104-569: Plum Spooky (2009) is a novel by Janet Evanovich starring the fictional character Stephanie Plum . It is one of the four holiday novellas in the series (now referred to by the publisher as "Between-the-Numbers Novels") that star the bounty hunter. The audiobook, read by Lorelei King , was released in January 2009. This article about a crime novel of the 2000s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . See guidelines for writing about novels . Further suggestions might be found on
208-485: A Frogger machine across the street, mimicking the action of the game itself. The last season included a story arc in which Elaine has an on/off relationship with Puddy . Despite the enormous popularity and willingness of the cast to return for a tenth season, Seinfeld decided to end the show after Season 9, believing he would thereby be able to ensure the show would maintain its quality and go out on top. NBC offered Seinfeld $ 110 million—a record $ 5 million an episode for
312-415: A Bob Hope television special , and the next four episodes were filmed. These episodes were highly rated as they followed summer re-runs of Cheers on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m., and the series was finally picked up. At one point, NBC considered airing these episodes on Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. but gave the slot to a short-lived sitcom called FM instead. The series was renamed simply Seinfeld as
416-586: A Harold Pinter play, Betrayal . Some stories were inspired by headlines and rumors, as explained in the DVD features "Notes About Nothing", "Inside Look" and "Audio Commentary." In " The Maestro ," Kramer's lawsuit is roughly similar to the McDonald's coffee case . " The Outing " is based primarily on rumors that Larry Charles heard about Jerry Seinfeld's sexuality. The series was often described as "a show about nothing." However, in 2014, Seinfeld stated: "The pitch for
520-601: A Nielsen rating of 10.9/19. The ratings did not exhibit the regional skew Tartikoff predicted, much to the encouragement of the show's supporters. Ludwin canceled one of the Bob Hope specials budgeted for that season so the entertainment division had the money to order four more episodes of The Seinfeld Chronicles , which formed the rest of the show's first season (the series was by then retitled to Seinfeld ) —a move without which Chicago Tribune columnist Phil Rosenthal later said there "would be no Seinfeld" . Although this
624-580: A fictionalized version of himself and focuses on his personal life with three of his friends: best friend George Costanza ( Jason Alexander ), former girlfriend Elaine Benes ( Julia Louis-Dreyfus ), and neighbor from across the hall, Cosmo Kramer ( Michael Richards ). Seinfeld is set mostly in and around the titular character's apartment in Manhattan 's Upper West Side in New York City . It has been described as "a show about nothing", often focusing on
728-431: A "Questionable," and Clara Dazzle, an "Unmentionable" who lost her powers after congress with another "Unmentionable." In Wicked Appetite , the stone sought is that incarnating the sin of gluttony. In 2012 Evanovich published Wicked Business , the second in the series. In Wicked Business , the stone embodies the sin of lust. A new villain is introduced, deranged candy heiress Deirdre Early, or Anarchy. Lizzie, through
832-552: A "pirate" shirt on The Today Show , " The Non-Fat Yogurt " featuring Rudy Giuliani , the Republican then-mayor-elect of New York, and " The Opposite " in which George, doing the opposite of what his instincts tell him he should do, lands a job with the New York Yankees and Elaine leaves "Pendant Publishing" because of a comedy of errors that led to its demise. Another story arc has George returning to live with his parents. Amid
936-414: A 22-episode tenth season—but he declined. A major controversy caused in the ninth season was the accidental burning of a Puerto Rican flag by Kramer in " The Puerto Rican Day ." This scene caused a furor among Puerto Ricans, and as a result, NBC showed this episode only once. Seinfeld defused the protestors by not letting this episode continue in syndication, as revealed in "Inside Look" on DVD. However,
1040-403: A 75-minute episode (cut to 60 minutes in syndication , in two parts) written by co-creator and ex-executive producer Larry David, which aired on May 14, 1998. Before the finale, a 45-minute retrospective clip show, " The Chronicle ," was aired. The retrospective was expanded to an hour after the original airing and aired again on NBC as an hour-long episode, and has since aired in syndication. It
1144-514: A TV sitcom series named Jerry . The show within a show , Jerry was much like Seinfeld in that it was "about nothing," and Seinfeld played himself. The fictional Jerry was launched in the Season 4 finale, but unlike Seinfeld , it wasn't picked up as a series. Jerry is one of many examples of metafiction in the show. There are no fewer than 22 fictional movies featured, like Rochelle, Rochelle . Because of these several elements, Seinfeld became
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#17328952420561248-619: A book entitled No Chance , which was to be the first book in a new series. It was supposed to be released in October 2007. However, in July 2007, the book was canceled. Cannell died in 2010 of melanoma . Evanovich was selected for the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50; made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50. During the week, Evanovich works eight or more hours per day. On weekends she generally works for an additional four hours each day. She generally creates
1352-643: A brief outline before beginning a new book, with one or two sentences about what will happen in each chapter. Upon the release of a new book, Evanovich regularly goes on book tours. Her book signings attracted thousands of people. Beginning with her third Stephanie Plum book, Three to Get Deadly, and ending with Smokin' Seventeen , all of the titles have been chosen from fan submissions. Evanovich lives in Hawaii and North Carolina with her husband Pete, whom she married in 1964. Her husband, son, and daughter all work for her company, Evanovich Inc. Evanovich's niece by marriage
