = "[[The Barber (Seinfeld)|The Barber]]"
| length25 = 0:52

| title26 = Rochelle, Rochelle the Musical
| extra26 = "[[The Understudy (Seinfeld)|The Understudy]]"
| length26 = 0:42

| title27 = Pier Contemplation
| extra27 = "[[The Invitations]]"
| length27 = 0:39

| title28 = Loud Dixieland Band
| extra28 = "[[The Mom & Pop Store]]"
| length28 = 1:42

| title29 = Scarsdale Surprise
| extra29 = "[[The Summer of George]]"
| length29 = 0:33

| title30 = Checkmate/Chunnel/Death Blow
| extra30 = "[[The Movie]]", "[[The Pool Guy]]", "[[The Little Kicks]]"
| length30 = 4:02

| title31 = Blimp
| extra31 = "[[The Puerto Rican Day]]"
| length31 = 2:44

| title32 = The Pain & the Yearning
| extra32 = "[[The Comeback (Seinfeld)|The Comeback]]"
| length32 = 2:19

| title33 = George's Answering Machine (Greatest American Hero)
| extra33 = "[[The Susie]]"
| length33 = 0:29
}}