It’s Benes, you jackass–and while we’re at it, there’s no Seinfeld Curse! Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine Benes on the sitcom, can’t believe such an idea exists, let alone that people went along with it.
The Seinfeld Curse refers to much of the core cast’s inability to maintain another sitcom in the years following Seinfeld going off the air. But despite some evidence for theorists to bring to the table, Louis-Dreyfus says it’s about as interesting as The English Patient. Speaking with Rolling Stone, the actress said, “It was invented by the media. They thought it was clever. You don’t need me to prove it wrong, it was ridiculous! It made no sense. I was amazed that it had legs, because it was so moronic. I don’t know how else to say it!”
Here are the primary exhibits in the case of the Seinfeld Curse: Louis-Dreyfus had Watching Ellie (2002-2003), which had a peculiar run in that it shifted formats entirely after the first season, starting as a single camera production before turning into a laugh track-supported multicam. Total episodes aired? 16. Jason Alexander landed his own sitcom, Bob Patterson (2001), half of its 10 episodes not even airing. And Michael Richards had The Michael Richards Show (2000), which lasted a staggering eight episodes.
Of course, if there was a Seinfeld Curse, Julia Louis-Dreyfus shattered it after winning a record seven Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, including six consecutive for Veep. Jason Alexander has been pretty consistent as well, although his career has certainly experienced shrinkage following his run as George Costanza (I also love him in The Burning, for what it’s worth). Michael Richards has had the most quiet post-Seinfeld career, scarcely turning up in television or film. As for Jerry Seinfeld…well, he’s making a movie about Pop-Tarts.
Seinfeld stands as one of the most highly regarded shows ever, consistently ranked in top 10s. Throughout its nine seasons, it earned 10 Emmy Awards, six SAG Awards and numerous other accolades.
Do you think certain cast members have suffered the so-called Seinfeld curse? What is your favorite scene from the show’s run? Let us know below!