1456-483: A collaborative effort with Charlotte Hughes because she wanted to see some of her other ideas on paper but did not have the time to write them. This resulted in the "Full" series. The "Full" series is set in Beaumont, South Carolina and features Jamie Swift and Maximillian Holt, who meet in the second "Full" book, Full Tilt . The Elsie Hawkins novels are stand alone romances with a supporting character Elsie Hawkins, who
1560-456: A crossover to CBS show Murphy Brown , marking the first such cooperation between rival networks. " The Busboy " introduces George, Kramer and Elaine as having their own storylines for the first time. Although Castle Rock Entertainment's Glenn Padnick thought Seinfeld was too generous, showcasing his co-stars' comedic talent became a trademark throughout the series. Larry Charles wrote an episode for Season 2, " The Bet ," in which Elaine buys
1664-556: A full-season order. Ann Jillian lasted only a single season of 13 episodes and was off the air by the end of 1990. When NBC announced its 1989–90 (primetime) schedule in May 1989, The Seinfeld Chronicles was not included, but the show's supporters did not give up. The pilot first aired on July 5, 1989, and finished second in its time slot against the CBS police drama Jake and the Fatman , receiving
1768-406: A guest character (e.g. Oh Henry! bars) or simply a conversational aside (e.g., Chuckles , Clark Bar , Twinkies ). A large number of non-candy products were also featured throughout the series. The show's creators claim that they weren't engaging in a product placement strategy for commercial gain. One motivation for the use of real-world products, entirely unrelated to commercial considerations,
1872-490: A gun from Kramer's friend. This episode was not filmed because the content was deemed unacceptable, and it was replaced by the episode " The Phone Message ". " The Stranded ," which aired during Season 3, was initially intended for Season 2. At the beginning of this episode, Jerry clears up the continuity error over George's real estate job. Season 4 marked the sitcom's entry into the Nielsen ratings Top 30. It contains several of
1976-457: A hamster, and both have shared "similar embarrassing experiences". The character Grandma Mazur is loosely based on Evanovich's Grandma Fanny and Aunt Lena. Evanovich claims the spirited elderly lady is "who I want to be when I grow up". Shortly before One for the Money was released, Evanovich sold the movie rights to Columbia TriStar for $ 1 million. Lions Gate Entertainment released One for
2080-550: A housewife like her mother. In her thirties, she began writing novels. To learn the art of writing dialog, Evanovich took lessons in improv acting . For ten years, she attempted to write the Great American Novel , finishing three manuscripts that she was unable to sell. After someone suggested she try writing romance novels , Evanovich read several romances and discovered that she enjoyed the genre. She wrote two romances and submitted them for publishing. Still unable to find
2184-426: A humorous focus on the atypical names of these characters, which often contain alliteration. In keeping with Seinfeld's reputation as a clean comedian, though the show frequently contains dialogue around sexual themes, the show notably avoids using almost all explicit sexual terminology. Notably, in the popular episode " The Contest ," whose plot line concerns a contest amongst the main characters to see which one can go
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#17328952420562288-684: A joke did not elicit the desired reaction, they rewrote it and performed it again. In at least one case, "The Marine Biologist," this led to David writing an entirely new scene requiring Alexander to memorize a monologue in only a matter of minutes. Laugh tracks were used only for matching shots, not for artificially adding laughter. Various locations used for establishing shots included Tom's Restaurant at 112th Street and Broadway (Monk's Cafe), Midtown West's Roosevelt Hospital (recurring exterior emergency room scene and indoor scenes in 'The Junior Mint' and 'The Bris'), Cornell Medical Centre at 525 East 68th Street, 22-39 37th Street, Queens (The Costanza's house),
2392-542: A mail carrier who lives in the same building and is Jerry's nemesis. In addition to recurring characters, Seinfeld features numerous celebrities who appear as themselves or as girlfriends, boyfriends, bosses, and other acquaintances. A number of actresses made guest appearances as Seinfeld's love interests in single episodes: Compared to other family and group sitcoms of the era, Seinfeld stood out. The principal characters are not related by family or work-associated connections but remain distinctly close friends throughout
2496-465: A minute for advertising—a mark previously attained only by the Super Bowl . Elizabeth Magnotta and Alexandra Strohl analyze the success of Seinfeld with recourse to the incongruity theory of humor: "The Incongruity Theory claims that humor is created out of a violation of an expectation. For humor to result from this unexpected result, the event must have an appropriate emotional climate, comprised of
2600-675: A nervous breakdown in " The Money ", followed by Elaine writing Peterman's biography in " The Van Buren Boys ", which leads to Kramer's parody of Kenny Kramer's Reality Tour seen in " The Muffin Tops ". The final season included episodes like " The Merv Griffin Show " in which Kramer converts his apartment into a talk-show studio and plays the character of talk-show host, " The Betrayal " that presents in reverse chronological order what happened to Sue Ellen's wedding in India, and " The Frogger " in which George pushes
