Similarities & Differences between REAL Seinfeld & REEL Seinfeld

[stevearino]

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to offer a discussion on the many differences and similarities of the REAL Jerry Seinfeld & the REEL Jerry Seinfeld, the person AND the sitcom character portrayed on TV for 8 successful seasons by Jerry Seinfeld.

To start off: when Larry David created "Seinfeld" in 1988, originally for the FOX Television Network under the working title "Stand Up" (which FOX soon after passed over on the project, leaving NBC to pick up the series' concept and have a Pilot filmed in Spring 1989 at Desilu Studios in Los Angeles, California, initially renaming the show "The Seinfeld Chronicles" before shortening the title to "Seinfeld" upon NBC picking up the show as a regular series in Summer 1990), Jerry Seinfeld was a VERY successful stand-up comedian and had been for several years, whereas on the sitcom "Seinfeld" Jerry Seinfeld, the character, was only a locally successful comedian.

According to his A&E Biography, Jerry Seinfeld's given first name is Gerard, whereas on "Seinfeld," Jerry Seinfeld's given first name is Jerome (as revealed in Season 2's "Seinfeld" episode "The Truth," Directed by David Steinberg).

At the start of Season 3 in the hour-long episode "The Trip" (split into 2 half-hour episodes on August 12, 1992 and August 19, 1992 on NBC and later in rerun syndication), REEL Seinfeld taped a fictional episode of NBC's "Tonight Show," where he performed his stand-up comedy routine--and BOMBED; REAL Seinfeld, however, was much more successful when he appeared in real life in 1981 on NBC's "Tonight Show" when Johnny Carson was "King of Late Night."

After the episode, despite bombing on "The Tonight Show," REEL Seinfeld appeared via such New York City-filmed National Exposure during Season 4 on "The Today Show" via Season 4's "The Puffy Shirt" episode, which featured a cameo appearance by Bryant Gumbel as himself (Al Roker would likewise later appear during this season in a later Season 4 episode in a cameo as himself).

In the hour-long "Seinfeld" finale, Jerry's fictional show-within-a-show Pilot, aptly called "Jerry," was picked up by NBC for a 13-week Series Commitment, with George, Jerry, Elaine & Kramer deciding to fly on a plane to Paris, France, with accommodations by NBC; however, en route to Paris, the flight made an Emergency landing to rural Latham, Massachusetts where they all witnessed a Robbery, during which they did nothing to stop it, culminating in their arrest on Criminal Indifference charges and sentence to a year in Latham Prison.

Whereas it'd be less than a year before NBC picked up "Seinfeld" to series, in REEL life, NBC picked up "Jerry" a whopping FIVE years after the Pilot filmed.

Like REEL Seinfeld, REAL Seinfeld was, at first, a life-long Bachelor when "Seinfeld" began its 8-season NBC run, eventually having a 4-year relationship during this time with Shoshanna Lonstein, an 18-year-old College Student; after their relationship fell apart, Jerry, shortly after retiring "Seinfeld," met and fell in love with Jessica Sklar (real name: Nina Sklar), whom Jerry eventually married and became, with Jessica of course, the proud parent of 3 teenage children: 2 sons, Shepherd & Julian, and a daughter, Sascha.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this Discussion on the Similarities between REAL Seinfeld & REEL Seinfeld, and thanks for reading in advance. God Bless!