The Pilot (Seinfeld)

"**The Pilot**"
"The Pilot"
Seinfeld episodes
Episode nos.	Season 4; Episodes 23/24
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David
Production code	423/424
Original air date	May 20, 1993
Running time	42 minutes
Guest appearances
	Bob Balaban as Russell; Peter Crombie as Joe Davola; Richard Gant as Fred; Larry Hankin as Tom Pepper (Kramer); Elena Wohl as Sandi Robbins (Elaine); Jeremy Piven as Michael Barth (George); Mariska Hargitay as Melissa Shannon; Gina Hecht as Dana Foley; Bruce Jarchow as Doctor; Kevin Page as Stu; Al Ruscio as Manager; Anne Twomey as Rita Kearson; Laura Waterbury as Casting Director; Larry David as Man on Raft #1; Larry Charles as Man on Raft #2 (uncredited); Tom Cherones as the Pilot Director (uncredited);
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Handicap Spot"	Next →; "The Mango"
	Seinfeld (season 4)
	List of episodes

"The Pilot" is the two-part season finale episode of season four of Seinfeld, comprising the season's 23rd and 24th episodes (63rd and 64th episodes in the series). It first aired on May 20, 1993.^[1]

This two-part episode aired at an earlier time, 8:00 PM, to leave room for the two-hour finale of Cheers, whose timeslot was subsequently claimed by Seinfeld at the start of the new fall season.

About 32 million people watched both parts of "The Pilot" when it initially aired. An additional 2 million watched the first part but not the second, and 3 million more watched the second part but not the first.

Plot[]

Part 1[]

Jerry and George get the green light to produce Jerry, the pilot for the series based on their "nothing" lives. Russell Dalrymple, the president at NBC behind the pilot, is obsessed with Elaine. George is obsessed with a potentially cancerous white spot on his lip and a box of raisins taken by Tom Pepper, the actor playing Kramer.

The real Kramer appears to audition for the role of Kramer but has an urgent need to use the men’s room. Unable to locate public facilities, Kramer makes his way to his apartment through Central Park but is further delayed by being mugged and "misses his chance", resulting in constipation. Jerry has an audition with Sandi Robbins, a method actress interested in being Elaine in every way, including insisting being called Elaine and even dating Jerry (and breaking up with him in Part 2). Jerry points out to the real Elaine that Monk's coffee shop appears to be only hiring buxom waitresses, so she tries to get hired; when the owner turns her down, she files a report with the Equal Employment Opportunity office.

Part 2[]

Rehearsals for the pilot begin. NBC executive Russell Dalrymple's obsession with Elaine begins to affect his work. She tries to let him down easy by saying she can't be in a relationship with a high-powered man and would prefer to be with someone selfless, such as a member of Greenpeace. Kramer resolves his constipation by administering himself an enema.

George thinks that his white spot has been diagnosed as cancer and freaks out at NBC, only to discover that he misunderstood the diagnosis. At the taping of the pilot, "Crazy" Joe Davola leaps out of the audience and onto the set while yelling "Sic semper tyrannis!" He's removed and the taping goes poorly, with the director and actors getting increasingly annoyed by George's kibitzing, and Jerry discovering that he is not as good at acting as he is at standup. The pilot airs and numerous characters from past episodes comment on it.

In order to prove himself worthy of Elaine, Russell joins Greenpeace and is lost at sea during a botched assault on a whaling ship. The cover for the Jerry pilot script floats away at sea along with the former NBC president, as one of Russell's shipmates vows to find Elaine and tell her about Russell's actions in fighting the whalers. His replacement at NBC, Rita Kearson, dislikes the show and cancels it immediately, without waiting for the ratings to come in. George and Jerry blame Elaine for driving Russell to leave.

Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine convalesce at Monk's, where Elaine spots the men from the Equal Employment Opportunity office eating. She scolds the owner of the cafe for only hiring large breasted women; the owner explains that they are all his daughters.

Production[]

The character of Russell Dalrimple, played by Bob Balaban, is based on NBC executive Warren Littlefield.^[2] In 1996, Balaban was cast as Littlefield in the HBO movie, The Late Shift.^[2]

Numerous guest stars from previous episodes of Seinfeld made cameos in the pilot, specifically Brian Doyle-Murray as Mel Sanger, Tony Amendola as Salman Rushdie, Teri Hatcher as Sidra Holland, Jon Hayman as Donald Sanger, Nicholas Hormann as Calvin Klein, Jennifer Campbell as Tia Van Camp, Bill Erwin as Sid Fields, Wayne Knight as Newman, Jane Leeves as Marla Penny, Barney Martin as Morty Seinfeld, Liz Sheridan as Helen Seinfeld, Rick Overton as The Drake, Elizabeth Dennehy as The Drakette, Heidi Swedberg as Susan Ross, and Ping Wu as Ping.

References[]

^ "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b Tracy, Kathleen (1998). Jerry Seinfeld: The Entire Domain. Carol Publishing Group. p. 131. ISBN 1-55972-474-9.

External links[]

"The Pilot" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[EntireDomain-2] Tracy, Kathleen (1998). Jerry Seinfeld: The Entire Domain. Carol Publishing Group. p. 131. ISBN 1-55972-474-9.

[1]

[2]

v t Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend" "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip" "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100" "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac" "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit" "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle" "The Finale"
Indicates two-part episode