With Jerry Seinfeld’s cryptic “something is going to happen” about the Seinfeld series finale, what might a reunion of the iconic comedy look like?
What’s the deal with this? 25 years after signing off, could one of television’s greatest sitcoms be staging a comeback? Seinfeld was the comedy of the ’90s, running for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998. Regarded as possibly the best comedy to ever air, viewers tuned in every week to watch the misadventures of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer. The “show about nothing” was unique in that plots revolved around the happenings of day-to-day life at a time when most sitcoms had some gimmick or twist to make them stand out. That uniqueness made Seinfeld what it was and is the reason it still thrives in reruns three decades later. But in a time when seemingly every show in existence is given a reboot, audiences have been wondering for years. Will we see the Seinfeld gang back on our screens?
If recent rumors by lead and co-creator Jerry Seinfeld are to be believed, then the answer could be yes. With the original finale’s less-than-stellar reception, viewers have been craving a do-over for years. Now, it seems that Seinfeld and Larry David share the sentiment. But what does their enigmatic “something is going to happen” mean? Let’s look at what a possible Seinfeld reboot might look like.
How Did It End?
Ask any TV viewer of a certain age to name a more iconic comedy than Seinfeld. Not just from the ’90s, but all-time iconic. Almost every episode is memorable, and endless quotes are shared even today. “A Festivus for the rest of us!” “Are you still master of your domain?” “The jerk store called, and they’re running out of you.” “Serenity now!” “You yada yada’d over the best part.” Try to find any sitcom with more quotable lines.
It’s strange to think that one of the best sitcoms of all time would have one of the worst series finales, but that’s the case. For those who can’t remember or don’t want to, the foursome witness a man robbed at gunpoint and do nothing but stand by and crack jokes. They’re then arrested for violating a Good Samaritan law by refusing to intervene. At the trial, several recurring and minor characters from the show’s run return to testify about the gang’s awful behavior over the years. The jury finds them guilty, and all are sentenced to a year in prison. As you can imagine, ending America’s favorite comedy by incarcerating the entirety of the main cast didn’t exactly sit well with the majority of viewers. They still tuned in, as the 1998 finale was watched by a massive 76 million viewers.
At a standup show in Boston recently, Seinfeld was asked his opinion on the show’s finale. Rather than directly answering, he implied he had a “little secret” by saying, “Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending. It hasn’t happened yet. Just what you are thinking about, Larry [David] and I have also been thinking about. So, you’ll see.” So what exactly is the surprise? In any case, the project is still in the very early stages, as star Julia Louis-Dreyfus reportedly knows nothing about it.
A Possible Revival?
While this is potentially the first true Seinfeld revival, the cast has reunited at different points over the years. Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards all appeared on a 2009 episode of Larry David’s follow-up hit Curb Your Enthusiasm. That quasi-reboot episode followed the actors as both themselves and their characters, with the series’ fictionalized Larry David pitching them a Seinfeld reunion. So, could that episode influence a real-life reunion? In all likelihood, we wouldn’t see a full series revival in the vein of Will & Grace or Frasier. With any reboot, the show runs the risk of losing what made it so special in the first place. As iconic as Seinfeld is, it’s inevitable that a new series wouldn’t measure up. Aside from the finale, many fans regard Seinfeld to be great just the way it is.
It’s possible that they could go the Friends route. In 2020, a reunion special was confirmed to be in production for Max (then HBO Max). However, rather than any continuation of the story, the special reunited the main cast on the original sets to reflect and perform episode table reads (with James Corden as host for some reason). We could see the Seinfeld cast get back together to do something similar. But if they were doing an unscripted special, then why would Jerry say that the new project has to do with the finale in particular?
This brings us to the third option: a one/off reunion special or movie. This could see us check in with the characters and how they’ve grown and changed 25 years later. A reunion movie could give the production team a chance to end the series on a better note, making up for the mistakes of the finale. Who wouldn’t want to see the gang commenting on daily life in the 2020s? This could also run the risk of disappointing fans of the original, though a one-time special has less of a chance of ruining a lasting legacy than an entirely new series.
It’s also possible this could turn out to be nothing at all. Maybe it’s just an idea from Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David that goes nowhere. They already screwed up one finale, so is it worth it to try again? Done properly, a Seinfeld reunion could make up for the mistakes of the past and give fans another satisfying chapter in the lives of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer. But if messed up, Seinfeld’s legacy could be ruined again for an entirely new generation. So, let’s wait and see what they have planned.
