Editing Seinfeld (section)

==Reception and legacy==
Elizabeth Magnotta and Alexandra Strohl analyze the success of ''Seinfeld'' with recourse to the [[Theories of humor#Incongruity theory|incongruity theory]] of humor: "The Incongruity Theory claims that humor is created out of a violation of an expectation. For humor to result from this unexpected result, the event must have an appropriate emotional climate, {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} the setting, characters, prior discourse, relationships of the characters, and the topic."<ref>{{cite journal| author = Magnotta, Elizabeth and Alexandra Strohl| title = A linguistic analysis of humor: A look at ''Seinfeld''| journal = Working Papers of the Linguistics Circle| volume = 21| issue = 1| pages = 126–135| url = http://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/WPLC/article/view/5944|access-date=August 2, 2012| date = November 14, 2011}}</ref> Specifically, Magnotta and Strohl focus on "[[The Marine Biologist]]", where George is embroiled in yet another lie, and on "[[The Red Dot]]," where George tries to save a few dollars at Elaine's expense by giving her a marked-down [[Cashmere wool|cashmere]] sweater.

In "Translating ''Seinfeld''", Jennifer Armstrong observes that ''Seinfeld'' is less famous among non-English speakers as its unique style of humor is "too cultural and word-based to make for easy translation".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/24/8809723/jerry-seinfeld-tv-show-international-translation|title=Translating Seinfeld|last=Armstrong|first=Jennifer|date=June 25, 2015|website=The Verge|access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref> Carol Iannone sums up the legacy of this American hit in her ''Modern Age'' article "''Seinfeld'': The Politically Incorrect Comedy" when she says, "It may be the first situation comedy truly to achieve the status of art."<ref name=":0" /><ref name="politically-incorrect" /> Nod Miller, of the [[University of East London]], has discussed the self-referential qualities of the show:

{{blockquote|''Seinfeld'' is suffused with [[postmodern]] themes. To begin with, the boundary between reality and fiction is frequently blurred: this is illustrated in the central device of having Jerry Seinfeld play the character Jerry Seinfeld. In the show's fourth season, several episodes revolved around the narrative of Jerry and George (whose character is co-creator Larry David's alter ego) pitching 'a show about nothing' based on the everyday life of a stand-up comedian to NBC. The reaction of the fictional NBC executives, by all accounts, mirrored the initial responses of those who eventually commissioned ''Seinfeld''. The fourth season ends with [[The Pilot (Seinfeld)|"The Pilot"]], an episode focusing on the casting, taping and screening of the show-within-the-show, ''Jerry''. This episode also illustrates neatly the self-referential quality which is one of ''Seinfeld''{{'}}s hallmarks. The series finale was so replete with references to earlier shows as to render it largely incomprehensible to those not already well-versed in the personae and preoccupations of the ''Seinfeld'' universe.<ref>{{cite web| author = Miller, Nod| title = Applying Insights from Cultural Studies to Adult Education: What Seinfeld Says About the AERC| url = http://www.adulterc.org/Proceedings/1999/99miller.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140624022756/http://www.adulterc.org/Proceedings/1999/99miller.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date = June 24, 2014| publisher = Adult Education Research Conference| access-date = August 1, 2012}}</ref>}}

[[William Irwin (philosopher)|William Irwin]] has edited an anthology of scholarly essays on philosophy in ''Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing''. Some entries include "The Jerry Problem and the [[Socratic Problem]]", "George's Failed Quest for [[Happiness]]: An Aristotelian Analysis", "Elaine's Moral Character", "Kramer the 'Seducer{{'"}}, "Making Something Out of Nothing: Seinfeld, [[Sophistry]] and the Tao", "Seinfeld, [[Subjectivity]], and [[Sartre]]", "Mr. Peterman, the [[Wicked Witch of the West]], and Me" and "Minimally Decent Samaritans and Uncommon Law".<ref>{{cite book| author = Irwin, William| title = ''Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing''|publisher= Open Court 2000|year=2000 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3j3D55NItH0C&q=seinfeld+pitch+aristotelian&pg=PA2018|access-date=August 1, 2012| isbn = 9780812694093}}</ref>

