Seinfeld season 4

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Seinfeld
Season 4
Seinfeld4.jpg
DVD cover
No. of episodes24
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseAugust 12, 1992 (1992-08-12) –
May 20, 1993 (1993-05-20)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 3
Next →
Season 5
List of episodes

The fourth season of Seinfeld , an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on August 12, 1992, and concluded on May 20, 1993, on NBC.

Production

Seinfeld was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and aired on NBC in the United States. The executive producers were Larry David, George Shapiro, and Howard West with Tom Gammill and Max Pross as supervising producers. Bruce Kirschbaum was the executive consultant. [1] This season was directed by Tom Cherones and was largely written by Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry Charles, Peter Mehlman and Andy Robin.

The series was set predominantly in an apartment block on New York City's Upper West Side; however, the fourth season was shot and filmed predominantly in CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. [2] The show features Jerry Seinfeld as himself, and a host of Jerry's friends and acquaintances, which include George Costanza, Elaine Benes, and Kramer, portrayed by Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards, respectively. [3]

Story arcs

This season had numerous story arcs. The two part season premiere involved Jerry and George going to LA to find Kramer after he moved there at the end of the third season. The main story arc that spanned the rest of the season involved Jerry and George trying to make a TV pilot for NBC, during which George has a relationship with NBC executive Susan Ross and Jerry is stalked by a mentally disturbed human named Joe Davola.

Reception

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 9/10, based on 13 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The show about nothing tries on an overarching plot for a change and yields a riotous satire on television in the process, further solidifying its claim as master of the sitcom domain with observant humor mined from the mundane and uncomfortable." [4] TV Guide named it #1 on their list of the greatest TV seasons.[ citation needed ] Jamie Malanowski of Time named it the best season of the series saying "A mix of high and low, of the self-referential and the hip, of things underfoot and out of left field." [5]

Nielsen ratings

Season four was ranked No. 25 according to the Nielsen ratings system, with 12,754,700 estimated audience. [6]

Awards and nominations

Season four received eleven Emmy nominations, three of which were won. The show won its first and only Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. Larry David won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode "The Contest". Michael Richards won his first out of three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Jerry Seinfeld was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Jason Alexander was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Tom Cherones was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for "The Contest". Larry Charles was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. Other nominees were Outstanding Achievement in Editing for a Comedy Series for "The Airport". Jason Alexander was nominated in the Golden Globe Award in the category for Best Performance by a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture for TV. This season won a Directors Guild of America (Tom Cherones) for "The Contest", and a Writers Guild of America (Larry David) for "The Contest".

Crossover

In the seventh episode of the first season of Mad About You , which aired on November 11, 1992, Kramer sublets his apartment from Paul Buchman (the main character of Mad About You). When Paul asks about Jerry, Kramer tells him about the NBC show.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date  [7] Prod.
code  [8] 		US viewers
(millions)
411"The Trip" Tom Cherones Larry Charles August 12, 1992 (1992-08-12)40116.3 [9]
422August 19, 1992 (1992-08-19)40215.1 [10]

In Los Angeles, Kramer struggles to get acting work, while shopping his own spec script. Jerry has been invited on The Tonight Show , and invites George along to look for Kramer in L.A. George asks the hotel housekeeper to not tuck in his blanket, while Jerry blames her for throwing away his newly written jokes. Kramer is oblivious that he has been identified as a serial killer on the news, even as police close in. Jerry and George ride along with some policemen to clear Kramer's name at the station.

