Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia (6 page)

NBC respected the creators' sovereignty and rarely infringed upon their creative domain.  Executives even conceded when "Seinfeld" refused to participate in an NBC sweeps gimmick involving a New York City blackout on November 3, 1994. The executives laid down the rules, but the creators were masters at working the gray area; they held firm on their commitment to excellence, and never bowed to executive pressure or politics.

NBC executives were also concerned that the show lacked a real story line.  Each script appears to focus on adolescent junior high activities with constant reverence to bodily functions--constipation, nose picking, sneezing in food, stomach growling--or physical appearance--body odor, oversize nose, or old-fashioned hairdo.

Finally, in the network age of relying upon labels, demographics, and stereotypes, there was even concern over the nationality and religious underpinnings to the Costanza surname.  Nevertheless, David refused to divulge such background information, except their Italian descent, and often added conflicting hints--cooking paella and kasha.  Despite reservations, NBC executives reluctantly signaled the green light to produce an incrementally larger number of episodes, and demurred to the creators' better judgment.

Product Endorsement

Although "Seinfeld" producers never profited from mentioning real-life products on their show, the series produced corporate waves for its flagrant use of brand-name products.  "Seinfeld" originally introduced actual consumer products to add a touch of realism to the show, and not as a low-brow means of compensation or to acquire corporate freebies.  The producers usually asked for permission in advance, which was rarely refused, despite the fact that "Seinfeld" often characterized the product in a somewhat negative fashion.  However, the producers were cognizant of balancing the scales, and realized the importance of having another character assert a positive testimonial.  For instance, Jerry derides the Docker's television commercials, but his girlfriend is adamant about its ingenuity ("The Phone Message"); Jerry refuses to eat a Junior Mint, which Kramer finds irresistible ("The Junior Mint"); or a neighbor criticizes Drake's Coffee Cake as crumbly yet everyone else finds it delectable ("The Suicide").

There were only two reported product inclusions that were snubbed by corporate hypersensitivities.  In "The Rye" Kramer feeds a horse flatulence-inducing Beef-A-Reeno, which was originally Beefaroni until Chef Boyardee objected.  In "The Muffin Tops" the Yankees contacted Tyler Chicken about an all-chicken concession stand, but Tyson recoiled at the reference to fermented alcohol chicken.  With respect to product endorsement, NBC only objected to the number of references to Snapple, and requested that the frequency be reduced.

Other than a few setbacks, "Seinfeld" was given
carte blanche
to mention businesses and services.  Kenny Rogers was ecstatic at the opportunity to have free publicity disseminated to over 30 million viewers, with repeated exposure in syndication because comparable television advertising would cost over half-a-million dollars.  Calvin Klein was ecstatic about the perfume publicity that the company sent Michael Richards a 12-month supply of Eternity for Men.  Similarly, J. Peterman enjoyed the increased name recognition, and spawned a fashion design entitled the Elaine Benes (a silk/wool pantsuit that conceals the extra ten pounds added by the camera and perfect for coffee shop chit-chat, blind dates, and neurotic friends, to pay homage to the independent woman).  Larry David offered reciprocity by hiring J. Peterman's daughter, Robyn, to appear in his silver screen debut
Sour Grapes
.

The producers did, however, draw the line at over-promoting specific products.  The episodes often interchange soft drinks, such as Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke, and Jerry Seinfeld never expressed his personal preference for Nike sneakers.  Although he offered gratuitous promotion by wearing a Nike sweatshirt in two episodes, the product was never expressly mentioned.  The primary reason was the legal requirement of providing special corporate recognition in the ending credits because "Seinfeld" was receiving free products from the company.  The only questionable gratuitous promotion occurred on "The Glasses" episode where George blatantly consumes Rold Gold pretzels, which coincidentally, corresponds with the premiere airing of Jason Alexander's product endorsement commercials.

New York Landmarks

"Seinfeld" is notorious for promoting New York City and its landmarks, and popularizing some of the best-kept cuisine secrets in the Big Apple.  As a sitcom based in New York City, the creators wanted to incorporate realism into the show, set, and scripts.  Thus, they frequently used exterior shots of the city, and capitalized on real-life business establishments.

