Tuesday, September 28, 2004
The 'show about nothing' became NBC's No. 1 show.
ZAP2IT.COM
NBC is hoping to add a little bit of nothing to America's Thanksgiving plate.
Coinciding with the first release of "Seinfeld" on DVD, the network will air a retrospective called "The 'Seinfeld' Story" on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 25. The one-hour special, hosted by namesake star Jerry Seinfeld, will feature clips and interviews with fellow cast members Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards.
"One of the elements that made 'Seinfeld' a classic comedy series was the incredible cast -- Jerry, Julia, Jason and Michael," says Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment. "This special will focus on the early days of 'Seinfeld' and how it all began when it was the darkest of dark horses and had to overcome many obstacles, including poor media reviews."
Rave reviews
Those bad reviews eventually became raves, as the "show about nothing" became one of the biggest hits of the 1990s and now resides in the sitcom pantheon.
In addition to the cast interviews, the special will also feature co-creator Larry David talking about how the show slowly built its following until it became NBC's No. 1 show.
The first three seasons of "Seinfeld" are scheduled to be released on DVD Nov. 23. Negotiations over whether Louis-Dreyfus, Alexander and Richards would contribute to the DVD extras held up production for a while; once they signed on -- for a percentage of profits -- the DVD sets were a go.
Sweeps period
In addition to reminding viewers of the DVD sets' availability the day before the biggest shopping day of the year, "The 'Seinfeld' Story" might also help NBC's ratings. In a change from recent years, Thanksgiving falls during the November sweeps period.