"It was obviously about the final scene"— Jerry Seinfeld admits he’s “a little bit” bothered with Seinfeld finale

In a recent interview with GQ Hype published on April 22, 2024, Jerry Seinfeld confessed he’s “a little bit” bothered by how the sitcom Seinfeld ended its nine-season run on NBC.

Seinfeld’s finale is considered one of the most divisive episodes on TV. Jerry Seinfeld explained “What went wrong” with the ending, saying he was not completely satisfied with how the characters ended up in a jail cell. When asked if the finale bothered him, he replied,

"A little bit, yeah. I don’t believe in regret. I think it’s arrogant to think you could have done something different. You couldn’t."

Jerry Seinfeld continued that after a long discussion with writers Jeff Schaffer and co-creator Larry David, they concluded that the final scene, which saw the main characters in a prison, triggered a visceral reaction from viewers.

“And they said that they had sat and watched the Seinfeld finale, trying to figure out what went wrong. And it was obviously about the final scene, leaving them in the jail cell.”

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Jerry Seinfeld considers Mad Men finale as one of the greatest of all times

Seinfeld's final scene saw Jerry, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander), and Kramer (Michael Richards) end up behind bars after violating a Good Samaritan law in a small town. The finale witnessed several actors who appeared in the show over the years testify against the four key players over perceived slights.

Jerry Seinfeld, who will make his directorial debut with the upcoming Netflix film Unfrosted, recently told IndieWire he was unsatisfied with how viewers received Seinfeld's final scene. However, he said bringing back all the actors who were part of the series to the finale episode so they could air out the grievances against the four key players was funny.

“That was the idea that we fell in love with,” he told IndieWire. “Let’s bring these people that were offended or in some way affronted — let’s bring them all back in a trial where they can testify against them. It just seemed funny.”

Unfrosted co-writer Spike Feresten, who was also a writer in Seinfeld, added that NBC running a clip show ahead of the finale was one reason it was not well received by viewers.

“That to me always kind of bit the episode a little bit,” Feresten said.

Meanwhile, during the GQ interview, Jerry Seinfeld compared the Seinfeld finale to the “greatest” series finale of all time, Mad Men, noting it was both satisfying and funny.

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Jerry Seinfeld believes movies have lost their relevance

During the interview with GQ, stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld said movies have lost their relevance today as they do not occupy the same social and cultural hierarchy they once did in society.

“Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives. When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.”

When pushed further, Seinfeld opined that “disorientation” has replaced the business, adding that all his show business acquaintances appear confounded about the current state of affairs.

The actor, who recently appeared in the Curb Your Enthusiasm finale with Larry David, added he felt secure about his position in the industry as his stand-up comedy “is more valuable than it’s ever been.”

“Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake. It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake,” he said.

Jerry Seinfeld is making his feature directorial debut in Netflix’s Unfrosted, which will air on May 3, 2024.