This set may look familiar to you.
The first 134 episodes of Seinfeld usually opened...
...with Jerry performing comedy.
The practice was discontinued at the end of season seven...
...following executive producer Larry David's departure...
...from the series.
After David left, Seinfeld took a more hands-on approach...
...to running his series.
Since time was so precious...
...Jerry opted to stop writing and performing...
...a new stand-up routine for every episode.
Larry David returned to write...
...this one-hour-plus final episode and, not coincidentally...
...the opening monologues returned along with him.
Former Seinfeld writers Steve Skrovan and Fred Stoller are seated...
...at the table behind the main cast.
You might recognize Skrovan from his multiple appearances...
...in the fourth season, including as a comedian...
...at the comedy club in "The Pitch."
Stoller played Fred Yerkes...
...in the seventh-season episode "The Secret Code."
Friends of the series were used as extras...
...for this episode for two reasons.
One, with the series ending, there was a surplus of nostalgia...
...and everyone wanted in on it.
Two, more importantly, friends of the show were less likely...
...to blab plot secrets to the media for large sums of money.
According to the script, this woman is named Carol...
...and her companion is Bernie.
Carol is played by McNally Sagal, whose other credits include roles...
...in the films Pleasantville, The Whole Ten Yards...
...High School High and Coneheads.
On TV, you might have seen Sagal on Boy Meets World, Murder One...
...Chicago Hope, Bones, Cold Case and The X-Files.
Jim Zulevic (Bernie) made his network-TV debut in this scene.
Zulevic went on to appear...
...in episodes of Prison Break, The Shield, Early Edition...
...and The Drew Carey Show.
George's comment about "15 minutes" is a reference...
...to the famous quote by pop artist Andy Warhol.
Warhol said that in the future, everyone in the world...
...would each get 15 minutes of fame.
Warhol wasn't saying it was a good thing.
It was actually a comment on the ease...
...with which celebrities become obscurities.
That's Sean Moran playing the man wishing Jerry and George a nice day.
Moran also acts in episodes of Caroline in the City...
...Beverly Hills, 90210, Herman's Head and Dirt.
The table reading for "The Finale" was held on a closed set...
...on Wednesday, April 1st, 1998.
Filming commenced immediately afterward.
To insure confidentiality...
...all the participants signed legal releases...
...that they would not disclose the script's contents to anyone.
All but one copy of the script was destroyed...
...following the table reading.
The surviving copy belonged to script supervisor Christine Nyhart...
...who needed to retain her copy for timing and continuity purposes.
Burt Lancaster (1913-1994) was a Hollywood screen legend...
...with a long list of starring roles in such films...
...as From Here to Eternity, Elmer Gantry, Birdman of Alcatraz...
...and The Rainmaker.
Elaine's friend Jill never appeared on camera.
It's likely that the two became friends after the seventh season...
...when we learned that Elaine had no female friends.
Perhaps this Jill story line sheds some light...
...on that Elaine characteristic.
TV Jerry's NBC pilot, Jerry, was the subject...
...of a season-long arc back in the 1992-93 season.
The pilot did not get picked up to a series...
...but you can find out all the details by checking out Volume 3...
...of Seinfeld on DVD.
The Jerry pilot was discussed again...
...in the seventh-season episode "The Checks"...
...and earlier this season in "The Butter Shave."
You can see the words "Rainbow Room" in the establishing shot.
The Rainbow Room nightclub is a local landmark in New York City.
Opened in 1934, it's located on the 65th floor of the GE Building...
...at 30 Rockefeller Center, a few floors up...
...from the New York offices and studios of the NBC network.
Dianne Turley Travis plays the receptionist in this scene.
She's also appeared on such series...
...as Hotel, Hill Street Blues and Freddie.
Her film credits include The Distinguished Gentleman...
...and Listen to Me.
Kevin Page and Peter Blood return to the roles they originated...
...in season four, Stu Chermak and Jay Crespi.
James Kimbrough is played by Peter Riegert.
Riegert is probably best known for his role as Boon...
...in the classic frat-boy film Animal House.
Other film work includes roles in the popular movies Local Hero...
...Oscar and The Mask.
On TV, Riegert has guest-starred in episodes of Trying Times...
...Sports Night, The Sopranos and Law & Order: SVU.
"Been there, done that" first appeared...
...in printed form in a Syracuse, New York, newspaper in 1982...
...but is widely believed to be of Australian origin.
The phrase "water-cooler show" originated in the early 1990s.
Despite the extra-long duration of this episode...
...a significant amount of material was cut prior to...
...the episode's premiere.