Absent: Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes
433"The Pitch"Tom Cherones Larry David September 16, 1992 (1992-09-16)40317.6 [11]
NBC executives invite Jerry to pitch a TV show starring himself. George appoints himself as writer, conceiving a "show about nothing" based on themselves, with no story. Kramer knowingly trades a broken radar detector to Newman, which gets him pulled over for speeding. At NBC, Jerry draws the ire of writer "Crazy" Joe Davola upon Kramer and himself. George's pretension as an inspired writer sabotages the pitch, but he thinks he has a chance romantically with Susan Ross, one of the executives. Elaine's romantic Europe trip with her psychiatrist, Dr. Reston, is derailed when his mind drifts to Davola's psychiatric treatment.
444"The Ticket"Tom CheronesLarry DavidSeptember 16, 1992 (1992-09-16)40417.6 [11]
Kramer shows signs of brain damage after surviving an attack from Davola, but has no chance to see a doctor before Newman drags Kramer off to traffic court to back up his excuse for speeding. Jerry becomes paranoid that Davola plans to get him next. Susan miraculously supports Jerry and George's pitch and gets them a pilot order, even after Kramer threw up Jerry's expired milk on her, but George cannot stop comparing their deal to Ted Danson's income. Jerry throws away a watch gifted from his parents, but Uncle Leo fishes it out of the trash and keeps it. Kramer testifies in court that he was suicidal over a lifelong failure to become a banker.
455"The Wallet"Tom CheronesLarry DavidSeptember 23, 1992 (1992-09-23)40517.6 [12]
Jerry's parents visit to see a doctor for Morty's back pain, and Jerry concocts an untenable excuse for his watch being missing all week. George bluffs turning down NBC's deal to hold out for more money, appalling Jerry since they have nothing of merit to begin with. Susan's father gives George Cuban cigars, but George foists them off on Kramer. At the back clinic, Morty cannot find his wallet, and accuses the doctor of swindling him. Elaine returns from Europe, finding herself trapped in her relationship by Reston's manipulations.
466"The Watch"Tom CheronesLarry DavidSeptember 30, 1992 (1992-09-30)40615.2 [13]
Uncle Leo wears Jerry's watch to dinner with Jerry and his parents, and Jerry demands to buy the watch back to allay suspicion. Helen pressures Jerry to ask out Naomi, the restaurant hostess, and he discovers too late that she has a cartoonish laugh. George's bluff is called when NBC president Russell Dalrymple rescinds the pilot offer, so George forces himself into Dalrymple's home at dinnertime to appeal his case. Kramer poses as Elaine's boyfriend and tries to intimidate Reston, but Reston beguiles Kramer into doing his bidding. Elaine falls for Davola, not knowing that he is getting psychiatric treatment.
477"The Bubble Boy"Tom CheronesLarry David & Larry CharlesOctober 7, 1992 (1992-10-07)40717.1 [14]
Susan invites George and Jerry to her father's cabin upstate for the weekend, but Naomi discovers Jerry's mockery of her laugh and drops out. Jerry becomes obliged to make a stop to visit a young fan, an immunodeficient "bubble boy", for his birthday. George races ahead to gratuitously "make good time", leaving Jerry and Elaine behind without directions. Jerry donates a signed photo to a diner, then tries to take it back. Susan and George are forced to keep the ill-mannered bubble boy company. Kramer's weekend golfing at a country club is preempted, so he heads to the cabin unannounced with Naomi.
488"The Cheever Letters"Tom CheronesStory by : Larry David and Elaine Pope & Tom Leopold
Teleplay by : Larry David		October 28, 1992 (1992-10-28)40815.1 [15]
Susan and George confess that Kramer burned down Susan's father's cabin with one of the very cigars he gave George. Jerry complains that Elaine's receptionist, Sandra, is too chatty, but then must make nice to stop her quitting. They end up on an amorous date, but Jerry scares Sandra off by awkwardly reciprocating her dirty talk, and must stop this gossip getting back to Elaine. Kramer illicitly bargains with Cuban diplomats for more cigars to buy into the country club. Jerry and George hunker down to write their sitcom pilot, fruitlessly. A trove of love letters from novelist John Cheever to Susan's father is salvaged from the fire.
499"The Opera"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesNovember 4, 1992 (1992-11-04)40916.7 [16]
Kramer secures opening night opera tickets to Pagliacci for the group, but the threat of "Crazy" Joe Davola looms for both Jerry and Elaine: Davola threatens to "put the kibosh" on Jerry over the phone, and Elaine, discovering Davola's obsessive shrine to her, draws his wrath by calling off their opera plans. Kramer and George decide to scalp two leftover tickets, leaving Jerry and Elaine stuck outside the theater as Davola stalks them in full clown costume. George, whose only opera attire is a too-small tuxedo, is caught scalping by a man who once threw him out of a wedding. Susan changes plans and joins him just as he sells her unused ticket.
5010"The Virgin"Tom CheronesStory by : Peter Mehlman and Peter Farrelly & Bob Farrelly
Teleplay by : Peter Mehlman		November 11, 1992 (1992-11-11)41016.2 [17]
George realizes that he could use his job writing for NBC to meet women other than Susan, but he would not have this job without Susan on their side at NBC. Jerry starts dating Marla (Jane Leeves), who confides that she is a virgin, and Elaine takes it upon herself to educate Marla about sex. Needing an idea to present to NBC, Jerry and George's last-ditch writing session is derailed when Elaine causes Ping the delivery boy to crash his bike while bringing their food. Kramer has given his TV to George, but now freeloads off Jerry's TV instead. George gets Susan fired by kissing her during the NBC meeting.
5111"The Contest"Tom CheronesLarry DavidNovember 18, 1992 (1992-11-18)41118.5 [18]