2704-526: A person has and trying to make something funny out of it. Doesn't everybody do terrible things and have terrible thoughts? Just by trying to be as funny, you're going to deal with a lot of things that are real, so the show's really about something. The whole thing about the show being about nothing is ridiculous." Much of the show's humor is based upon repeated use of irony, incongruity, and (oftentimes unfortunate) coincidences. Additionally, guest characters are frequently introduced with little to no context, with
2808-536: A personal assistant to her eccentric boss Justin Pitt and George's parents' temporary separation. This was the first season in which Seinfeld reached No. 1 in the Nielsen Ratings. The use of Jerry's stand-up act declined, and the end stand-up segment no longer appeared because the storylines for all four characters grew denser. In Season 7, a story arc involved George getting engaged to his ex-girlfriend, Susan Ross, after
2912-479: A phrase that sounded like the tune Easy to Beat . Jerry Seinfeld and executive producer Larry David both liked Wolff's additions, and three episodes were produced with this new style of music. However, they had neglected to inform NBC and Castle Rock executives of the change, and when the season premiere aired, the executives were surprised and unimpressed and requested that they return to the original style. The subsequent two episodes were redone, leaving this episode as
3016-420: A precautionary measure due to the failure of the short-lived 1990 ABC series with a similarly sounding title, The Marshall Chronicles . After airing the remaining four episodes of its first season the summer of 1990, NBC ordered 13 more episodes. David believed that he and Seinfeld had no more stories to tell and advised Seinfeld to turn down the order, but Seinfeld agreed to the additional episodes. Season 2
3120-517: A publisher, Evanovich stopped writing and signed with a temporary employment agency. Several months after beginning work for them, she received an offer to buy her second romance manuscript for $ 2,000, which she considered an "astounding sum". That novel, Hero at Large , was published in 1987 in the Second Chance Love category line under the pseudonym Steffie Hall. The following year she began writing for Bantam Loveswept under her own name. For
3224-411: A selfless act and exchange of body fluids with Wulf, converts the lust stone into the "icky true love stone", implying that in the right circumstances, the stones of sin can be converted into stones of virtue. In 2015 Evanovich teamed up with Phoef Sutton for the third novel in the series, Wicked Charms . The Stone of Avarice (Greed) is the focus of this installment. In June 2013, Evanovich published
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3328-468: A tenth season. The offer NBC made to Seinfeld was over three times higher per episode than anyone on TV had ever been offered before. Seinfeld told the network that he was not married nor had children, and wished to focus on his personal life. As reported in July 2007, he was the second-highest earner in the TV industry, earning at the time $ 60 million a year. The episode became the first to command over $ 1 million
3432-532: A touching lack of faith in one's fellow human beings." This leads to very few happy endings, except at somebody else's expense. More often in every episode, situations resolve with characters getting a justly deserved comeuppance . The show premiered as The Seinfeld Chronicles on July 5, 1989. After it aired, a pickup by NBC seemed unlikely, and the show was offered to Fox , which declined to pick it up. Rick Ludwin , head of late night and special events for NBC, however, diverted money from his budget by canceling
3536-458: Is a gun totin' retiree, with tight grey curls, who "doesn't take sass from no one." Elsie drives a 1957 powder blue Cadillac that never seems to sustain damage. In the Stephanie Plum series, Grandma Mazur and Stephanie drive Uncle Sandor's 1953 powder blue Buick, which has similar indestructibility. In 2004, Evanovich launched another series with Metro Girl. This book debuted at Number 2 on
3640-446: Is author Stephanie Evanovich. Originally written under the name Steffie Hall Co-written with Charlotte Hughes Seinfeld Seinfeld ( / ˈ s aɪ n f ɛ l d / SYNE -feld ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of 180 episodes . Its ensemble cast stars Seinfeld as
3744-416: Is based on Dan O'Keefe's dad, who made up his own holiday: Festivus . Other stories take a variety of turns. " The Chinese Restaurant " consists of George, Jerry, and Elaine waiting for a table throughout the entire episode. " The Boyfriend ", revolving around Keith Hernandez , extends through two episodes. " The Betrayal " is famous for using reverse chronology and was inspired by a similar plot device in
3848-418: Is its theme music. Composed by Jonathan Wolff , it consists of distinct solo sampled electric bass riffs that open the show and connect the scenes, often accompanied by beatboxing . The bass music eventually replaced the original piano/synth music by Jep Epstein when it was played again after the first broadcast of the pilot episode . The show lacked a traditional title track and the riffs were played over
3952-531: Is referred to as Seinlanguage , which is also the title of Jerry Seinfeld's best-selling book on humor. These terms include " man hands ", " shrinkage ", " regift ", and " double dip ". A recurring feature of Seinfeld was its inclusion of specific products, especially candy , as plot points. These might be a central feature of a plot (e.g., Junior Mints , Twix , Chuckles , Jujyfruits , bite-size Three Musketeers , Snickers , Chunky , Oh Henry! , Drake's Coffee Cake and PEZ ), or an association of candy with
4056-492: Is the comedy value of funny-sounding phrases and words. "I knew I wanted Kramer to think of watching the operation like going to see a movie," explained Seinfeld writer/producer Andy Robin in an interview published in The Hollywood Reporter . "At first, I thought maybe a piece of popcorn falls into the patient. I ran that by my brother, and he said, 'No, Junior Mints are just funnier.'" Many advertisers capitalized on
