For a show that claimed to be about nothing, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld’s creation proved to be one of the biggest hits of the ’90s, and the finale for Seinfeld itself garnered a whopping 76.3 million viewers upon premiere. However, it’s important to note that the bulk of the sitcom’s success arrived in the latter half of its lifespan, particularly after season four.
But this isn’t to say the early seasons didn’t have it perks, which included gems like The Chinese Restaurant, and even though NBC wasn’t initially too thrilled about it, David recognized the show’s potential pretty early on.
One comedy club encounter solidified Larry David’s belief in Seinfeld
After a divisive pilot, which almost pushed the show toward cancellation, NBC was apparently breathing down the creators’ necks for the first couple of seasons. On the flip side, Larry David couldn’t have been bothered less, as he stuck to the Seinfeld formula that made the show unique.
Even when the original pilot opened to mixed reviews, the writer was certain he had struck gold with the sitcom, thanks to one interaction with a fan at a comedy club (via Rolling Stone).
Well, I knew that people liked the show from the beginning. In fact, I was kind of shocked when I went into one of the comedy clubs after the pilot aired and one of the comedians went, ‘I really like the show,’ because I didn’t think anything of it. I went, ‘Oh, the comedienne liked the show,’ and she went on about it to some length. I thought, ‘Hey, maybe this is good.’
While the Curb Your Enthusiasm star certainly recognized the show’s potential pretty early on, the same wasn’t the case when it came to its commercial reception, as David didn’t feel it was a hit until season 4 surfaced.
Larry David’s response to the Seinfeld finale backlash was pretty on brand for him
Despite its tumultuous start, which mostly had to do with its departure from the traditional approach to TV, Seinfeld cemented itself as one of the biggest TV shows of the ’90s, and its finale alone pulled in 76M viewers. However, similar to its beginning, the conclusion opened to mixed reviews, as it strayed away from the original theme of the sitcom. But unlike Jerry Seinfeld, who regrets the ending, David couldn’t care less about the whole ordeal.
Not only is it pretty on brand for David’s character from both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiam, the latter’s finale, which closely mimics the one from Seinfed, was apparently a big middle finger to people “who didn’t like the Seinfeld finale”. Executive producer Jeff Schaffer added (via USA Today):
This whole thing came from (us) talking about a little story where Larry doesn’t want to get caught up in a kid’s lesson… We’re commenting not just on ‘Seinfeld’ or ‘Curb’, but on Larry. On Larry sticking a big middle finger at everyone who didn’t like the ‘Seinfeld’ finale going, ‘Hey, you know what? I’ve never learned a lesson in my life. I don’t care what you thought. I’m doing it again.’
As for what the future holds for the franchise, Schaffer has entertained the prospect of another potential spin-off, which could likely be years away.
Seinfeld is available to stream on Netflix.
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