A Seasons 1 and 2 DVD box set was released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on November 23, 2004, 13 years after it completed broadcast on television.

You can see Julia Louis-Dreyfus [...] develop Elaine from a puffy-haired gal pal (who wasn't in the pilot) into a delightfully petty urbanite.

And you can see Jason Alexander push George from "a blatant Woody Allen impression", as the actor acknowledges, into a more offensive and hyperactive neurotic.

[3] In "The Stake Out", Morty was portrayed by Phil Bruns; however, David and Seinfeld wanted the character to be harsher,[4][5] and re-cast him with Barney Martin, who auditioned for the part on October 15, 1990, at 12:45 pm.

[3] The same episode introduced Jerry's uncle Leo, portrayed by Len Lesser, who was known for his acting in gangster films such as The Outlaw Josey Wales and Kelly's Heroes.

[3] When Lesser auditioned for the part on October 22, 1990,[3] he incited laughs from David, Seinfeld, and casting director Marc Hirschfeld, but did not understand why, because he did not think his lines were funny.

[7] "The Revenge" features the first appearance by Newman (voiced by David), a suicidal man who lives in Jerry's apartment building.

[15][16] The second season of Seinfeld was supposed to start airing on January 16, 1991, but the premiere was postponed one week because of the commencement of the first Gulf War.

[24] While on his way to Charles' office, Cherones met Castle Rock executive Glenn Padnick and informed him about the cast's reaction to the episode.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Seinfeld's comedic voice gets more confident in this much-improved second season, which better utilizes its supporting players to uproarious effect.

"[26] The start of season two received poor ratings, prompting NBC to put the show on hiatus for two months.

[17] When the series returned in its original time slot behind Cheers, its high ratings and increasing popularity led NBC to order the full season.

[8] Joseph P. Kahn, a critic for the Wilmington Morning Star, praised the writing and acting of the season premiere and stated, "One safe prediction, Seinfeld will be here for a good long run this time around.

"[30] Writing for The Spokesman-Review, critic Jon Burlingame stated that "Seinfeld is an offbeat take on the standard sitcom concept.

"[31] Dave Kehr of The New York Times felt that "The Pony Remark" was a turning point for the show, noting that after the first few episodes, the show "turn[ed] into something sharp and distinctive [...] Here, suddenly, is the tight knot of guilt and denial, of hypersensitivity and sarcastic contempt that Seinfeld would explore for the next eight years.

[33] Jerry, George, and Elaine decide to order dinner without reservations at a Chinese restaurant, but are repeatedly stymied by the maître d'.

After they are repeatedly told that they will receive a table in "5, 10 minutes", Elaine mentions that she is so hungry, she would eat food off of another patron's plate.