Editing Seinfeld (section)

===First seasons===
When NBC announced its 1989–90 (primetime) schedule in May 1989, ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' was not included, but the show's supporters did not give up. The pilot first aired on July 5, 1989, and finished second in its time slot against the CBS police drama ''[[Jake and the Fatman]]'',<ref name=TVGuide/> receiving a [[Nielsen rating]] of 10.9/19.<ref name=S1&2DVD-NAN/> The ratings did not exhibit the regional skew Tartikoff predicted, much to the encouragement of the show's supporters. Ludwin canceled one of the [[Bob Hope]] specials budgeted for that season so the entertainment division had the money to order four more episodes of ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'', which formed the rest of [[Seinfeld (season 1)|the show's first season]] (the series was by then retitled to ''Seinfeld'')<ref name=TVGuide/><ref>{{cite web|last=Duffy|first=Mike|url=https://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/1125seinfeld.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723085248/http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/1125seinfeld.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 23, 2012|title=Give thanks for 'The 'Seinfeld' Story'|publisher=azcentral.com|date=November 24, 2004|access-date=March 19, 2008}}</ref>—a move without which ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' columnist [[Phil Rosenthal]] later said there "would be no ''Seinfeld"''.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-08-21-0508210218-story.html |author= Rosenthal, Phil |author-link= Phil Rosenthal |date= August 21, 2005 |title= NBC executive stands apart by taking stands|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date= February 16, 2022}}</ref> Although this was a very low order number for a new series—and the smallest sitcom order in TV history<ref name=S1&2DVD-NAN/>—Castle Rock failed to find any other buyers when it shopped the show to other networks, and accepted the order.<ref name=TVGuide/> ''Seinfeld'' did not return to the airwaves until May 30, 1990, and it was another three years before it became a Top 5-rated show. Preston Beckman, in charge of NBC's research department at the time, reminisced, "The show was different. Nobody had seen anything like it. It wasn't unusual for poor-testing shows to get on the air, but it was very rare that they became hits."

When the program was first repeated on July 5, 1990, it received a rating of 13.9/26. These ratings were high enough to secure a second season.<ref name="S1&2DVD-NAN" /> NBC research showed that the show was popular with young male adults, a demographic sought after by advertisers. This gave NBC an incentive to keep broadcasting the show.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rapp|first=David|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/entertainment/articles/web/20060531-jerry-seinfeld-sitcom-television-nbc-kramer-comedian-stand-up-larry-david.shtml|title=Seinfeld: The Unlikeliest Success Story|publisher=American Heritage|date=May 31, 2006|access-date=March 19, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315041818/http://www.americanheritage.com/entertainment/articles/web/20060531-jerry-seinfeld-sitcom-television-nbc-kramer-comedian-stand-up-larry-david.shtml|archive-date=March 15, 2008}}</ref> One DVD reviewer, Britt Gillette, wrote that "this initial episode exhibits the flashes of brilliance that made ''Seinfeld'' a cultural phenomenon."<ref>{{cite web|last=Gillette|first=Britt|url=http://www.articlecity.com/articles/music_and_movies/article_518.shtml|title=Seinfeld (Seasons 1 & 2) DVD Review|publisher=Article City|date=September 20, 2006|access-date=June 16, 2019|archive-date=January 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122094547/http://www.articlecity.com/articles/music_and_movies/article_518.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>