One of the most famous establishments is Monk's Café, which is based on the real-life diner, Tom's Restaurant, located at the corner of 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University.  Co-owner Vasilios Nikolakis appreciates the attention and patronage that is associated with its affiliation to "Seinfeld."  It was also memorialized in the popular 1990 song "Tom's Diner" by D.N.A. featuring Suzanne Vega.  Unfortunately, "Seinfeld" fans will be disappointed when they visit the New York City landmark.  Much like Boston's Bull & Finch Pub, the replica for "Cheers," the diner is congested with blue-collar workers, the general milieu is in disarray, and the atmosphere is less friendly with a tough New York edge.  Serious fans would recognize that the brown exterior was painted yellow after a few years into the series.

The other noteworthy food establishment was the basis for "The Soup Nazi" (episode 116).  The show is a lighthearted commentary on an austere restauranteur with Spartan ordering procedures.  When Al's Soup Kitchen International became the story line for an episode, proprietor Al Yeganeh was furious, even though his business is thriving because of the national exposure.  Although he takes every opportunity to criticize Jerry Seinfeld and the series, Yeganeh is hypocritical in his actions.  He hates media attention, but returns reporters' telephone calls and has a private line open until 1:00 a.m.  to answer their questions.  Moreover, he makes special efforts to appear on television to criticize "Seinfeld," but also prostituted his business by appearing on the Home Shopping Network to peddle soup, and engaging in website chats with willing participants.

Societal Impact

In Burlington, Massachusetts, 64-year-old Richard Digangi had to seek medical attention after watching "Seinfeld" episodes.  In several instances, he was laughing so hard that he became unconscious and passed out.  The doctors labeled the condition "Seinfeld" Syncope (fainting) because of the effect laughter had on lowering his blood pressure and reducing the flow of blood to the brain.  Since Digangi had narrowing of the carotid arteries, a surgical procedure to widen the passage solved the unique ailment.

In one of the most bizarre and unprecedented cases, "Seinfeld" became the basis for a sexual harassment lawsuit.  On March 19, 1993, the day after the "The Junior Mint" episode, Jerold Mackenzie, a $95,000 per year manager at Miller Brewing Company, discussed the show with a female colleague, Patricia Best.  The episode involved Jerry attempting to remember his girlfriend's name that rhymes with a part of the female anatomy.  Best did not guess the name, so Mackenzie used a dictionary to show her the definition of clitoris.  The woman complained, and Mackenzie was fired for unacceptable managerial performance.  He sued the company for wrongful termination, and four years later won $26.6 million.  However, he remains destitute until the appeal is finalized, and is blacklisted by employers because of his tarnished image and employment record.

As evidenced by the Mackenzie trial, "Seinfeld" became the quintessential topic of conversation around the water cooler.  The series was on the cutting edge of catch phrases and modern vernacular.  For instance, "Yada, Yada" may have been an oft-used phrase in slang, but its "Seinfeld" prevalence made it a new term in Webster's Dictionary.  Other notorious phrases include "master of my domain," "not that there is anything wrong with that," "shrinkage," "sponge-worthy," and "no soup for you!"

The characters have also become illustrative examples of personality types for management consultants and sales associates.  Their unique and diverse personas make the concepts understandable and relatable.  Kramer is optimistic, extroverted, a thinker, dreamer and doer; Elaine is domineering, bossy and a control freak; Jerry is introverted, low-key, and supportive; Newman is analytical, pessimistic, introverted and emotionless; and George is a combination of the four categories, but an amalgamation of the worst characteristics.

Even the music industry feels reverberations when "Seinfeld" flexes its ratings muscle.  The retrospective clip show that aired prior to the series finale ended with a montage of episodic scenes overlaid with the song "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, which is an uncharacteristically serene acoustical song for the alternative punk-rocking band.  The episode attracted 76 million viewers, and immediately thereafter album sales nearly tripled on their platinum-selling
Nimrod
disk, and leaped twenty places on the Billboard album chart.

