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Seinfeld season 4

Seinfeld
Season 4
DVD cover
No. of episodes24
Release
Original networkNBC
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

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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

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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

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Critical reception

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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

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

Awards and nominations

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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 Director's Guild of America (Tom Cherones) for "The Contest", and a Writer's Guild of America (Larry David) for "The Contest".

Crossover

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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

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See also: List of Seinfeld episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [7]Prod.
code [8]		US viewers
(millions)
411"The Trip"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesAugust 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 CheronesLarry DavidSeptember 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 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. Davola falls in love with Elaine, who knows nothing about him.
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 are salvaged from the fire.
499"The Opera"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesNovember 4, 1992 (1992-11-04)40916.7[16]
Elaine realizes her boyfriend is actually Crazy Joe Davola. George, Jerry, and Elaine then endure a night at the opera with a group of clowns. Kramer and George try to sell their two extra tickets, resulting in George not going to the opera, because he sold Susan's ticket to a Chinese man, and let Susan go to the opera instead of him. Kramer accidentally sells his spare ticket to Joe Davola.
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]
Jerry discovers the woman (guest star Jane Leeves) he is attracted to is a virgin. Kramer continues to harass Jerry and George when they are trying to write a teleplay for their NBC pilot. Elaine accidentally speaks of how a man was seducing her to have sex with her in front of Marla (the virgin). She later explains to her how men want to have sex with women. Susan breaks up with George because he accidentally got her fired by kissing her in front of her boss.
5111"The Contest"Tom CheronesLarry DavidNovember 18, 1992 (1992-11-18)41118.5[19]

After George is caught masturbating by his mother, the four main characters devise a contest to see who can go the longest without pleasuring themself. Marla, Jerry's girlfriend with whom he has yet to have sex, learns of the contest and is disgusted. Elaine meets John F. Kennedy Jr., and George's mother is hospitalized. Kramer was the first to leave the contest, next Elaine (George and Jerry didn't leave the contest and their fate is unknown).