Instead of providing sample dialogue...
...or hinting at certain deleted moments...
...we'll just suggest that you plunder the Vault one last time...
...and enjoy the wealth of material hidden inside.
Kevin Page was originally cast as Stu Chermak...
...because of his physical resemblance to NBC executive Rick Ludwin.
Ludwin championed Seinfeld to his bosses during its early years...
...and remained associated with the show until its final episode.
Real-life NBC executive Warren Littlefield...
...really did want Jerry and Elaine to get together...
...during its second season...
...but Jerry and Larry David abandoned the idea...
...after trying it for one episode.
Xena: Warrior Princess is an action/adventure series...
...that was originally syndicated in the U.S. from 1995 to 2001.
It starred Lucy Lawless as a reformed villain...
...on a quest to make good for her past sins.
Helen's right. Xena is not 6'6". Lucy Lawless is just over 5'10".
In real life, Jerry was indeed given access to the NBC jet...
...but only after Seinfeld was a proven TV hit.
KRAMER ENTRANCE COUNTER: #389
Ladies and gentlemen, Kramer has just made...
...his final on-camera entrance into Jerry's apartment.
And since there are no girl- or boyfriends introduced...
...in this episode, we can reveal the final standings...
...in our relationship counter.
Bringing up the rear: Cosmo Kramer with 27 girlfriends.
Third place: Elaine Marie Benes with 50 boyfriends.
At number two, the man himself: George Louis Costanza...
...with 62 girlfriends.
And topping the list at number one: Jerome Seinfeld...
...with an astounding 73 girlfriends dated...
...during just nine years of his life. Not bad.
Fans of the fourth season may recall that...
...despite Kramer's claims that nobody leaves L.A...
...he himself left after failing in his quest...
...to become a Hollywood actor.
For the full details, see "The Trip: Parts 1 and 2."
Geishas were originally female entertainers and concubines...
...who served at the pleasure of the Japanese elite.
In modern Japan, the sexual activities...
...of the geisha have disappeared.
They are simply unmarried, exotically dressed performers...
...typically in elaborate white makeup and elaborate hairstyles...
...who recite verse, play instruments, dance...
...and take part in light conversation with their clients.
The von Trapp family is Austrian, not Swiss.
The musical family's amazing, enlightening tale of escape...
...from the Nazis during World War II was brought to life...
...in the popular 1965 film The Sound of Music.
You might recognize previous Seinfeld director Tom Cherones...
...seated at the table behind the gang.
He directed most episodes in the show's first five seasons...
...and he even played a TV director in "The Pilot"...
...at the close of season four.
Seated across from Cherones...
...is then-NBC president Warren Littlefield...
...who also previously appeared in "The Pilot."
Writer Dave Mandel is also present in the background...
...but we'll let you find him yourself.
The group's handshake was first used in the episode "The Contest."
The cast also used it backstage while forming their "circle of power."
For the full story, check out the "Running with the Egg" documentary...
...available on Volume 5 of Seinfeld on DVD.
Elaine beeps NBC's audio catch phrase in this scene.
It was the first-ever series of notes to be trademarked...
...at the U.S. Patent Office.
The three notes are G3, E4 and C4.
They first played on NBC on November 29th, 1929...
...with full-time usage beginning in 1931.
"HELLO, NEWMAN" COUNTER: #15
And that's Jerry's last "Hello, Newman" of the series.
Again, to help maintain a cone of silence around the production...
...the studio audience was made up entirely...
...of friends and family of the production staff.
Each attendee had to sign a release form promising...
...not to disclose any part of what they were about to see and hear.
In another layer of secrecy, the production personnel...
...referred to this project as "A Tough Nut to Crack."
The humorous fake title was created to distract curious eyes...
...from sneaking a peek at production materials...
...labeled simply Seinfeld, "The Finale."
This was filmed at the Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, California.
The cable network TV Land, certain that most would be...
...watching this when it premiered, decided to shut down broadcasting.
If you tuned into that channel at 9:00 pm on May 14th, 1998...
...you would have seen a picture of a closed office door...
...with a note on it that read:
"Gone watchin' Seinfeld, back in 60 minutes."
Steve Carlson (Captain Maddox) previously appeared in Dr. Kildare...
...Ironside, The Wild, Wild West, Mr. Belvedere and Baywatch.
He's also appeared on dramas General Hospital, Santa Barbara...
...and Days of Our Lives.
Ted Danson was the star of NBC's Cheers...
...when it ran on the network from 1982 to 1993.
During the aforementioned fourth season...
...George incessantly complained that the deal he and Jerry received...
