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Jerry Seinfeld and his gang made viewers laugh with their ‘show about nothing’ for nine seasons. Fans expected the near-perfect series to go out with a comedy bang. Instead,Seinfeldopted to make the most divisive finales in sitcom history. The two-part finale saw the four central characters finally facing the consequences of all their past misdeeds.
Many fans thought that the episode did not align with the tone of the show. Viewers didn’t want to see their favorite characters put in jail, despite how despicable the characters were. In retrospect, a large number of fans have started seeing theSeinfeldfinale in a more positive light.
What happened in the finale of Jerry Seinfeld’s show and how did it fare?
In theSeinfeldfinale,Jerry Seinfeldfinally lands a deal with NBC to make his own showJerry. When the group, also including Jason Alexander’s George,Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Elaine, andMichael Richards‘ Kramer, heads to Paris to celebrate, they crash their plane in the fictional Latham, Massachusetts.
After this first backlash, they witness a carjacking incident and in their signature style choose to not help. Kramer even records the incident on his video camera and laughs about it. When the police arrive, they are all arrested under the Good Samaritan Law. They bring in Jackie Chiles, played by the returning Phil Morris. When Chiles shows up, the prosecutor gets riled up and collects all evidence of misdeeds against the four characters.
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Several previous characters appear over the next two episodes to testify against the horrible actions of the four. Eventually, they are found guilty in the trial and sentenced to prison. We see all four of them in prison in the last scene. This finale did not go well with the regular audience of the show.
Seinfeld‘s winning formulawas to make viewers root for despicable characters like Jerry and his friends. By making the viewers realize that their actions had real consequences, the show shifted away from that formula. For some fans, the finale ruined the show’s entire premise of being a“show about nothing.”
Jerry Seinfeld was“happy”with the ending (via Reddit AMA), however, he later shared that the show didn’t have to leave the main characters in jail (via CBC). Alexander shared that it was a“good episode, not a great episode”(via Emmy TV).
It was the perfect finale for creatorLarry David, who returned to script these episodes after leaving inSeason 7. He shared about the finale,“[I] was not interested in an emotional ride, and neither was Jerry”(via Grantland).
Viewers’ opinion on theSeinfeldfinale has seen a shift since it aired
TV finales are challenging to film, as it is difficult to make everyone happy with the conclusion. Despite the criticisms at the time it aired, fans have come to see that Jerry Seinfeld gave us a great finale. One Reddit fan on the r/unpopularopinion subreddit shared that they loved the finale becausethe terrible group of friendswas finally punished at the show’s end.
The Good Samaritan Law was played to a comic effect in the finale and the guest appearances were a perfect ode to the entire show. Some of these characters deservingly got their satisfying moments in the series, which some fans do appreciate now. A happy ending to the central characters would’ve left a terrible lesson for fans.
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Most importantly, it also served as a definitive conclusion for the series. There were no calls to reboot the show. The characters might’ve learned something from their jail time and we couldn’t have gotten the same self-centered behavior from them in a sequel show.
Seinfeldis now available for streaming on Netflix.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
