There are many reasons that the iconic sitcomSeinfeldhas stood the test of time. For one, it is just plain funny. Secondly, its humor comes from everyday situations. Thirdly, the characters and stories feel relatable to audiences everywhere, even if they are not necessarily personalities and ideals for which viewers should strive.
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The third point hits so clearly because many of the characters and plots are based on real people and events, as the list below shows. These stories are things people have been doing for generations, butSeinfeldwas the first show to point these out and truly capitalize on them, cementing its place in television history.
8Larry David Partook In A Similar Contest
One of the most famous episodes of the show involves the four leads competing against each other to see who can hold out the longest on self-gratification. They never actually say the word, but it is pretty easy for audiences to figure out what they are talking about, and it only makes the scene funnier.
Series creatorLarry David actually partook in a similar bet in real life.He was said to have won, too, though it is hard to actually know how the participants measured the winners and losers. The honor system, hopefully.
7Larry David Really Did Quit His Job And Played It Off As A Joke
The season four episode “The Revenge” sees George Costanza quit his job very publicly only to immediately regret it. To try and salvage his employment, the character returns the following Monday and acts like it was a joke. The bit does not work.
As ridiculous as this seems,Larry David said he did the same exact thing when he was working as a writer forSaturday Night Live. The show was in its infamously poor years at the time, and Larry barely got any sketches on the air.
6The Soup Nazi Was A Real Person
The character of the Soup Nazi, from the episode of the same name,came from a real person named Ali Yeganeh, an Iranian restauranteur who had a reputation as a strict business owner. He was so strict it earned him this nickname, which was turned into the classic episode.
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Ali Yeganeh was not flattered by the episode or the portrayal, and let Jerry Seinfeld know this when they met after the episode had aired.The character would show up again during the series finale.
5The Real Kramer Also Gave Bus Tours
Eventually, Kramer starts giving bus tours advertised as the real J. Peterman bus tours. This has to do with the business owner taking some of Kramer’s stories as his own to make his life more interesting.
The real Kenny Kramer, who the Kramer character is directly based on, started giving similar tours when the show’s popularity skyrocketed. After the show’s run, the real Kenny Kramer would go on to run for Mayor of New York and host a segment on the news.
4The Inspiration Behind Jerry’s Dentist’s Conversion
The episode “The Yada Yada” included Jerry’s dentist,played by Bryan Cranston,and made several off-color Jewish jokes. Peter Mehlman wrote this episode immediately after converting to the religion from Christianity.
This idea came to the writer after his friend made similar jokes which almost offended him, before realizing the friend converted twenty years prior. The episode storyline came from the idea of how people would react if the friend felt comfortable making Jewish jokes just a day or two after converting, rather than 20 years.
3The Cartoon Came From Kathy Griffin’s Real Standup Special
In “The Cartoon,” a fellow comedian alleges thatJerry Seinfeld is particularly meanto her. In retaliation, she starts to ruin Jerry’s reputation.
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The idea for this episode came from Kathy Griffin’s real standup bit where she says Jerry was mean and cruel to her during her first guest appearance. Unlike the episode, Jerry Seinfeld found the jokes hilarious and turned it into the idea for the episode.
2Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld Were Waiting At A Chinese Restaurant
“The Chinese Restaurant” is agreat first episode for newcomers to the show. Even though it does not feature Kramer, it serves as a great thesis statement because absolutely nothing happens. The characters simply wait for their seats to be announced at a restaurant while they grow increasingly stressed about missing the movie.
In an interview,Jerry Seinfeld recalls the exact restaurantthey were waiting at when he and Larry David came up with the idea. It was difficult to sell the network on it, however. The episode plays out in real-time with no scene breaks.
1Larry David Also Tried To Have A Purely Physical Relationship
“The Deal” is the closest Jerry andElaine come to getting back together again. They try their hand at a purely physical relationship without any romantics involved. Like most of these schemes, it does not really work out even after they set plenty of ground rules.
This episode came from Larry David, who said he tried to have similar deals in the past. The term “friends with benefits” hadn’t really been coined yet, but many sitcoms would do similar episodes later on.