===U.S. television ratings===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; width:100%"
|-
|+ TV viewership in the United States
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" |Season
! rowspan="2" |TV season
! rowspan="2" |Episodes
! rowspan="2" |Timeslot
! colspan="2" |Original air dates
! colspan="3" |[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen ratings]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |date=2007 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present |publisher=Ballantine Books |pages=1693–1695 |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |edition=Ninth }}</ref>
! colspan="2" | Most watched episode
|-
! Season premiere
! Season finale
! Rank
! Rating
! Viewers<br />(millions)
! Title
! Viewers<br />(millions)
|-
| style="background:#339be9" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 3 (1989–90)|1]]''' || [[1989–90 United States network television schedule|1989–90]] || 5 || Wednesday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episode 1)</small><br />Thursday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episodes 2–5)</small> || July 5, 1989 || June 21, 1990 || rowspan {{n/a}} || rowspan {{n/a}} || 19.26 || "[[The Stake Out (Seinfeld)|The Stake Out]]"
|| 22.5<ref name="USA Today staff 1990-06-06">{{cite news|url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TIHU89_R9xg/Sq-wLg2qhEI/AAAAAAAAAGo/kyOFwWPCK1w/s1600/Ratings_19900528.jpg|title='Seinfeld' is a standup hit|work=USA Today|date=June 6, 1990|access-date=December 30, 2013|page=D3}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#f7d712;"| || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 2 (1991)|2]]''' || [[1990–91 United States network television schedule|1990–91]] || 12 || Wednesday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episodes 1–4, 12)</small><br />Thursday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episodes 5–11)</small> || January 23, 1991 || June 26, 1991 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || 18.07 || "[[The Apartment (Seinfeld)|The Apartment]]"
|| 24.7<ref name="USA Today staff 1991-04-10">{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|work=[[USA Today]]|date=April 10, 1991|page=D3}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#244d8d" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 3 (1991–92)|3]]''' || [[1991–92 United States network television schedule|1991–92]] || 23 || Wednesday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episodes 1–11, 18)</small><br />Wednesday at 9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 12–17, 19–23)</small> || September 18, 1991 || May 6, 1992 || #42 || 12.5 || 17.66 || "[[The Letter (Seinfeld)|The Letter]]"
|| 22.3<ref name="USA Today staff 1992-04-01">{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|work=[[USA Today]]|date=April 1, 1992|page=D3}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#49a9a3" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 4 (1992–93)|4]]''' || [[1992–93 United States network television schedule|1992–93]] || 24 || Wednesday at 9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 1–3, 5–15)</small><br />Wednesday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episode 4)</small><br />Thursday at 9:30 pm <small>(Episodes 16–22)</small><br />Thursday at 8:00 pm <small>(Episode 23)</small><br />Thursday at 8:30 pm <small>(Episode 24)</small> || August 12, 1992 || May 20, 1993 || #25 || 13.7 || 20.91 || "[[The Pilot (Seinfeld)|The Pilot]]"
|| 32.8<ref name="Gable 1993-05-26">{{cite news|title='Cheers' brings happy times to NBC|work=[[USA Today]]|date=May 26, 1993|author=Gable, Donna|page=D3}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#4c5385" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 5 (1993–94)|5]]''' || [[1993–94 United States network television schedule|1993–94]] || 22 ||rowspan="5"| Thursday at 9:00&nbsp;pm|| September 16, 1993 || May 19, 1994 || #3 || 19.6 || 29.59 || "[[The Stall]]" and "[[The Marine Biologist]]"
|| 35.0<ref name="USA Today staff 1994-01-12">{{cite news|title='Improvement' leads ABC charge|work=USA Today|date=January 12, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin|page=D3}}</ref><ref name="USA Today staff 1994-02-14">{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|work=USA Today|date=December 14, 1994|page=D3}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#6d9cb3" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 6 (1994–95)|6]]''' || [[1994–95 United States network television schedule|1994–95]] || 24 || September 22, 1994 || May 18, 1995 || #1 || 20.6 || 30.06 || "[[The Switch (Seinfeld)|The Switch]]"
|| 36.6<ref name="USA Today staff 1995-01-11">{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|work=[[USA Today]]|date=January 11, 1995|page=D3}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#5f5758" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 7 (1995–96)|7]]''' || [[1995–96 United States network television schedule|1995–96]] || 24  || September 21, 1995 || May 16, 1996 || #2 || 21.2 || 33.19 || "[[The Engagement (Seinfeld)|The Engagement]]"
|| 37.6<ref name="Graham 1995-09-27">{{cite news|title=NBC Sunday starters stumble|work=[[USA Today]]|date=September 27, 1995|page=D3|author=Graham, Jefferson}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#b5b7bc;"| || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 8 (1996–97)|8]]''' || [[1996–97 United States network television schedule|1996–97]] || 22  || September 19, 1996 || May 15, 1997 || #2 || 20.5 || 32.48 || "[[The Money]]"
|| 37.34<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/41303321/|title=National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 13–19, 1997)|date=January 22, 1997|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 9, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#68471a" | || '''[[List of Seinfeld episodes#Season 9 (1997–98)|9]]''' || [[1997–98 United States network television schedule|1997–98]] || 24  || September 25, 1997 || May 14, 1998 || #1 || 22.0 || 38.03<br />(32.15)<ref name="ReferenceA">Excluding ''[[The Finale (Seinfeld)|The Finale]]'' (76.26 million viewers) and ''[[The Clip Show]]'' (58.53 million viewers)</ref> || "[[The Finale (Seinfeld)|The Finale]]"<br />("[[The Puerto Rican Day]]")
|| 76.26<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/41306012/|title=National Nielsen Viewership (May 11–17, 1998)|date=May 20, 1998|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 24, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref><br />(38.78)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/41304257/|title=National Nielsen Viewership (May 4–10, 1998)|date=May 13, 1998|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 24, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
|}

