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Highlights
- Jerry Seinfeld revealed during a Reddit AMA that the cast of Seinfeld hardly ever improvised their scenes, showcasing the actors’ talent.
- The line “Oh, the humanity!” uttered by Newman in the episode “The Pothole” was not improvised, but was intentionally scripted and inspired by the Hindenburg disaster.
- While the cast did not improvise, there were still changes made to the script, sometimes on the fly, including off-the-cuff suggestions that made it into the final cut of certain episodes.
In the years since Seinfeld ended, a lot of behind-the-scenes secrets have been spilled about the show. In recent years, fans have learned that the atmosphere was sometimes dark on set and that Jerry had quite plainly had enough of the show by the time it wound down.
Plus, though Jason Alexander was offered a deal to leak some secrets from the finale, he declined the offer. That doesn’t mean the actors have always kept quiet about their on-set secrets, though. Jerry Seinfeld even revealed one very interesting detail during a Reddit AMA, claiming that the actors hardly ever improvised their scenes.
Jerry Seinfeld Swears The Seinfeld Cast Did Not Improvise
Jerry Seinfeld might not enjoy watching Seinfeld reruns these days, but for a long time, he’s been happy to talk about the show and reminisce, albeit not in front of the TV. Back in 2013, about 15 years after the show had wound down, Jerry was, of course, asked about Seinfeld during a Reddit AMA.
One of the fan questions centered on a particular line uttered by Newman; the fan wanted to know whether “Oh, the humanity!” was in the script, or if it was improvised. That particular line came from the episode “The Pothole,” when Newman hits a sewing machine which then catches his mail truck on fire.
During one interview right before the episode came out, Jerry said that was one of his favorite episodes ever. But he maintains that the line was not improvised, elaborating in his reply that the line was in the script and that the cast simply didn’t improvise.
Jerry gave the credit to the actors, saying, “We improvised virtually nothing, as a matter of fact. That’s how good the actors were, that it sometimes seems like they are improvising.”
Seinfeld went on to praise the cast and the entire team for the way they worked together.
But we also knew each other so well that we knew exactly what sentences to put in their mouths that would seem natural. We just knew how they talked as people and as the characters, and that’s what’s really fun about the TV series is that you become an ecosystem where people feed on each other.
He concluded, “The actors would inspire the writers and the writers would inspire the actors and it becomes a tropical depression.” Not only that, but Larry David (who wasn’t always an actor in the episodes, necessarily) also contributed both by coaching the actors and tweaking the script.
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Surprisingly, the ‘show about nothing’ did require careful writing behind the scenes, as natural and effortless as the show appeared as the cast pulled it off. As for “The Pothole,” there was also a backstory for the episode that Jerry also revealed on Reddit.
Why Does Newman Say “Oh The Humanity”?
Jerry elaborated that the script intentionally had Newman uttering the phrase “Oh, the humanity” “like from the Hindenburg disaster.” It’s one of Seinfeld‘s more offbeat jokes; the Hindenburg disaster was an airship accident that resulted in the deaths of 35 passengers and crew.
The unfortunate event was heavily covered by the press, and the “Oh, the humanity” quote comes directly from Herbert Morrison’s radio broadcast; Morrison had to step away to regain his composure as the event unfolded.
As for why the Seinfeld crew chose that specific quote, it’s not entirely clear, but the moment in “The Pothole” became a fan favorite in addition to being one of Jerry’s all-time favorite episodes.
The Cast May Not Have Improvised, But The Script Did Change
Jerry might be telling the truth about the cast not improvising their lines, but there were changes made, and sometimes on the fly. The script changed, as they are generally apt to do, but sometimes, the changes happened mid-scene.
For example, Teri Hatcher’s now-iconic line on Seinfeld resulted from some meddling by Larry David. During the scene, Teri explained, Larry fed her some lines, and the one that stuck—making the final cut on the show—was an off-the-cuff suggestion.
It would also make sense if the cast tweaked some lines after trying them on and realizing it didn’t quite fit. And there were some unscripted moments that eventually aired—including the episode “The Parking Garage.”
Suggestions weren’t always taken, though, especially when it came to hearing from guest stars. For example, one guest star made a scene recommendation, and while the cast went along with it, the scene never aired, apparently due to Jerry’s not wanting it to.
That doesn’t mean scenes weren’t reworked due to either Larry or Jerry’s influence, however. The two even conspired to release a certain now-popular episode despite the assumption that NBC’s head honchos wouldn’t want to release it (at least, at first).
The good news is that the episode was approved, which meant Larry David didn’t have to carry out his threat of quitting the series if it was rejected.
