Contents
1. And Now for Something Completely Different: Postmodern Television
2. Birth of a Notion: “The Show About Nothing”
3. Characters with Character: An Ensemble Is Born
4. Seinfeld Before It Was Seinfeld: The “Seinfeld Chronicles” Pilot
5. Jerry Seinfeld: Master of His Domain
6. George Costanza: Lord of the Idiots
7. Elaine Benes: Queen of the Castle
8. Cosmo Kramer: Hipster Doofus
Part III: Supporting Characters and Actors
10. The Costanza Family: They Really Are a Scream
11. Morty and Helen Seinfeld: Meet the Parents
12. More Inhabitants of Seinfeld Land: Susan Ross, J. Peterman, and Uncle Leo
13. And the Rest: Friends, Enemies, and More
14. The Seinfeld Team Effort: Poetry in Motion
15. The World of Seinfeld: Offbeat, Idiosyncratic, and Pathos-Free
16. Seinfeld Controversies: No-Holds-Barred Comedy
17. Seinfeld Land: The Uncanny New York Experience
18. The Mornings After: The Seinfeld Phenomenon and Its Cultural Impact
21. Season Three: The Turning Point
22. Season Four: Notice and Accolades
23. Season Five: Almost Number One
25. Season Seven: Goodbye, Larry
26. Season Eight: The Post–Larry David Difference
27. Season Nine: Going Out on Top
28. The Finale: A Vociferous Last Shout
29. A Tough Act to Follow: Life After Seinfeld
30. The Post-Seinfeld World: An Altered Sitcom Landscape
Appendix A: Episode Chronology
Appendix B: Characters in Seinfeld Land