===Awards and honors===
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Seinfeld}}
''Seinfeld'' has received awards and nominations in various categories throughout the mid-1990s. It was awarded the [[Emmy]] for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993, [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best TV Series (Comedy) in 1994, and [[Screen Actors Guild Award]] for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 1995, 1997 and 1998.<ref name="1st ASG awards">{{Cite web|title=The Inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards &#124; Screen Actors Guild Awards|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/inaugural-screen-actors-guild-awards|access-date=February 8, 2023|website=www.sagawards.org}}</ref><ref name="3rd ASG awards">{{Cite web|title=The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards &#124; Screen Actors Guild Awards|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/3rd-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|access-date=February 8, 2023|website=www.sagawards.org}}</ref><ref name="4th ASG awards">{{Cite web|title=The 4th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards &#124; Screen Actors Guild Awards|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/4th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|access-date=February 8, 2023|website=www.sagawards.org}}</ref> Apart from these, the show was also nominated for an Emmy award from 1992 to 1998 for Outstanding Comedy Series, Golden Globe award from 1994 to 1998 for Best TV-Series (Comedy), and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 1995 to 1998. The show even received the [[Peabody Award]] in 1993.

''[[TV Guide]]'' named it the [[TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|greatest TV show of all time]] in 2002,<ref name=tvguideTop50/> and in 2013, the magazine ranked it as the second-greatest TV show.<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |last1=Fretts |first1=Bruce |last2=Roush |first2=Matt |title=The Greatest Shows on Earth |magazine=TV Guide Magazine |volume=61 |issue=3194–3195 |pages=16–19 }}</ref> A 2015 ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people named ''Seinfeld'' as their #5 favorite show.<ref name="thr20150916">{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-tv-shows-ever-top-819499/ |title=Hollywood's 100 Favorite TV Shows |date=September 16, 2015 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref> In 2022, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked ''Seinfeld'' as the sixth-greatest TV show of all time.<ref name="Sepinwall"/> In 2023, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' ranked ''Seinfeld'' as the eighth-greatest TV show of all time.<ref name="Variety"/>