Larry David's Invisible Contributions To Seinfeld

Larry David may not appear on screen much. But Seinfeld would not be Seinfeld without him.

For people who love Seinfeld, this is no secret, but for those who are just starting the show, let’s say it clearly: what you are watching is not only Jerry Seinfeld’s creation. Behind the scenes, there is another name who may be just as decisive as Jerry: Larry David.

The idea of “let’s make a show about nothing” came from Larry. The idea of taking the absurd, tiny details of daily life and processing them through dark humor came from him too. The unique tone that makes Seinfeld Seinfeld is largely a reflection of the way Larry David sees the world.

Who Is George Costanza Really?

Think about George Costanza, one of the most beloved characters in the show. Unemployed, insecure, petty, and somehow capable of ruining himself in every corner of life. So where does this character come from?

From Larry David himself.

That is also why George works so strongly. He should not be read only as a funny sitcom character, but as a person who self-sabotages, constantly performs socially, and falls apart in every small situation. I explored this more deeply in this piece: A Perfect Definition Of Seinfeld Through The Absurdities Of George Costanza >>

I did not realize this until I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm. But once I noticed it, everything fell into place. A large part of George’s stories in the show came from Larry’s real life: regretting quitting a job and going back the next day as if nothing had happened, stealing an answering machine tape from his girlfriend’s apartment, taking food out of the trash and eating it, having a masturbation contest with friends...

I did not know all of these had actually happened. And apparently Jason Alexander, who played George, did not know either.

"This Would Never Happen To Anyone"

Jason Alexander tells a great story about this. Around the tenth episode, a script arrived. He read it and said, “this is too absurd.” He went to Larry and said something like: “Larry, please help me with this. Because this would never happen to anyone, and let’s say it did, nobody would react like this.”

Larry’s answer was short and clear: “What are you talking about? This happened to me, and I reacted exactly like that.”

From that moment on, Jason Alexander started observing Larry David while playing George Costanza. He built the character by watching Larry. And that conscious choice turned George into one of the most believable characters in television history.

By the way, Cosmo Kramer was also based on Larry’s real-life neighbor. So Seinfeld is, in a way, a dramatized version of Larry David’s life, his circle of friends, and his mind.

What Happened When Larry Left?

Larry David left the writing staff at the end of season 7. And the show made you feel it.

That is why some people do not like the final two seasons as much. Jason Alexander also talks about the change in the writing team during that period: before, the staff consisted of experienced writers in their 30s and 40s. They were replaced by younger writers in their 20s. The show became faster and moved closer to the Abbott and Costello tradition that Jerry loved so much.

I still like the final two seasons. The Bizarro Jerry, The Abstinence, The Yada Yada, The Summer of George... These are legendary episodes. But they are right; something had changed. That heavy, gloomy, internally uncomfortable Larry David tone had given way to a lighter and sharper rhythm.

For anyone who wants to see which Seinfeld episodes pushed that tone to its peak, this piece is a good companion: A Random Seinfeld Watchlist: Seinfeld Episodes Rated Above 9.0 On IMDb >>

The real point is this: Larry David did not just write characters; he turned social discomfort into a comedy language. A big part of Seinfeld’s success lies there. He took the small, selfish, strange, and uncomfortable thoughts we have in daily life but never dare to say out loud, and placed them at the center of television.

If Larry David Were My Friend In Real Life...

Let me be honest: in real life, Larry David would probably drive me crazy.

Because he stubbornly refuses to do things that seem completely normal to most of us. When you pick him up by car, even if the front seat is empty, he goes and sits in the back. For the entire ride, he behaves as if you are his driver.

But at the same time, some of his thoughts reflect me far too much.

Especially the small talk issue. You go somewhere, and there is someone you know. “What’s up, how are you, how’s it going?” That empty conversation that starts like this and goes nowhere. You see someone you vaguely know on the subway from a distance, and you think, “what am I even going to talk about with this person now?” So you move to the farthest corner, hoping they will not see you.

When Larry does this, we find it funny. When we do it ourselves, we just call it social anxiety.

Maybe that is why we love Seinfeld so much: Larry David’s strange, stubborn, socially defiant mind actually gives voice to something inside all of us. The voice we simply do not have the courage to say out loud.

Good thing you exist, Larry. Good thing Seinfeld existed.