4160-503: Is torn between exact opposites of her friends and Jerry dates a woman who has the now-famous "man hands". Some notable episodes from Season 8 include " The Little Kicks " showing Elaine's horrible dancing, and " The Chicken Roaster " which portrays the Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken restaurant which opened during that time. A story arc in this season involves Peterman going to Burma in " The Foundation " until he recovered from
4264-698: The NY Times Best Sellers list and eleven of them have hit #1 on USA Today Best-Selling Books list. She has over two hundred million books in print worldwide, and her books have been translated into over 40 languages. Evanovich is a second-generation American born in South River, New Jersey , to a machinist and a housewife. After attending South River High School , she became the first in her family to attend college when she enrolled at Douglass Residential College , part of Rutgers University , to study art. When Evanovich had children, she chose to become
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4368-528: The Robert De Niro movie Midnight Run , Evanovich decided that her heroine would be a bounty hunter . This occupation provided more freedom for Evanovich as a writer, as bounty hunters do not have a set work schedule and are not forced to wear a uniform. The profession is also "romanticised to some extent". To become acquainted with the demands of the career, Evanovich spent a great deal of time shadowing bond enforcement agents. She also researched more about
4472-582: The Soup Nazi and Jackie Chiles , who was based on Johnnie Cochran . Episodes have separate plot strands, but the characters' stories often intertwine at the end. The narratives reveal the creators' "consistent efforts to maintain the intimacy" among the small cast of characters. The show maintains a strong sense of continuity , as characters and plots from past episodes are often referenced or expanded on. Occasionally, story arcs span multiple episodes or entire seasons, such as Season 4 , which revolves around
4576-516: The Writers Guild of America voted it the second best-written TV series of all time (second to The Sopranos ). E! named it the "Number 1 reason [why] the '90s ruled". Quotes from numerous episodes have become catchphrases in popular culture. Seinfeld began as a 23-minute pilot titled " The Seinfeld Chronicles ". Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David , developed by NBC executive Rick Ludwin, and produced by Castle Rock Entertainment , it
4680-419: The minutiae of daily life . Interspersed in all episodes of the first seven seasons are moments of stand-up comedy from the fictional Jerry Seinfeld, frequently related to the episode's events. As a rising comedian in the late 1980s, Jerry Seinfeld was presented with an opportunity to create a show with NBC. He asked Larry David, a fellow comedian and friend, to help create a premise for a sitcom. The series
4784-522: The pilot pitch to NBC by Jerry and George. Another example is Jerry's girlfriend Vanessa, who appears in " The Stake Out " and with whom he ends the relationship when things do not work out in " The Stock Tip ". Larry David , the head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons, was praised for keeping a close eye on minor details and ensuring the main characters' lives remained consistent and believable. Curb Your Enthusiasm , David's later comedy series, also had an overarching plot for all but
4888-510: The Americas, New York. The live stand-up comedy performed by Seinfeld at the beginning of most episodes was truly filmed at The Improv, a comedy club at 358 West 44th Street, Manhattan; though it closed in 1993, another comedy club operates at the site today. The Yankee Stadium exterior seen in the show has now been demolished. Most office building establishing shots are real businesses and locations. Various real street locations can be gleaned from
4992-515: The FBI’s most wanted con men and master thieves, Nick Fox. That is until the FBI pairs Kate with the most unlikely person, Nick Fox, to take down criminals. Together they travel the globe skirting on the edge of what is legal and illegal. Kate’s father, Jake O’Hare, a retired Special Forces operative, often aids in their quest. In June 2016, the fifth novel in the series, The Pursuit, was released. Evanovich began
5096-411: The Money on January 27, 2012. The film stars Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, Sherri Shepherd from The View as Lula, Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur, Jason O'Mara as Joe Morelli, and Daniel Sunjata as Ranger. It was directed by Julie Anne Robinson . In 2016 Evanovich released the first book, Curious Minds , in her new Knight & Moon mystery series. Co-authored with Phoef Sutton,
5200-516: The New York Times Best Seller List. The heroine is Alexandra Barnaby, an auto mechanic. Her love interest is Sam Hooker, a hedonistic NASCAR driver. The "Motor" series is set in the southern U.S. states. Further books in the series include Motor Mouth and Troublemaker 1 & 2 (graphic novels). Evanovich collaborated with Stephen J. Cannell , noted TV writer and producer ( A Team, Rockford Files, Baretta, 21 Jump Street ), on
5304-581: The Taconic State Parkway exit to the Hopewell Junction, Dutchess County, New York (driving scene in 'The Bubble Boy'), and the Amagansett farmers market, Long Island ('The Hamptons'). The exterior shot used for Jerry's New York apartment building was actually located at 757 S New Hampshire Avenue, Los Angeles. The real-life exterior of Pendant Publishing, Elaine's workplace, is located at 1325 Ave of
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#17328952420565408-551: The actors walking in New York were also filmed at CBS Studio Center, on their New York Street backlot . Street scenes and park scenes were filmed in the CBS Studio Centre's New York Street and Central Park backlots, respectively. A source of problems for the cast was the small sets, especially that of Jerry's apartment; Alexander noted, "If you knew you were doing a series for nine years, you would never build that set." Adding to