In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode as the greatest episode of any television show.[18]
5212"The Airport"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesNovember 25, 1992 (1992-11-25)41214.5[20]
Jerry and Elaine experience the differences between traveling in first class and in coach. Jerry befriends a model while Elaine goes through economy class hell. George and Kramer travel to two different airports after a flight is rerouted. Kramer tries to get a guy who owes him 240 bucks from 20 years ago. George has an inflight run-in with a felon.
5313"The Pick"Tom CheronesStory by : Larry David and Marc Jaffe
Teleplay by : Larry David		December 16, 1992 (1992-12-16)41316.2[21]
Elaine mails a Christmas card that is unintentionally revealing. George is trying to get Susan back to be his girlfriend again, with the help of Elaine's psychiatrist. Jerry is seen ostensibly picking his nose by his new girlfriend, a model, and tries to convince her that he was only scratching around his nose. Kramer ends up appearing in a Calvin Klein underwear photoshoot.
5414"The Movie"Tom CheronesSteve Skrovan & Bill Masters & Jon HaymanJanuary 6, 1993 (1993-01-06)41517.6[22]
The four main characters continually miss each other as they try to attend a film together, and three of them wind up viewing the B-grade movie "Rochelle Rochelle". Jerry also ends up missing two of his performances due to starting time mixups.
5515"The Visa"Tom CheronesPeter MehlmanJanuary 27, 1993 (1993-01-27)414N/A
Kramer attends a baseball "fantasy" camp. Elaine manages to get George's new attorney girlfriend to convince her cousin Ping to drop a lawsuit against her. George wants Jerry to not act funny in front of his girlfriend because he's afraid she'll dump him. Jerry then acts solemnly around her, but she starts liking him anyway. Babu Bhatt's attempts to stop being deported are unsuccessful because his visa renewal paperwork ended up in Jerry's mailbox.
5616"The Shoes"Tom CheronesLarry David & Jerry SeinfeldFebruary 4, 1993 (1993-02-04)41726.9[23]
Elaine tries to get Jerry's ex-girlfriend to stop talking to everyone about her new shoes. She goes to a restaurant to confront her, but ends up sneezing on some food. Jerry and George have their television pilot shelved after each sneaks a look at the cleavage of the 15-year-old daughter of the now ill NBC executive; Elaine however dresses up to ameliorate the problem.
5717"The Outing"Tom CheronesLarry CharlesFebruary 11, 1993 (1993-02-11)41628.0[24]
It's Jerry's birthday soon and his friends are deciding on presents for him. Jerry and George, in a prank started by Elaine, are mistaken as a gay couple by a college newspaper reporter (Paula Marshall) and are publicly outed. They make matters worse in trying to fix the problem, and their parents end up hearing the news too.
5818"The Old Man"Tom CheronesStory by : Bruce Kirschbaum
Teleplay by : Larry Charles		February 18, 1993 (1993-02-18)41822.7[25]
Jerry, George, and Elaine volunteer to spend time enriching senior citizens' lives. All of them however have bad experiences: George is fired for being too argumentative; Jerry's is old and cranky but with a beautiful maid; and Elaine's (who had an affair with Gandhi) has a huge goiter. Meanwhile, Kramer and Newman collect old records to make money, but end up making nothing but trouble.
5919"The Implant"Tom CheronesPeter MehlmanFebruary 25, 1993 (1993-02-25)41927.4[26]
Jerry sends Elaine to find out if his new girlfriend's (guest star Teri Hatcher) breasts are natural. George decides to go to a funeral with his girlfriend, but trouble begins when he tries to get a copy of the death certificate, and then worse when he "double-dips" a cornchip at the wake. Elaine accidentally touches Sidra's breasts in the sauna, and informs Jerry that they're real. Jerry then asks Sidra over, but it all ends badly as they are interrupted by Kramer, who is off to Puerto Rico, and Elaine.
6020"The Junior Mint"Tom CheronesAndy RobinMarch 18, 1993 (1993-03-18)42126.4[27]
Jerry cannot remember the name of his new girlfriend (Susan Walters), and the only hint he has is that it rhymes with a part of the female anatomy. Elaine goes to the hospital to visit a former artist friend, and Kramer tags along looking for gloves. From the observation balcony Kramer accidentally drops a Junior Mints candy into the man's chest. George, with his school savings, then buys some of the man's paintings, hoping if he dies they'll become more valuable, but the man recovers. Jerry, unable to decipher her name, loses his new girlfriend.
6121"The Smelly Car"Tom CheronesLarry David & Peter MehlmanApril 15, 1993 (1993-04-15)42225.0[28]
After going to dinner with Elaine, a valet with offensive body odor stinks up Jerry's car and anyone who comes in contact with it. George, trying to return a copy of "Rochelle Rochelle", bumps into Susan at the video store, and believes he affected her becoming a lesbian. Matters become more complicated as Elaine's new boyfriend is turned off by the BO, Jerry is unable to purify the car's interior, George's video is stolen, and Kramer begins an affair with Susan's girlfriend. Michael Des Barres appears as the restaurateur.
6222"The Handicap Spot"Tom CheronesLarry DavidMay 13, 1993 (1993-05-13)42027.6[29]
While buying a television as an engagement gift for "The Drake", George parks his father Frank's car in a handicap parking spot; afterwards a disabled driver is injured and an angry mob destroys the car. When the wedding is called off, they try to get the television back, but the presents have been donated to charity. Later, Mr. Costanza is arrested for George's parking misdemeanor, and George becomes his butler since he is unable to repay the car damages. Kramer visits and falls in love with the handicapped woman, and convinces George to help buy her a replacement wheelchair; they get a cheap one, but the brakes are defective. Finally, while impersonating charity workers, George and Kramer are able to get the television back.
6323"The Pilot"Tom CheronesLarry DavidMay 20, 1993 (1993-05-20)42332.8[30]
6424424
Jerry and George begin casting for their pilot, Jerry, which is finally ready. George is upset over the casting of his alter ego. NBC executive Russell Dalrymple becomes obsessed with Elaine, who files a complaint when she concludes that Monk's is hiring only large-breasted women. Jerry and George prepare for the taping of Jerry and each of the principal four gives tips to his/her television alter ego. Joe Davola makes one final attempt on Jerry's life during production, but is foiled. Elaine wears a disguise to hide from Dalrymple and finds out that the large-breasted women are the owner's daughters. The show Jerry is rejected right after the pilot airs because the new NBC president doesn't like it. Jerry and George blame it on Elaine because of her dumping Dalrymple, who has run away to save whales.

References

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  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. ^ a b 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. ^ "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  19. ^ Gable, Donna (November 25, 1992). "Jacksons help as-easy-as-ABC win". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  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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