In 1980, Seinfeld landed a role on Benson, but was fired after a couple of episodes. He returned to stand-up and caught his big break a year later when he made his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Countless of other appearances on chat shows like Late Night with David Letterman soon followed. As the comedian gained notoriety in the late '80s, he was able to land his first TV comedy special on HBO called Jerry Seinfeld's Stand-up Confidential. In 1990, NBC executives wanted Seinfeld to star in his own sitcom with fellow stand-up Larry David. Seinfeld pitched his idea about a show of "nothing," which had provided the fodder for his stage routine. NBC executives were not persuaded by Seinfeld's idea and agreed to produce only four episodes.
The Seinfeld Chronicles debut in 1991, but soon changed to Seinfeld in its second episode onward. The series gradually gained momentum and NBC decided to order six more episodes, followed by 13 more shows in its third year. The show was considered to have the greatest supporting cast in TV history, featuring Jason Alexander (the neurotic George, inspired by Larry David), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (the harsh Elaine), and Michael Richards (the crazy next door neighbor Kramer). Seinfeld emerged as a cult hit and became the most acclaimed series on the air. Part of the show's charm was that it broke new ground by being absurd, but remained grounded in contemporary life. Although the characters were self-absorbed and perverted, millions of Americans found them interesting and engaging.
By 1993, the cast of Seinfeld were a media sensation. The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. During that same year Jerry also wrote a best-selling book called Seinlanguage. The show remained the highest-rated series throughout the '90s, but Jerry decided to end the sitcom in 1998 despite being offered $5 million per episode for another 22- episode season. The comedian concluded his series in May with the finale, which was among the most watched events in TV history. He also announced his intentions to retire his old stand-up material with a world tour on Broadway. Jerry turned his Broadway act into his first ever comedy album, I'm Telling You for the Last Time.
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