5512-628: The article's talk page . Janet Evanovich Janet Evanovich (née Schneider ; April 22, 1943) is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall , but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephanie Plum , a former lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey , who becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet after losing her job. The novels in this series have been on The New York Times , USA Today , Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller lists. Evanovich has had her last seventeen Plums debut at #1 on
5616-410: The audience is never made to feel sorry for any of the characters. Even Susan's death in " The Invitations " elicits no genuine emotions from anybody in the show. Seinfeld does not shy away from making light of tough topics, from death to illness to disability. The show frequently engages in fourth-wall-breaking humor and self-satire. One such example is the story arc , where the characters promote
5720-430: The beginning and end of each episode, even functioning as transitions during the show. A few episodes set a benchmark for later seasons. " The Deal " establishes Jerry and Elaine's relationship by setting rules about having sex while remaining friends. " The Parking Garage " was the first episode shot with no audience for the episode and, after " The Chinese Restaurant ", to not show Jerry's apartment. " The Keys " contains
5824-465: The book introduces two new characters, Emerson Knight and Riley Moon. Emerson Knight is a rich, eccentric introvert with little-to-no sense of social etiquette. He is also brilliant and handsome. Riley Moon is a recent Harvard Law and Harvard Business graduate. Her aggressive Texas spitfire attitude helped her land her dream job as a junior analyst at Blane-Grunwald where Emerson is a client. Together this unlikely duo finds themselves thrust into solving
5928-503: The car windows during driving scenes. By the final season, each episode of the series cost $ 3 million to $ 3.5 million. More than 120 episodes make reference to the Superman franchise . Teri Hatcher, who played Lois Lane on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman , plays Jerry's girlfriend Sidra. Paula Marshall , who played Christina Riley on the Superboy TV series , portrays
6032-452: The chest the way Abbott would hit Costello." The series includes numerous references to the team. George Costanza's middle name is "Louis", after Costello. " The Old Man " episode features a cantankerous character named "Sid Fields" as a tribute to the landlord on the team's TV show. Kramer's friend is named Mickey Abbott. A copywriter for the J. Peterman catalog is named Eddie Sherman, after the team's longtime agent. In Episode 30, Kramer hears
6136-495: The city of Trenton , where she wanted her books to be set. In 1994, her initial romantic adventure, One for the Money , was published to good reviews. This was the first of a light-hearted series of mysteries starring barely competent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum . One for the Money was named a New York Times notable book, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1994 and a USA Today Best Bet. Evanovich has continued to write romantic adventures starring Plum. The sixth book in
6240-570: The earlier seasons. Most noticeably, David left the writing crew (but returned to write " The Finale " in 1998), resulting in Seinfeld taking over David's duties as showrunner , and, under the direction of a new writing staff, Seinfeld became a faster-paced show. The show no longer contained extracts of Jerry performing stand-up comedy—Jerry had no time or energy for this with his new responsibilities—and storylines occasionally delved into fantasy and broad humor. For example, in " The Bizarro Jerry ", Elaine
6344-441: The episode would be added to the syndicated rerun package several years later uncut. After nine years on the air, NBC and Seinfeld announced on December 25, 1997, that the series would end production the following spring in 1998. The announcement made the front page of the major New York newspapers, including The New York Times . Seinfeld was featured on the cover of Time magazine's first issue of 1998. The series ended with
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#17328952420566448-680: The episode. For instance, in "The Betrayal," part of which takes place in India, the theme is heard played on a sitar . The soundtrack was given a digital release on July 2, 2021. All music is composed by Jonathan Wolff. Many characters have made multiple appearances, notably Jerry's parents, Morty and Helen Seinfeld, who reside in Florida; George's parents, the overbearing Frank and Estelle Costanza; George's on-again, off-again fiancée Susan Ross; Jerry's Uncle Leo ; Elaine's variety of bosses, Mr. Lippman, Mr. Pitt and J. Peterman; Elaine's on-again, off-again boyfriend David Puddy; and Kramer's friend, Newman ,
6552-437: The famous Abbott and Costello line, "His father was a mudder. His mother was a mudder." Many terms were coined, popularized, or re-popularized in the series' run and have become part of popular culture, including " Yada, yada, yada ", " No soup for you! ", " Master of my domain ", and " Not that there's anything wrong with that ." The lexicon of Seinfeldian code words and recurring phrases that evolved around particular episodes
6656-561: The finale received mixed reviews from critics and fans of the show. The finale poked fun at the many rumors that were circulating, seeming to move into multiple supposed plots before settling on its actual storyline—a lengthy trial where the gang is prosecuted for violating a " Duty to Rescue " law and sentenced to prison terms. According to Forbes magazine, Seinfeld's earnings from the show in 1998 came to US$ 267 million, including syndication earnings. He refused NBC's offer of $ 5 million per episode, or over $ 100 million total, to continue into
6760-458: The first TV series since Monty Python's Flying Circus to be widely described as postmodern . Seinfeld is an avid Abbott and Costello fan and has cited The Abbott and Costello Show as an influence on Seinfeld : "Everybody on the show knows I'm a fan. We're always joking about how we do stuff from their show. George and I will often get into a riff that has the rhythm from the old Abbott and Costello shows. And sometimes, I'll hit George in
