Running for nearly a decade, Seinfeld remained a television sensation, sparking ongoing discussions about its memorable characters and the infamous series finale that left fans buzzing for years. Despite dominating the Nielsen ratings in its last season and receiving lucrative offers to continue, the show’s creator and star chose to end it.
The 69-year-old actor-comedian reflected on his decision to not continue with the show in an interview with The New York Times, as he emphasized the significance of timing and proportion in comedy.
Jerry Seinfeld Reflected on Why Seinfeld Ended After 9 Seasons
Despite NBC’s desire to continue the highly popular show Seinfeld with a lucrative offer of $5 million per episode for one more season, Jerry Seinfeld, the show’s star, declined the offer. And he has no regrets as he believed it was the perfect moment to conclude the series.
“The proof that it was the right moment is the number of questions you’re still asking me about it,” he told The New York Times in an interview. The Emmy-nominated actor, however, emphasized the critical importance of “proportion” in art.
He suggested that the effectiveness of a joke or any artistic creation hinges on getting the balance right to determine whether a work is considered art or merely mediocre. He said,
“No. It was the perfect moment—The most important word in art is “proportion.” How much? How long is this joke going to be? How many words? How many minutes? And getting that right is what makes it art or what makes it mediocre.”
During the interview, he also suggested that achieving creative excellence demands intense focus, which comes with the trade-off of not being able to revisit the work once it’s completed. And there have been instances when he has expressed regret with the series finale.
Jerry Seinfeld’s Candid Overview of the Series Finale
Seinfeld series finale remains a topic of division among fans, particularly due to the unconventional ending where the lead cast is sentenced to a year in prison. While Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards embraced the finale, Jason Alexander was less enthusiastic.
“I can tell you, that for me, I thought it was a good episode. Not a great episode,” Alexander said in an interview. And Jerry Seinfeld also had some doubts about the finale. He has shared that he is still not sure if they made the right decision for the series finale.
“I sometimes think we really shouldn’t have even done it,” he said at a New Yorker Festival interview, as per Vulture. Reflecting on the pressure to create a grand finale for the show, he stated that “big is always bad in comedy.” However, he emphasized that comedy is best when it is “small and cheap and quick,” arguing that that is the reason why TV is always funnier than movies.
Seinfeld is available to stream on Netflix.