...from NBC for writing their pilot was nothing compared to...
...what they had been paying Danson to act on their top-rated sitcom.
An entire episode of the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg...
...was built around the belief...
...that most of America would be watching Seinfeld.
The story line involved the married couple having sex in public places...
...confident that nobody would be far enough away from a TV to see them.
The stunt flying was performed in California by pilot Kenneth Albrecq.
George said a similar thing about God when he feared he had cancer...
...back in "The Pilot" at the end of season four.
"The Contest" is the aforementioned classic episode from the same season.
The following year, in "The Puffy Shirt"...
...George proclaimed that he won the contest.
Latham, Massachusetts, is not a real place.
The town and its name were made up for this episode.
These street scenes were filmed on the Warner Bros. back lot...
...in Burbank, California.
That's veteran actor Van Epperson as the Passerby.
The criminal is played by Jeff Johnson.
Johnson has appeared in the films The Postman, Contact and Citizen Ruth.
You can also catch him in episodes of Diagnosis Murder...
...Pacific Blue and Roswell.
Finally, the very funny comedian John Pinette is featured here...
...as Howie, the mugging victim.
Pinette played Coach Kohler...
...in multiple episodes of Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
Other TV appearances include roles in ALF, Vinnie and Bobby...
...and Life's Work.
He's also appeared in such films as The Punisher, Junior and My 5 Wives.
Actor Scott Jaeck was cast in the role of Officer Vogel.
Jaeck has a long list of TV credits...
...including recurring roles on Prison Break, China Beach...
...Beverly Hills, 90210, Charmed, NYPD Blue and ER.
If you enjoy a willing suspension of disbelief...
...turn off the notes feature now.
There is an actual Good Samaritan Law...
...enforced in the state of Massachusetts.
But the maximum penalty is a fine ranging from 500 to 2500 dollars.
No jail time is served.
Samaritans are an Israeli tribe that dates back to ancient times.
The tribe is probably famous today thanks to a popular parable...
...in the Bible that extols the virtues of compassion as personified...
...by a Samaritan passerby.
In the story, a man is attacked and left to die by the side of a road.
Though two priests see the victim, they do not stop.
A Samaritan comes to the man's rescue, treating his wounds...
...and bringing him to safety.
Scott Klace appears in this scene as the guard.
Look for Klace in select episodes of Dirt, Star Trek: Voyager...
...The District, Angel, Judging Amy, The West Wing...
...and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Jackie's diatribe about cheese is similar to one he gave Kramer...
...about a Chinese balm back in the seventh-season episode...
...in which he debuted, "The Maestro."
Shortly after Seinfeld ended its nine-year run...
...there was talk of Phil Morris returning to the role...
...of Jackie Chiles for a spin-off series.
After several attempts, the series regrettably never got off the ground.
Assistant DA O'Neal is played by Gay Thomas.
Look for her in episodes of such series as the original Battlestar Galactica...
...Freddy's Nightmares, The Pretender, Cracker...
...The Sopranos and Nip/Tuck.
That's Seinfeld producer Tim Kaiser...
...sitting opposite the main lawyer in this scene.
That main lawyer, DA Hoyt, is being performed by veteran actor...
...James Rebhorn.
Rebhorn works almost exclusively in feature films, with prominent roles...
...in Scent of a Woman, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Game...
...I Love Trouble, Carlito's Way, Guarding Tess and many, many more.
On TV, he's also guest-starred on Wiseguy, Third Watch...
...Law & Order and The Book of Daniel.
Another bit of reality to be checked is the fact that it's unlikely...
...Jerry would still be allowed to keep his beeper while held in a prison cell.
TV journalist and investigative reporter Geraldo Rivera...
...first gained national attention as a correspondent for ABC News.
Geraldo Rivera's work on the primetime news show 20/20...
...made him a household name.
He went on to host an infamous live event...
...uncovering the mystery of Al Capone's vaults.
At the 1986 opening of the gangster's long-lost vaults...
...Geraldo found very little of interest.
But he was a good sport during his time at Seinfeld...
...agreeing to take off his news hat...
...and not give away the scoop of the year, namely this episode's plot.
Jane Wells continues to be involved with CNBC...
...through her own "Funny Business" blog on the station's website.
Geraldo's marriage reference is a subtle dig...
...at the sentimental Seinfeld fans who speculated that the finale...
...would involve a marriage between Jerry and Elaine.
Jerry's love of cereal was established in the very first episode...
...as he snacked on some on his couch after midnight.
For more on Frank Costanza's experiences in Korea...
...check out the sixth-season episode "The Understudy"...
