How 'Seinfeld' Went from Baffling Concept to Classic Television

Plus: What it's like to be a NYT bestseller ... Looking back on my book 'Seinfeldia.'

Seinfeldia came out in 2016 and changed my life in profound ways. It made me a New York Times bestseller for life, and its success, quite frankly, opened the door to many, many books to follow chronicling popular TV shows. I’ve found that Seinfeld fandom is particularly potent, and I’m privileged to serve as a sort-of avatar for the show to others; I cannot tell you how many times I have listened to someone excitedly explain their favorite episode to me (I talk about my fave in a video below) or tell me their wild theory about the show. (I have my own theory that the finale is about them dying in a plane crash and being in purgatory, but we’ll save that for another day.)

I’ve been looking back on the book and the show in some social media posts lately that I wanted to share here, from early promos to Elaine’s unique status as a feminist icon. At the end, I also share what it was like to be a New York Times bestseller, something many folks ask me about.

Seinfeld was a risky concept when it first premiered in 1989, and the early promos took great pains to explain it to viewers:

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As it gained momentum over the first few seasons, it eventually got promoted to the big time: NBC’s legendary Thursday night Must See TV lineup. It’s hard to explain what a big deal a timeslot change was to those who weren’t around in the pre-streaming, pre-DVR era. But NBC went all out with the promos to let folks know:

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There are so many classic episodes, but “The Marine Biologist” is my personal favorite. Here’s why:

@jmkarmstrongMy favorite Seinfeld scene: George’s marine biologist monologue. #seinfeld #georgecostanza #themarinebiologist #seinfeldia

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The finale was a monstrously huge deal:

@jmkarmstrongFlashback to coverage of the 1998 Seinfeld finale. I break down why it was such a big deal. #1998 #seinfeld #finales #seinfeldfinale #seinfeldia

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It eventually became a Nick at Nite staple:

@jmkarmstrongNick at Nite promo with many of Seinfeld’s greatest hits. #nickatnite #promos #seinfeld #seinfeldia

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And its four main characters became iconic, none more so than Elaine:

@jmkarmstrongAn ode to Elaine Marie Benes, feminist icon of Seinfeld. #seinfeld #elainebenes #seinfeldia

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All of this added up to the book I wrote that changed my life:

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