George is caught masturbating by his mother, who throws her back out and gets hospitalized. The shameful ordeal makes George swear off masturbation, but, seeing the group's disbelief, he starts a wager to test who can hold out the longest. Kramer gives in at first opportunity, leaving everyone else tempted by powerful sexual fantasies: a naked woman across the street appears in Jerry's window while Marla is reluctant to lose her virginity to him, George starts ogling the silhouette of a woman receiving sponge baths in his mother's hospital room, and John F. Kennedy Jr. comes on to Elaine at aerobics class.

In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode as the greatest episode of any television show. [19]
5212"The Airport"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesNovember 25, 1992 (1992-11-25)41214.5 [20]
Jerry and Elaine, flying back to New York, are rebooked on a flight which splits them up between first class and coach. Jerry unapologetically relegates Elaine to coach, where she suffers numerous indignities while Jerry and a glamorous model flirtatiously indulge in the luxuries of first class. As George and Kramer bounce between airports to pick them up, George taunts a convict being transported and restrained by police. Kramer fingers a passerby as a former roommate, and boards the man's flight to collect a debt from 20 years ago. Elaine's luggage is redirected after she accuses a skycap of ripping her off.
5313"The Pick"Tom CheronesStory by : Larry David and Marc Jaffe
Teleplay by : Larry David		December 16, 1992 (1992-12-16)41316.2 [21]
Before George hastily reconciles with Susan, Jerry and Elaine remind him of his many misgivings and send him to Elaine's therapist Dana, but George and Dana both become fixated on his stuck zipper. Elaine sends a Christmas card, customized with Kramer's photography of herself, to nearly everyone she knows, but discovers too late that the photo exposed a nipple. Jerry is dating Tia, the model he met in first class, but she is repelled after seeing him seemingly picking his nose. Kramer discovers Calvin Klein's new beach-scented perfume, and confronts Calvin Klein himself for stealing his rejected pitch from last season.
5414"The Movie"Tom Cherones Steve Skrovan & Bill Masters & Jon HaymanJanuary 6, 1993 (1993-01-06)41517.6 [22]
Jerry must inform the others that he can't make the movie CheckMate with them, then get back to the comedy club in time for his set, but gets accosted by Pat Buckles, a small-time comedian wanting to rub elbows. George waits in the wrong line and fails to get tickets, so everyone goes to another theater. With Elaine forced to save too many seats at once, George running in and out while losing his ticket stubs, Kramer ravenously craving a hot dog while waiting for Jerry, and Jerry not knowing everyone left, they all miss each other and lose their seats. One by one, they end up seeing Rochelle, Rochelle, an erotic film.
5515"The Visa"Tom CheronesPeter MehlmanJanuary 27, 1993 (1993-01-27)414N/A
George impresses Cheryl, a lawyer, with his jokes, and demands that Jerry stop being funny in front of Cheryl. Jerry has set up Babu Bhatt with a job and apartment to make up for driving him out of business last season, but Babu is arrested for overstaying his visa after his renewal application is mixed up in Jerry's mail, which Elaine picked up, then sat on. Cheryl agrees to help extricate Babu, and also dismisses Ping's lawsuit against Elaine, but becomes attracted to Jerry's affectation of total despondency. Kramer is away at fantasy baseball camp, where he incites a bench-clearing brawl and knocks out Mickey Mantle.
5616"The Shoes"Tom CheronesLarry David & Jerry Seinfeld February 4, 1993 (1993-02-04)41726.9 [23]
Jerry and George leave Elaine out of their pilot script. Kramer snubs Jerry's ex-girlfriend, Gail, but hooks up with her instead when his snub inadvertently becomes negging. Gail backhandedly compliments Elaine's shoes from a high-end store, sparking a feud. At the power lunch restaurant where Gail works, Elaine passes stomach flu to Dalrymple just before his meeting with Jerry and George. While Dalrymple throws up in agony, his teenage daughter arrives and George is caught peeking at her cleavage. The pilot is canceled again, and Jerry and George play Elaine and Gail off each other in enlisting their help.
5717"The Outing"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesFebruary 11, 1993 (1993-02-11)41628.0 [24]
Elaine addresses Jerry and George as a closeted gay couple as a prank when she notices an eavesdropper, not knowing this is Sharon (Paula Marshall), a journalism student who is interviewing Jerry for an article. Sharon develops a gay angle for her story, which is backed up when she sees Jerry and George bicker like an old married couple. Kramer's birthday gift of a defective two-line phone causes Jerry to dig himself deeper with Sharon. Major newspapers pick up the story, forcing Jerry and George to confront their shocked parents. Despite everyone's protestations, they all concur "not that there's anything wrong with that".