...or "The Fatigues" from season eight.
That's Seinfeld production coordinator J.T. Krul...
...knocking on Steinbrenner's door and carrying away his luggage.
The body of Steinbrenner is played by the one and only Lee Bear.
Easy-listening-music legend Perry Como (1912-2001 )...
...signed with RCA in 1943.
The crooner's number one hits include "Hot Diggity"...
..."Some Enchanted Evening" and "Catch a Falling Star."
Como's television success stemmed from a hugely popular...
...CBS variety show that ran throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.
Jackie's assistant Susie is played by Wendle Josepher.
Josepher is featured in the movies Twister, EdTV...
...and Intolerable Cruelty.
You might have also seen her in episodes of Ellen, Melrose Place...
...Party of Five, George & Leo, Alias and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Please rise for Geoffrey C. Ewing as the Bailiff.
Ewing has worked as a regular on such soap operas...
...as Loving and The Guiding Light.
You may also see him in episodes of Ed, Spin City, Law & Order...
...and Law & Order: SVU.
The name Vandelay first appeared on Seinfeld...
...in the first-season episode "The Stake Out."
The name has since become inextricably linked to the series.
But if you're looking for the most notable Vandelay moment...
...we recommend checking out "The Boyfriend"...
...the two-part episode from season three.
The jury is made up of still more friends of the show...
...including writers Spike Feresten, Steve Koren and Darin Henry.
Also, you can see Jason Alexander's wife, Daena...
...seated at the end of the front row of the jury box.
Judge Vandelay is none other than actor Stanley Anderson.
Another Seinfeld crew member, Jim Marcos...
...is in the back of the courtroom.
You can see Anderson on the big screen in Legally Blonde 2...
...Spider-Man, The Rock, City Hall, Canadian Bacon and Robocop 3.
We can also spot Jerry's stand-in for most of Seinfeld's nine seasons...
...Deck McKenzie.
Mabel Choate's first appearance was in "The Rye"...
...which originally aired on January 4th, 1996.
She returned to plague the Seinfelds a few weeks later in "The Cadillac."
Marla Penny was originally seen in Seinfeld...
...during season four in "The Virgin" and "The Contest."
She also made a cameo appearance in "The Pilot."
Jane Leeves (Marla) went on to star in the popular Cheers spinoff, Frasier.
Donald Sanger also made a brief appearance in "The Pilot"...
...but it's his first appearance, in "The Bubble Boy"...
...that most fans remember.
He's voiced by comedian and writer John Hayman.
October 7th, 1992, was the original airdate of "The Bubble Boy."
The fourth season is again represented in this trial.
The wheelchair incident happened...
...back in "The Handicap Spot" that season.
Donna Evans plays the woman in the wheelchair.
Don't worry about her safety in this flashback scene.
Evans is an experienced stuntwoman...
...with credits on such films as Total Recall, Universal Soldier...
...Miss Congeniality and Charlie's Angels.
Dr. Wexler is played by Victor Raider-Wexler.
The actor became so associated with his role...
...that the writers changed the character's name...
...from Dr. Siegel to Dr. Wexler.
He previously appeared in "The Junior Mint"...
..."The Summer of George"...
...and "The Invitations," which first aired on May 16th, 1996.
WHERE'S NORMAN?: There's Michael Richards' stand-in...
...Norman Brenner, standing behind the Rosses in this shot.
Teri Hatcher originated the role of Sidra back in season four (again!)...
...in "The Implant."
Hatcher has gone on to star in two popular ABC series...
...Lois & Clark and Desperate Housewives.
Bookman the library cop made his first and, until now, only appearance...
...in the season three episode "The Library."
You probably recognize Robin from season five's "The Fire."
She's played by Melanie Chartoff...
...who starred alongside Larry David and Michael Richards...
...in the early-'80s ABC variety show Fridays.
There's no such place as the Garden Valley Shopping Mall...
...but Jerry's apartment is located...
...about 20 miles from the Jersey Gardens Mall...
...in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
David Dunard reprises his role as the security guard.
Jerry and George's encounter with the mall cops...
...is chronicled in the third season's classic episode "The Parking Garage"...
...available in Volume 2 of Seinfeld on DVD.
James Pickens Jr. (Detective Hudson)...
...has a long list of TV and film credits...
...including roles in Grey's Anatomy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Philly...
...The Practice, Roseanne, RocketMan, Traffic and The X-Files.
You're seeing a flashback to the season seven episode...
..."The Wig Master."
Leslie the low talker...
...first mumbled in the fifth-season classic "The Puffy Shirt."