6864-439: The first moments of dialogue or action. They vary throughout each episode and are played in an improvised funk style, matching the timing of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy delivery or transitions in the editing. An additional musical theme with an ensemble, led by a synthesized mid-range brass instrument, ends each episode. In " The Note ," the first episode of Season 3, the bumper music featured a scatting female jazz singer who sang
6968-484: The first season. A major difference between Seinfeld and the sitcoms that preceded it is that the principal characters never learn from their mistakes. In effect, they are indifferent and even callous toward the outside world and sometimes one another. A mantra of the show's producers was "No hugging, no learning." Entertainment Weekly ' s TV critic Ken Tucker has described them as "a group dynamic rooted in jealousy, rage, insecurity, despair, hopelessness, and
7072-699: The journalist Sharon, who Jerry says reminds him of Lois Lane. Sherman Howard , who played Lex Luthor on Superboy , portrays Roy. Superman logos and figurines frequently appear in Jerry's apartment. Seinfeld and Superman later appear in an American Express commercial. The show was written by David and Seinfeld, along with writers who included Larry Charles , Peter Mehlman , Gregg Kavet , Carol Leifer , David Mandel , Jeff Schaffer , Steve Koren , Jennifer Crittenden , Tom Gammill , Max Pross , Dan O'Keefe , Charlie Rubin , Marjorie Gross , Alec Berg , Elaine Pope , and Spike Feresten . Many Seinfeld episodes are based on
7176-437: The longest without masturbating, the word 'masturbation' is never mentioned. Seinfeld broke several conventions of mainstream television. David is credited with refusing to follow a predictable sitcom formula that would have a romantic relationship develop between Jerry and Elaine. The show offers no growth or reconciliation to its characters and eschews sentimentality. An episode is typically driven by humor interspersed with
7280-594: The memo for several years, but after they became aware of it, they hung it in a bathroom on the set. Seinfeld comments, "We thought, if someone goes in to use this bathroom, this is something they should see. It fits that moment." Around the time the show's pilot was filmed, Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced the show, had also produced another pilot for NBC that featured Ann Jillian in her almost-similarly eponymous TV series. When The Seinfeld Chronicles tested poorly with audiences, Castle Rock focused on Jillian's series, which tested better with audiences and received
7384-419: The middle of Seinfeld episodes was cut. Much publicity followed the controversial episode " The Contest ," an Emmy Award -winning episode written by David, whose subject matter was considered inappropriate for prime-time network TV. To circumvent this taboo, the word " masturbation " was never used in the script, instead substituted for by a variety of oblique references. Midway through that season, Seinfeld
7488-523: The most difficult of mysteries. Dangerous Minds , the second book in the series, was written by Evanovich and released in June 2017. In 2010 Evanovich published Wicked Appetite , spinning off the character Diesel from the between the numbers Plum books. The heroine of Wicked Appetite is sweet cupcake baker Lizzie Tucker, who, unlike Stephanie Plum, can cook. The "Wicked" series is set in Salem, Massachusetts. In
7592-420: The most popular episodes, such as " The Bubble Boy " in which George and the bubble boy argue over Trivial Pursuit , and " The Junior Mint " in which Jerry and Kramer accidentally fumble a mint in the operating room. This was the first season to use a story arc of Jerry and George creating their own sitcom, Jerry . Also, at this time, the use of Jerry's stand-up act slowly declined, and the stand-up segment in
7696-460: The next five years she continued to write category romances for Loveswept. Her work within the romance novel genre helped her learn to create likable characters and attractive leading men. In this time, Evanovich also became known for the humor that filled her novels. She believes that "it's very important to take a comic approach. If we can laugh at something, we can face it." After finishing her twelfth romance, however, Evanovich realized that she
7800-435: The novella "Pros & Cons" and the novel The Heist , the first two works in a new series co-written with Lee Goldberg . Since then the series has grown to six novels (The Heist, The Chase, The Job, The Scam, The Pursuit, and The Big Kahuna), two novellas (Pros & Cons and The Shell Game) and one online short-story, The Caper. The protagonist is FBI special agent Kate O’Hare who has devoted her career to taking down one of
7904-454: The only one with additional music elements. In the commentary of "The Note," Louis-Dreyfus facetiously suggests it was removed because the perceived lyric related closely to the low ratings at the time. In the final three seasons, the bits were tweaked slightly with more frantic rhythms; a bass guitar was added in addition to the sampled bass from earlier seasons. Throughout the show, the main theme could be restyled in different ways depending on
8008-491: The pilot Jerry proved unsuccessful. In it, George spends most of the season regretting and trying to get out of the engagement. Along with the regular half-hour episodes, two notable one-hour episodes were " The Cadillac ," in which George plans to date award-winning actress Marisa Tomei , and " The Bottle Deposit ," with Elaine and Sue Ellen Mischke participating in a bidding war to buy JFK's golf clubs in an auction. Seinfeld's final two seasons were considered distinct from
