‘Seinfeld’ on Neflix: Iconic Sitcom Is Now Streaming

Seinfeld has officially joined the Netflix catalog, and binge-watches are underway all over the world. The iconic sitcom has 180 episodes to explore, and it’s easier than ever now that they are all at your fingertips on one of the most ubiquitous streaming services out there. Even Netflix has gloated about the acquisition a bit in its press release last month.

Netflix announced in September that it would be streaming “2021’s hottest new show,” referring to the trend-setting Seinfeld as an up-and-comer in the comedy world. Netflix’ co-CEO Ted Sarandos included a statement saying: “I truly think he and Mr. David have enormous futures ahead of them and I’m thrilled Netflix could be the home for” Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David “to grow their fanbases,” and the release referred to them as “rising stars.” This is the first time every season of Seinfeld has been available to stream in one place, meaning it may now join the ranks of other nostalgic shows with a Netflix resurgence. 

Even Seinfeld himself played along in the announcement, jokingly thanking Netflix “for taking this chance on us,” and calling his beloved show a “crazy project.” He added: “I didn’t realize we made so many of them.”

Seinfeld premiered in July of 1989 on NBC, and ran until May of 1998 with 9 seasons in total. The show was created by Seinfeld and David, and starred Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself — a stand-up comedian living and working in New York City while trying to find balance in his personal life.

The other stars of the show were Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, Jason Alexander as George Costanza and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer. All four live in New York’s Upper West Side in the show, and much of it takes place in their apartments, a nearby diner or other low-stakes situations. It was famously touted as “a show about nothing” in its time.

Seinfeld was considered a revolutionary sitcom when it premiered, breaking many conventions of the genre and presenting the audience with reasons to dislike its main characters. The show also resisted the predictable thread of a romance between the main characters — particularly Jerry and Elaine — and undercut emotional and sentimental moments at every turn. This is why shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Workaholics were later compared to Seinfeld for better or worse.

Up until now, Seinfeld has been periodically available to stream on Hulu in the U.S., and on other services around the world. It is not clear why NBC did not call the show home to its Peacock streaming service. Regardless, Seinfeld is now available on Netflix starting on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.