The Seinfeld Chronicles
It revolves around a fictionalized version of Seinfeld, who is unsure about the romantic intentions of a woman he met, and frets about the meaning of her signals with his best friend George (Jason Alexander) and neighbor Kessler (Michael Richards, whose character was later renamed "Kramer").
After The Seinfeld Chronicles' poor reception, the production company turned to Jillian's series, which tested better and had earned a full-season order (it ran a single 13-episode season and was cancelled by the end of 1990).
[5] When The Seinfeld Chronicles aired, it was watched by nearly 11% of American households and received generally positive reviews from television critics, most of whom were disappointed that NBC did not order a first season.
Jerry then realizes that he has no chance with Laura, but has already committed himself – and his one-bedroom apartment – to an entire weekend with her, including a five-hour sightseeing boat ride around Manhattan.
[4] Developed by NBC executive Rick Ludwin, and produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, it was a mix of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy routines and idiosyncratic, conversational scenes focusing on mundane aspects of everyday life.
[7] Conceived as a "show about nothing," in which the main characters would "just make fun of stuff", Seinfeld said that the idea of the pilot episode was to explore the "gaps in society where there are no rules.
[2] Another element that was added was Kessler's dog, since it was originally planned that Jerry's stand-up routines would match the events of each episode.
[2] Additionally, a scene was recorded featuring Jerry and George driving to the airport talking about changing lanes on the road and giving "Thank you waves", but was cut before broadcasting.
[2] The Seinfeld Chronicles featured four characters that were intended to be series regulars if the show was to be picked up for a first season: Jerry, George, Kramer and Claire the waitress.
[4] Among these actors were Larry Miller (Seinfeld's real-life best friend), Brad Hall, David Alan Grier, and Nathan Lane yet none of them seemed fit for the part.
[2][9][17] Jason Alexander auditioned for the part via a video tape, though he had very little hope for being cast, as he felt he was doing a Woody Allen impression.
[4][17] However, casting sessions traditionally work with rounds, so Alexander and a few other actors considered for the role were flown to Los Angeles for a second audition.
[2] Although it did not yield the explosion of laughter garnered by pilots for the decade's previous NBC successes like The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls, it drew mostly positive responses from the executives.
[7][28] Despite this, and even though the executives had already decided the show would not be picked up for a full season, "The Seinfeld Chronicles" was broadcast on July 5, 1989[4] to see how viewers would react.
[2][11] With these ratings, "The Seinfeld Chronicles" finished in the 21st place of the week it was broadcast, tied with Fox's Totally Hidden Video.
[30][31] Unlike the test audience, television critics generally reacted positively to the pilot, viewing it as original and innovative.
[32][33][34][35] USA Today critic Tom Green summarized it as a "crisply funny blend of stand-up routines interwoven with more traditional sitcom stuff".
[37] Joe Stein of the San Diego Evening Tribune wrote, "Not all standup comedians fit into a sitcom format, but Seinfeld does".
[38] A more negative response came from a The Fresno Bee critic: "I liked the concept, but Seinfeld's jokes were so dull that you hoped the standup stuff would fly by so you could get back to the story".
[39] Though the critic praised Alexander's acting, he commented that his performance was not enough to keep the show "from being just another piece of summer drivel offered up by a major commercial network".
"[46] Ken Tucker said, "NBC is making a mistake if it doesn't pick up The Seinfeld Chronicles as a midseason replacement; it's bound to be superior to most of what the network has planned for the fall".