8112-509: The pilot's performance among the respondents as "weak", which Warren Littlefield , then second-in-command in NBC's entertainment division, called "a dagger to the heart". Comments included, "You can't get too excited about two guys going to the laundromat", "Jerry's loser friend George isn't a forceful character", "Jerry needs a stronger supporting cast", and "Why are they interrupting the stand-up for these stupid stories?" Seinfeld and David did not see
8216-615: The popularity of Seinfeld . American Express created a webisode where Jerry Seinfeld and an animated Superman (voiced by Patrick Warburton , who played the role of Puddy) starred in its commercial. The makers of the Today Sponge created the "Spongeworthy" game on their website, inspired by " The Sponge ." An advertisement featured Jason Alexander in a Chrysler commercial. In this, Alexander acts much like his character George, and his relationship with Lee Iacocca plays on George's relationship with Steinbrenner. Similarly, Michael Richards
8320-410: The problem was that the scripts contained only minimal physical direction, leaving the actors needing help to come up with actions to perform while speaking. Eventually, they got into a routine of directing each other on how to make their movements look natural. Alexander said this helped them build chemistry with each other. Filming usually went long, as the cast and Larry David were perfectionists. If
8424-407: The ratings of the 9:00 p.m. Cheers reruns that spring. The show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993, beating out its family-oriented, time-slot competitor Home Improvement , which was only in its second season on rival network ABC. Season 5 was an even bigger ratings hit, consisting of popular episodes, such as " The Puffy Shirt " in which Jerry feels embarrassed wearing
8528-458: The series would end. The episode's producers gave false information to the media, spreading a rumor about Newman ending up in the hospital and Jerry and Elaine sitting in a chapel, presumably to marry. The final episode enjoyed a historic audience, estimated at 76.3 million viewers (58% of all viewers that night) making it the fourth-most watched regular series finale in U.S. TV history, behind M*A*S*H , Cheers , and The Fugitive . However,
8632-573: The series, Hot Six , was the first of her novels to reach number one on the New York Times Best Seller List . Her subsequent Plum novels have each debuted at number one. All About Romance has described her as the "rare breed of romance author who has left the genre and yet not alienated her many romance fans". The Plum novels have taken many attributes from Evanovich's own life. Evanovich shares many commonalities with Plum. Both are from New Jersey, both devour Cheetos, both had owned
8736-575: The series, Diesel & Lizzie search for the seven stones of power, each representing a different deadly sin. Lizzie & Diesel are "Unmentionables", humans with additional powers. Their rivals for the stones are Diesel's dark cousin, Gerwulf "Wulf" Grimoire, introduced in Plum Spooky and his medieval-esque minion Hatchet. Lizzie's animal companions are one-eyed Cat 7143 and Carl the Monkey, from Fearless Fourteen and Plum Spooky . Her friends include Glo,
8840-506: The series. Many characters were based primarily on Seinfeld's and David's real-life acquaintances. Two prominent recurring characters were fictional depictions of actual well-known people: Jacopo Peterman of the J. Peterman catalog (based on John Peterman ) and George Steinbrenner , owner of the New York Yankees . Many characters were introduced as new writers got involved with Seinfeld . Other characters based on real people include
8944-518: The show would work. A Jewish man from New York himself, Tartikoff characterized it as "Too New York, too Jewish" (a sentiment which would also lead to the Cosmo character's later surname change from the more Jewish-sounding Kessler to Kramer). Test audiences were even harsher. NBC's practice at the time was to recruit 400 households by phone to ask them to evaluate pilots it aired on an unused channel on its cable system. An NBC research department memo summarized
9048-408: The show, the real pitch, when Larry and I went to NBC in 1988, was [that] we want to show how a comedian gets his material. The show "about nothing" was just a joke in an episode many years later, and Larry and I to this day are surprised that it caught on as a way that people describe the show because, to us, it's the opposite of that." David similarly commented: "I like taking the worst qualities that
9152-571: The show. One DVD reviewer, Britt Gillette, wrote that "this initial episode exhibits the flashes of brilliance that made Seinfeld a cultural phenomenon." Other than the pilot, the series was filmed at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles . The first three seasons were filmed on Soundstage 19; it then moved to the larger Stage 9 for the remainder of its production. Despite numerous establishing shots taken in New York City, all scenes of
9256-434: The show. The series remained well regarded and produced some of its most famous episodes, such as " The Beard ", in which Jerry is put through a lie detector test to make him admit that he watched Melrose Place ; " The Switch ", in which Kramer's mom, Babs, reveals that his first name is Cosmo; and " The Understudy ", in which Elaine meets J. Peterman for the first time. Story arcs used in this season were Elaine working as
9360-550: The story arc, Kramer creates and promotes his coffee table book . The show was again nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, but lost to the Cheers spin-off Frasier , then in its first season. Seinfeld was nominated for the same award every year for its entire run but, after its win at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994, always lost to Frasier , which went on to win a record 39 Emmy Awards in its 11-season run. In Season 6, Andy Ackerman replaced Tom Cherones as director of
9464-410: The style of romance novels, her books would be told in first person narrative . Her new type of writing should contain heroes and heroines, as well as "a sense of family and community". In that vein, she intended her new style of writing to be based on the TV sitcom model. Like Seinfeld , her new books would have a central character that the rest of the cast of characters revolve around. Inspired by