Americans love the show because of the brutal honesty and self-obsessiveness of each character.  The "Seinfeld" characters are able to do and say things that average Americans can only dream about--it is the outward expression of our unspoken feelings.

Production Costs

In 1993 the typical episode cost the networks $500,000 per episode.  At the time, "Cheers" set the record for most expensive sitcom production costs at $3 million per episode.  For the next half-decade, "Seinfeld" assumed the role as industry leader in skyrocketing production budgets.  By series end, each "Seinfeld" episode cost approximately $5 million, whereas the average sitcom expense barely topped $1 million.  Overall, NBC was required to pay $120 million for the final season, or ten percent of its prime time budget, which included 26 shows.  The deal made "Seinfeld" the most expensive regular series in television history.  Nevertheless, despite astronomical figures and expenses, NBC was willing to double the price to keep "Seinfeld" around for one more year.

Advertising

Despite depressed ratings on Wednesday night, "Seinfeld" had a very high demographic profile so commercial advertisements during its time slot were one of the hottest selling commodities, second only to the top-rated show, "Cheers."  The core audience was 18-to-34-year-old viewers, which translates into personal wealth and disposable income.  Advertising on "Seinfeld" became such a precious commodity that blue-chip advertisers would commit to purchasing time slots on less-desirable programs to earn the right to pitch products or services on "Seinfeld."

After moving to Thursday night, "Seinfeld" averaged nearly 30 million viewers and in 1995 commanded $390,000 per 30-second commercial, the highest in television.  By its final season, the show continued a revenue-breaking pace at $575,000 per 30-second commercial.  "Seinfeld" generated $9 million in advertising revenue per 22-minute episode, including syndication, while NBC only paid Castle Rock Entertainment $2.1 million per episode.  Overall, NBC earned $200 million per year in advertising revenues, despite paying outlandish salaries and exorbitant production costs.

By the time the finale aired, "Seinfeld" was commanding $1.7 million per 30-second commercial, which eclipsed the highest advertising rate previously set by the 1998 Superbowl.  The last major media blitz and over-hyped sitcom finale was "Cheers" five year prior, and it set records with $650,000 per 30-second commercial.  In addition to the "Seinfeld" advertising rate, NBC sold a couple time slots for $2 million to movie studios eager to promote summertime attractions.  The 45-minute retrospective that preceded the finale was collecting $900,000 per 30-second advertisement.

Television commercial advertising for the series finale became the prime time equivalent to the National Football League's Superbowl competition.  Advertising agencies worked overtime to create bona fide advertising gems, and a few capitalized on the "Seinfeld" theme.  Visa used a montage of vintage clothing to replicate a Kramer shopping extravaganza; Budweiser had a nude swimmer experiencing "shrinkage" after exiting the cold ocean water; and American Express had Jerry Seinfeld walking the streets with his hero, an animated Superman.

Syndication

In 1993, as a novel approach to garner a larger viewing audience, Columbia TriStar signed a contract with United Airlines to air "Seinfeld" episodes during its domestic flights that lasted longer than 90 minutes.  To earn the right to air episodes, NBC paid nearly $1 million annually to broadcast rerun episodes of hit comedies on passenger flights.  Although tracking the impact of this innovative approach to marketing is extremely difficult, the network undoubtedly reaped rewards from "Seinfeld's" success.

When analyzing the ten-largest syndicated markets, "Seinfeld" is number one in audience viewership.  Overall, it consistently remains in the top-10, and is seen on a record-setting 224 stations nationally with an average of nine million viewers.  It is broadcast worldwide in 50 countries, including Israel, England, France, Belgium, Canada, and Latin America (though most international countries have to wait one year to see the series finale when it is released in syndication).  In a minor setback, "Seinfeld" was pulled from the German airwaves because the humor was difficult to translate, and replaced with "Hogan's Heroes."

As the most popular sitcom in America, "Seinfeld" set new standards and lofty records for its syndicated licensing fees.  The show earns $2.5 to $3 million per episode, an estimated $1 billion for the series, which goes primarily to the creators and series' producers.  The costars, however, do not receive one penny from the billion dollar syndication contract because they are compensated as actors, and do not have a financial stake in the show's success.