Editing Seinfeld (section)

=== Seasons 1–3 ===
{{Main|Seinfeld season 1|Seinfeld season 2|Seinfeld season 3}}
[[Image:757 New Hampshire Ave 2.jpg|thumb|The Los Angeles building used to depict the exterior of Jerry's apartment building at 129 West 81st Street, Manhattan]]
The show premiered as ''[[The Seinfeld Chronicles]]'' on July 5, 1989. After it aired, a pickup by NBC seemed unlikely, and the show was offered to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], which declined to pick it up. [[Rick Ludwin]], head of late night and special events for NBC, however, diverted money from his budget by canceling a [[Bob Hope#Broadcasting|Bob Hope television special]], and the next four episodes were filmed.<ref name="Season 1 & 2 DVD review">{{cite web|last=Boudreaux |first=Jonathan |url=http://www.tvdvdreviews.com/seinfeld1.html |title=Seinfeld: Season 1 & 2 DVD Review |publisher=tvdvdreviews.com |date=November 24, 2004 |access-date=April 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418075527/http://www.tvdvdreviews.com/seinfeld1.html |archive-date=April 18, 2008 }}</ref>{{r|littlefield20120529}} These episodes were highly rated as they followed summer re-runs of ''[[Cheers]]'' on Thursdays at 9:30&nbsp;p.m., and the series was finally picked up. At one point, NBC considered airing these episodes on Saturdays at 10:30&nbsp;p.m. but gave the slot to a short-lived sitcom called ''[[FM (American TV series)|FM]]'' instead. The series was renamed simply ''Seinfeld'' as a precautionary measure due to the failure of the short-lived 1990 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] series with a similarly sounding title, ''The Marshall Chronicles''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lI_qCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT21|title=Seinfeld FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Show About Nothing|first=Nicholas|last=Nigro|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|date=June 1, 2015|access-date=December 29, 2015|isbn=9781495035357}}</ref> After airing the remaining four episodes of its first season the summer of 1990, NBC ordered 13 more episodes.   David believed that he and Seinfeld had no more stories to tell and advised Seinfeld to turn down the order, but Seinfeld agreed to the additional episodes.<ref name="littlefield20120529">{{cite interview|title=QA: Former NBC honcho offered Jerry Seinfeld over $100 million for one more 'Seinfeld' season|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/qa-former-nbc-honcho-offered-jerry-seinfeld-over-100-million-for-one-more-seinfeld-season|date=May 29, 2012|access-date=February 16, 2022|last=Littlefield|first=Warren|subject-link=Warren Littlefield|interviewer=Gostin, Nicki|work=Fox411}}</ref> Season 2 was bumped off its scheduled premiere of January 16, 1991, due to the outbreak of the [[Persian Gulf War]]. It settled into a regular time slot on Wednesdays at 9:30&nbsp;p.m. and eventually flipped with veteran series ''[[Night Court]]'' to 9 p.m.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/26/us/seinfeld-says-it-s-all-over-and-it-s-no-joke-for-nbc.html|title=Seinfeld Says It's All Over, And It's No Joke for NBC|date=May 5, 1998|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Bill|last=Carter|url-access=limited}}</ref>

TV critics championed ''Seinfeld'' in its early seasons, even as it was slow to cultivate a substantial audience. For the first three seasons, Jerry's stand-up comedy act would bookend at the beginning and end of each episode, even functioning as transitions during the show. A few episodes set a benchmark for later seasons. "[[The Deal (Seinfeld episode)|The Deal]]" establishes Jerry and Elaine's relationship by setting rules about having sex while remaining friends.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=213 |title=Seinfeld – Now Playing – The Deal |publisher=Sony Pictures |date=May 2, 1991 |access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010172948/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=213 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 }}</ref> "[[The Parking Garage]]" was the first episode shot with no audience for the episode and, after "[[The Chinese Restaurant]]", to not show Jerry's apartment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=306 |title=Seinfeld – Now Playing – The Parking Garage |publisher=Sony Pictures|access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116052213/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=306 |archive-date=November 16, 2011 }}</ref> "[[The Keys (Seinfeld episode)|The Keys]]" contains a crossover to [[CBS]] show ''[[Murphy Brown]]'', marking the first such cooperation between rival networks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=321 |title=Seinfeld – Now Playing – The Keys|publisher=Sony Pictures |access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010172940/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=321 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 }}</ref> "[[The Busboy]]" introduces George, Kramer and Elaine as having their own storylines for the first time. Although Castle Rock Entertainment's Glenn Padnick thought Seinfeld was too generous, showcasing his co-stars' comedic talent became a trademark throughout the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=203 |title=Seinfeld -– Now Playing  |publisher=Sony Pictures |access-date=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114031559/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=203 |archive-date=November 14, 2012 }}</ref>

Larry Charles wrote an episode for Season 2, "[[The Bet (episode)|The Bet]]," in which Elaine buys a gun from Kramer's friend. This episode was not filmed because the content was deemed unacceptable, and it was replaced by the episode "[[The Phone Message]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=207 |title=Seinfeld – Now Playing – The phone message |publisher=Sony pictures |access-date=October 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150808/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=207 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> "[[The Stranded (Seinfeld)|The Stranded]]," which aired during Season 3, was initially intended for Season 2. At the beginning of this episode, Jerry clears up the continuity error over George's real estate job.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=209 |title=Seinfeld – Now Playing |publisher=Sony Pictures |access-date=August 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219225606/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/episode_guide/?sl=episode&ep=209 |archive-date=December 19, 2008 }}</ref>