9568-510: The superficial conflicts of characters with peculiar dispositions. Many episodes revolve around the characters' involvement in the lives of others, with typically disastrous results. On the set, the notion that the characters should not develop or improve throughout the series was expressed as the "no hugging, no learning" rule. The characters are "thirty-something singles with vague identities, no roots, and conscious indifference to morals." Also unlike most sitcoms, there are no moments of pathos ;
9672-423: The top of the ratings. Seinfeld is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential shows of all time. It has been ranked among television's best shows in publications such as Entertainment Weekly , Rolling Stone , and TV Guide . Its most renowned episodes include " The Chinese Restaurant ", " The Soup Nazi ", " The Parking Garage ", " The Marine Biologist ", and " The Contest ". In 2013,
9776-406: The writers' real-life experiences, with the experiences reinterpreted for the characters' storylines. For example, George's storyline in " The Revenge " is based on Larry David's experience at Saturday Night Live . " The Contest " is also based on David's experiences. " The Smelly Car " storyline is based on Peter Mehlman's lawyer friend, who could not get a bad smell out of his car. " The Strike "
9880-407: Was a mix of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy routines and idiosyncratic, conversational scenes focusing on mundane aspects of everyday life like laundry, the buttoning of the top button on one's shirt, and the effort by men to interpret the intent of women spending the night in Seinfeld's apartment. The pilot was filmed at Stage 8 of Desilu Cahuenga studios, the same studio where The Dick Van Dyke Show
9984-423: Was a very low order number for a new series—and the smallest sitcom order in TV history —Castle Rock failed to find any other buyers when it shopped the show to other networks, and accepted the order. Seinfeld did not return to the airwaves until May 30, 1990, and it was another three years before it became a Top 5-rated show. Preston Beckman, in charge of NBC's research department at the time, reminisced, "The show
10088-489: Was bumped off its scheduled premiere of January 16, 1991, due to the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War . It settled into a regular time slot on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. and eventually flipped with veteran series Night Court to 9 p.m. TV critics championed Seinfeld in its early seasons, even as it was slow to cultivate a substantial audience. For the first three seasons, Jerry's stand-up comedy act would bookend at
10192-461: Was different. Nobody had seen anything like it. It wasn't unusual for poor-testing shows to get on the air, but it was very rare that they became hits." When the program was first repeated on July 5, 1990, it received a rating of 13.9/26. These ratings were high enough to secure a second season. NBC research showed that the show was popular with young male adults, a demographic sought after by advertisers. This gave NBC an incentive to keep broadcasting
10296-502: Was filmed (seen by the crew as a good omen), and was recorded at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood . The pilot was first screened to a group of two dozen NBC executives in Burbank, California , in early 1989. It did not yield the explosion of laughter garnered by the pilots for the decade's previous NBC successes like The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls . Brandon Tartikoff was not convinced
10400-437: Was more interested in writing the action sequences in her novels than the sex scenes. Her editors were not interested in her change of heart, so Evanovich took the next eighteen months to formulate a plan for what she actually wanted to write. She quickly decided that she wanted to write romantic adventure novels. She wanted to include humor, romance and adventure in her work and this fit into her style of mystery novel. Unlike
10504-445: Was moved from its original 9:00 p.m. time slot on Wednesdays to 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays, following Cheers again, which gave the show even more popularity. Ratings also sparked the move, as Tim Allen 's sitcom Home Improvement on ABC had aired at the same time, and Home Improvement kept beating Seinfeld in the ratings. NBC moved the series after Ted Danson announced the end of Cheers and Seinfeld quickly surpassed
10608-512: Was produced by West-Shapiro Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment and distributed by Columbia Pictures Television . It was largely written by David and Seinfeld and scriptwriters. A favorite among critics, the series led the Nielsen ratings in Seasons 6 and 9 and finished among the top two (along with ER of the same network) every year from 1994 to 1998. Only two other shows— I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show —finished their runs at
10712-453: Was the first episode since the finale of season 7, " The Invitations ", to feature opening and closing stand-up comedy acts by Seinfeld. The finale was filmed before an audience of NBC executives and friends of the show. The press and public were shut out of the taping to keep its plot secret; those who attended the shoot of the final episode were required to sign written "vows of silence". The secrecy only seemed to increase speculation about how
10816-492: Was the focus of a series of advertisements for Vodafone , which ran in Australia , where he dressed and acted precisely like Kramer, including the trademark bumbling pratfalls. In addition, the show occasionally incorporated fictional products like a Scotch brand called "Hennigan's" (a blend of " Hennessy " and " Brannigans ") and a canned meat product called "Beef-a-reeno" (a parody of " Beef-a-roni "). A signature of Seinfeld
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