George Steinbrenner is voiced by the writer of this very episode...
...Larry David.
See "The Opposite," "The Calzone" and "The Race"...
...for a few of his more notable appearances.
During Hideki Irabu's brief, stormy tenure with the Yankees™...
...the pitcher received two World Series rings.
Marcelino first appeared in "The Little Jerry"...
...back in season eight.
David Byrd played the pharmacist just once before...
...in "The Sponge," back in season seven.
Tony Carlin is reprising his role as Fred the Religious Guy...
...from season four's "The Pick."
The full scoop on Mr. Pitt's painful dismissal of Elaine...
...can be found in "The Diplomat's Club" from season six.
Yev Kassem's Soup Nazi first appeared, appropriately enough...
...in "The Soup Nazi," also in season seven.
Following their defeat in World War II...
...many German Nazis found safe haven from justice...
...by moving to the South American country of Argentina.
Babu Bhatt's previous two experiences with Jerry...
...were part of events in "The Cafe" and "The Visa"...
...from seasons three and four, respectively.
He promised to exact vengeance at the end of "The Visa"...
...and many fans had been awaiting his return ever since.
Babu's return was one of the few things accurately predicted by fans...
...as they guessed what would happen in "The Finale."
In all fairness...
...Babu's restaurant was not doing well prior to Jerry's suggestion.
In fact, his Dream Cafe was performing quite poorly.
Furthermore, the mix-up with Babu's visa was not malicious...
...so his arguments, though convincing...
...are not entirely accurate.
Rivera Live aired on NBC's cable channel...
...from 1993 to 2001.
Though enough material was filmed to make up three episodes...
...it was decided that shorter would be better.
Since it originally aired in a 75-minute time slot...
...a sizable chunk of material had to be cut...
...prior to its addition into the syndication package.
As a result, this DVD marks the first time...
..."The Finale" can be seen in its original form...
...since it was repeated on NBC in the summer of 1998.
TV Jerry's experience in prison...
...became fodder for comedy on October 2nd, 1999.
That night, the real Jerry appeared in a hilarious parody...
...of HBO's® prison drama Oz...
...while guest-hosting Saturday Night Live.
Some litigious fans have noted...
...that the interaction shown in this scene...
...between a defense attorney...
...and one of the prosecution's star witnesses...
...may be grounds for a mistrial.
United Airlines originated in 1926.
As of 2007, it is the second-largest airline in the world.
An alternate ending was filmed...
...showing the cast being acquitted of their crimes.
This countermeasure aimed to throw the suspicious off-kilter.
The ending can be found in an Easter egg...
...hidden elsewhere in this DVD set, so we suggest you start hunting.
"Real and spectacular" is a reference to Sidra's last line...
...in the previously mentioned episode "The Implant."
The Broadway musical Bye Bye, Birdie was first staged in 1960.
Seinfeld's own Jason Alexander...
...starred in a 1995 TV-movie version on NBC.
First staged in 1956, My Fair Lady is a popular Broadway musical...
...based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion.
In the musical...
...Professor Henry Higgins wagers that he can turn Eliza Doolittle...
...a low-class cockney girl into a well-spoken lady.
Thirty-three sets were built for this episode.
Filming took place on three sound stages...
...along with several outside locations off the lot.
"The Finale" premiered on NBC...
...at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 14th, 1998.
An estimated 76 million people tuned in...
...to discover the fate of the New York Four...
...making it the third-most-watched sitcom finale in history...
...following only M*A*S*H and Cheers.
NBC's ratings for "The Finale" were 41 .3...
...with a whopping 58 audience share.
This scene's shirt-button dialogue...
...is actually a reprisal of the very first exchange of dialogue...
...shared by Jerry and George in the very first episode...
..."The Seinfeld Chronicles" pilot.
If you don't believe us, then see it for yourself...
...by picking up Volume 1 of Seinfeld on DVD.
Kramer and Elaine weren't there, though.
At that point in the series...
...the Kramer character was still written as an agoraphobic...
...who was afraid to leave his apartment building.
Elaine wasn't even cast until episode two.
After reviewing an initial cut of "The Finale"...
...Jerry and Larry decided that the jail-cell scene...
...was ending the series on the wrong note.
As a result, this scene was written...
...and staged a few days after the Seinfeld wrap party.
And there's Larry David playing yet another character on Seinfeld.
This time, he's the heckler who shouts...
..."Grand theft auto" and "You suck!"
Jon Hayman has the distinction of playing two roles in this final episode.
He was the voice of the bubble boy.
And now he's the prison guard who escorts Jerry off the stage.
And that's it from us. Bye.