Seinfeld

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Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998. It lasted nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself. Set predominantly in an apartment block in Manhattan's Upper West Side in New York City, the show features a host of Jerry's friends and acquaintances, in particular best friend George Costanza (Jason Alexander), former girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and neighbor across the hall Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).

Seinfeld stood out from the many family and group sitcoms of its time. None of its principal characters is related by family or work connections but remain distinctively close friends throughout the series. Unlike many other sitcoms, Seinfeld focuses more on character than story; instead of focusing on resolving the story, the focus is on what the characters are doing in the premise. It was often called "a show about nothing" by critics and its own creative personnel.

Tom's Restaurant, a diner at 112th Street and Broadway, in Manhattan that was used as the exterior image of Monk's Cafe in the show

Many of the characters were based primarily on Seinfeld's and David's real-life acquaintances. Two of the most prominent recurring characters were based on well-known people: Jacopo Peterman of the J. Peterman catalog (based on John Peterman), and George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees. Many other characters were introduced as more writers got involved with Seinfeld. Other characters based on real-life individuals include theSoup Nazi and Jackie Chiles based on Johnnie Cochran.

Seinfeld follows its own structure: a story thread is presented at the beginning of each episode, which involves the characters in separate and seemingly unrelated situations. Rapid scene-shifts between plot lines bring the stories together toward the end of the episode. Even though it does not follow a pattern as other sitcoms, the character's story variously intertwines in each episode. Despite the separate plot strands, the narratives reveal the creators' "consistent efforts to maintain the intimacy" amongst the small cast of characters