Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything

(Paperback)

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The New York Times bestseller about two guys who went out for coffee and dreamed up SeinfeldA wildly entertaining must-read not only for Seinfeld fans but for anyone who wants a better understanding of how television series are made (Booklist, starred review).

Comedians Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld never thought anyone would watch their sitcom about a New York comedian sitting around talking to his friends. But against all odds, viewers did watchfirst a few and then many, until nine years later nearly forty million Americans were tuning in weekly. Fussy Jerry, neurotic George, eccentric Kramer, and imperious Elainepeople embraced them with love.

Seinfeldia, Jennifer Keishin Armstrongs intimate history is full of gossipy details, show trivia, and insights into how famous episodes came to be. Armstrong celebrates the creators and fans of this American television phenomenon, bringing readers into the writers room and into a world of devotees for whom it never stopped being relevant. Seinfeld created a strange new reality, one where years after the show had ended the Soup Nazi still spends his days saying No soup for you!, Joe Davola gets questioned every day about his sanity, and Kenny Kramer makes his living giving tours of New York sites from the show.

Seinfeldia is an outrageous cultural history. Dwight Garner of The New York Times Book Review wrote: Armstrong has an eye for detail.Perhaps the highest praise I can give Seinfeldia is that it made me want to buy a loaf of marbled rye and start watching again, from the beginning.

Reviews

***ANEW YORK TIMESBEST SELLER***

"Her book, as if she were a marine biologist, is a deep dive...Perhaps the highest praise I can give Seinfeldia is that it made me want to buy a loaf of marbled rye and start watching again, from the beginning."
Dwight Garner, The New York Times

Even for those of us who imagine ourselves experts, Armstrong scatters delicious details throughout her book, like so many Jujyfruits we cant resist [I]n describing the making and writing of this singular show, Armstrong is queen of the castle. Her stories about Seinfeld are real and theyre spectacular.
Washington Post

Lively and illuminating. A wildly entertaining must-read not only for Seinfeld fans but for anyone who wants a better of understanding of how television series are made.
Booklist, starred review

[S]avvy and engagingthe best way to enjoy Seinfeldia is to read the book with TV remote in hand, calling up episodes on Hulu as Ms. Armstrong adroitly recounts the back story of these still-captivating shows that were never, ever about nothing.
Wall Street Journal

"The heart of Armstrongs book and its most engaging quality is how it all came to be: the Seinfeld rules of the road that seemed to be without rules; the actors who left their indelible mark (Bryan Cranston as dentist Tim Whatley, Teri Hatcher as one of Jerrys spectacular girlfriends) and the parade of moments about nothing that really turned out to be something."
USA Today

Even as someone lucky enough to be on the show, I couldnt putSeinfeldiadown.
Larry Thomas, The Soup Nazi

Armstrong's intimate, breezy history is full of gossipy details, show trivia, and insights into how famous episodes came to be. How nothing could become something or how a national TV audience learned to live in a Beckett-ian world. Perfect for Seinfeldians and newcomers alike.
Kirkus Reviews

Armstrong offers a masterly look at one of the greatest shows. The research involved makes this a boon to television scholars, but Seinfeld enthusiasts will also enjoy this funny, highly readable book.
Library Journal

Author Bio

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is the author ofSex and the City and Us, Seinfeldia,andMary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted. She writes about pop culture for several publications, includingThe New York Times Book Review, Fast Company, Vulture, BBC Culture,Entertainment Weekly,and several others. She grew up in Homer Glen, Illinois, and now lives in New York City. Visit her online at JenniferKArmstrong.com.