discuss that Seinfeld (1989-1998) is one of the most outstanding television situation comedies of all those that have been produced on the other side of the pond, it would be frankly absurd. Not only because of his overflowing ingenuity to offer very funny plots in his everyday nonsense, but because the influence of the work of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld here shows in the ones that came after.
But, despite its artistic and audience success, the first of its creators decided to leave the series after the end of the seventh season. Which ended on a high note, however, with the wildest twist one can remember seeing in a sitcom for the episode “The Invitations” (7×22), written by Larry David himself and premiered in May 1996. A great triumph just before the break.
The reasons for his departure from Seinfeldwhen one is aware of them, they can not help but remind us of the stressed Boris of if the thing works, the character he played in the Woody Allen movie (2009). It can also be considered a copy of the New York hypochondriac because, in fact, it is, of course, but it serves to exemplify Larry David’s attitude on this subject.
The insecurity of a talented comedian
As Jordan Williams recounts in ScreenRantWith seven years of iconic episodes and pure praise from professional critics behind him, the comedian began to feel pressure behind the scenes. Apparently and even with his enthusiasm for the series, he was very concerned that the quality of the scripts would decrease due to the simple wear that tend to suffer those that are too long in antenna.
The most obvious example of this evil is The Simpsonthe veteran animated television fiction by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon and its more than thirty years on the air since December 1989. And Larry David wanted nothing of the sort, and feared that they would run out of good ideas for writing and “He got stressed about the pressures to produce better material for each new episode”.
About it, the actor Jason Alexander, who plays George Costanza and who has recently played Asher Friedman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (since 2017), said in an interview for him podcast wtf what follows: “He always saw the making of Seinfeld as something very stressful. If it broke, it was going to be him and Jerry breaking it, but I think he took more of that responsibility.”
The great paradox of ‘Seinfeld’ without Larry David
“He had an arc of the whole season on a whiteboard somewhere, but we would finish all the recordings and he would say [con la voz de Larry David]: «It cannot be done again! That’s it! It can not be done!”. As if they had no idea for next week, “continued the American interpreter. “But they had more than an idea. They had a draft.”
Despite this, according to Jason Alexander, “he felt a very acute pressure, and after seven years and the money he made, he thought he could not do that anymore.” However, and according to Jordan Williams, rumors circulate that the screenwriter from Brooklyn, the district in which Jerry Seinfeld was also born, got off the hook with his possible resignation from time to time and they had to convince him every season for what, I do not know go away.
The great paradox in this matter, of his insecurity about the talent he possesses and that of his New York colleague to maintain the sitcom afloat, is that, when slipped away Finally, the critic assured that he saw lower quality on Seinfeld for his absence. And the aforementioned Jason Alexander, whose character is based on Larry David himself, also noticed it a lot because he was no longer understood as much.
Even so, he gave his voice again in four more episodes of seasons eight and nine to the late George Steinbrenner, a real businessman who owned the Yankees team and for whom George Costanza works, as he had done since “The Opposite” (5×22). AND wrote the last of the series, “The Finale” (9×22). What could have delighted critics and viewers, but the other paradox is that they did not like it.