5818"The Old Man"Tom CheronesStory by : Bruce Kirschbaum
Teleplay by : Larry Charles		February 18, 1993 (1993-02-18)41822.7 [25]
Elaine convinces George and Jerry that volunteering to visit the elderly will bring fulfillment, but Jerry is assigned to an antagonistic old man. Kramer and Newman start a side hustle to haul away obsolete vinyl records to resell, but Jerry's kitschy records are not worth selling. Kramer and Newman plunder the old man's unwanted record collection, but accidentally destroy his false teeth. George meets the old man's live-in caretaker from Senegal, believing that women who do not speak English are his last hope. Elaine visits an old lady, but cannot bear the sight of the enormous goiter on her neck.
5919"The Implant"Tom CheronesPeter MehlmanFebruary 25, 1993 (1993-02-25)41927.4 [26]
Jerry dumps his new girlfriend Sidra (Teri Hatcher) when Elaine declares her breasts to be implants. Elaine reassesses after accidentally grabbing Sidra's breasts in their health club sauna, to Jerry's anguish. After failing to put the moves on his girlfriend Betsy, George goes along to her aunt's funeral in Detroit to be recognized as her boyfriend. Kramer has George falsely claim a bereavement discount to earn miles for his own Puerto Rico trip, but George must get a death certificate as proof. Kramer insists he spotted Salman Rushdie at the health club, and George thoughtlessly double-dips a chip while paying his respects.
6020"The Junior Mint"Tom Cherones Andy Robin March 18, 1993 (1993-03-18)42126.4 [27]
Jerry starts dating a woman whose name he cannot remember (Susan Walters), and intends to find out without asking. Elaine reconnects with Roy, a starving artist ex-boyfriend, who is now slim and desirable after losing weight from heartbreak over her. With Roy hospitalized for a splenectomy, Kramer drags Jerry along to watch the surgery, but Jerry fights off a Junior Mint he offers, sending it flying into Roy's body unnoticed. George spends a small windfall from a bank account to speculate on Roy's death by buying his art. Jerry's roundabout efforts reveal only that the mystery woman's name rhymes with an unknown female body part.
6121"The Smelly Car"Tom CheronesLarry David & Peter MehlmanApril 15, 1993 (1993-04-15)42225.0 [28]
Jerry gets his car back from a restaurant valet, but powerful body odor has taken root in the car. The smell clings to Elaine, repelling her boyfriend. Susan, after breaking up with George, has become a lesbian, and George believes that this was about him. Jerry cleverly gets the restaurant maître d' (Michael Des Barres) to reimburse him, but the smell endures even after Jerry and Elaine get professional cleaning. George keeps a video rental for Rochelle, Rochelle an extra day to avoid a rewind fee, but the video gets stolen. Kramer steals away Susan's girlfriend, even though she was a lifelong lesbian.
6222"The Handicap Spot"Tom CheronesLarry DavidMay 13, 1993 (1993-05-13)42027.6 [29]
Everyone pools money to buy an engagement gift for beloved mutual friend "the Drake". George borrows his father Frank's car to drive them to a mall, and Kramer convinces him to park in a handicap spot. This causes a wheelchair accident for a disabled woman, and an angry mob destroys the car. The engagement is called off, foiling everyone's plan to enjoy the big screen TV they gifted. Kramer falls in love with the disabled woman, and ropes George into buying her a new wheelchair together. George gives his parents an excuse for the totaled car, but Frank, a hard-working fundraiser for the disabled, is arrested for parking in a handicap spot.
6323"The Pilot"Tom CheronesLarry DavidMay 20, 1993 (1993-05-20)42332.8 [30]
6424424
NBC is set to produce the pilot for Jerry and George's sitcom, Jerry. After only one date, Dalrymple has carried a torch for Elaine for two months, but she rejects him and he becomes increasingly erratic. George fears that his personal success will draw divine retribution, becoming paranoid over a medically inexplicable white discoloration on his upper lip. Kramer auditions to play himself, but gets diarrhea and becomes constipated from holding it in too long. Elaine reports Monk's, under new management, for employment discrimination because all the waitresses are well-endowed. The actors are cast, but "Elaine" gets into character through intimacy with Jerry, "Kramer" is hostile to unsolicited advice, and Jerry finds out that he cannot act. As taping begins, George cannot let go of whether "Kramer" stole a box of raisins from the audition, Dalrymple disappears, and "Crazy" Joe Davola continues to stalk Jerry. Nearly everyone who appeared in season 4 reacts to the pilot when it goes on air.

References

  1. ↑ "The Seinfeld Crew and Credits at Seinfeld Official Site". Sony Pictures. p. D3. Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
  2. ↑ "The Stock Tip episode at Seinfeld Official Site". Sony Pictures. p. D3. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Seinfeld and nihilism". December 3, 1999. p. D3. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Seinfeld: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Television: Forgetting Nothing". Time . January 12, 1998. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007.
  6. ↑ "TV Ratings: 1992–1993". ClassicTVHits.com. p. D3. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Seinfeld Episodes | TVGuide.com". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Seinfeld Prod. Codes for all seasons". epguide.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  9. ↑ Donlon, Brian (August 19, 1992). "Bush would rather not talk to Dan". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  10. ↑ "CBS shines with 'Malibu'". Life. USA Today . August 26, 1992. p. 3D.
  11. 1 2 Gable, Donna (September 23, 1992). "CBS wins with some old friends". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  12. ↑ Gable, Donna (September 30, 1992). "'Murphy' wave carries CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  13. ↑ Gable, Donna (October 7, 1992). "Monday lineup bolsters No. 1 CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  14. ↑ Donlon, Brian (October 14, 1992). "Rankings omit Perot' paid ad". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  15. ↑ Gable, Donna (November 4, 1992). "Politics, Halloween scare up an ABC win". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  16. ↑ Gable, Donna (November 11, 1992). "Election news, football kick up ABC's ratings". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  17. ↑ Gable, Donna (November 18, 1992). "'Jacksons,' solid gold for ABC". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  18. ↑ Gable, Donna (November 25, 1992). "Jacksons help as-easy-as-ABC win". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  19. ↑ "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  20. ↑ Gable, Donna (December 2, 1992). "'Weapon 2' serves CBS well". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  21. ↑ Donlon, Brian (December 23, 1992). "Early Christmas gift for CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  22. ↑ "Women help push CBS to victory". Life. USA Today . January 13, 1993. p. 3D.
  23. ↑ Gable, Donna (February 10, 1993). "CBS rides to top on wings of 'Skylark'". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  24. ↑ Gable, Donna (February 17, 1993). "King of Pop and 'Queen' rule the ratings". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  25. ↑ Donlon, Brian (February 24, 1993). "'Queen' rules in CBS' royal sweep". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  26. ↑ Gable, Donna (March 3, 1993). "Grammy show a winner for CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  27. ↑ Gable, Donna (March 24, 1993). "Waco standoff lifts CBS' '48 Hours'". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  28. ↑ Donlon, Brian (April 21, 1993). "New shows find their niches". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  29. ↑ Gable, Donna (May 19, 1993). "'Cheers' nudges NBC to No. 1". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
  30. ↑ Gable, Donna (May 26, 1993). "'Cheers' brings happy times to NBC". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
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