Seinfeld's Most Popular Guest Star Could Not Believe He Did Not Become A Series Regular
Highlights
- Seinfeld remains a popular sitcom, even years after it ended, and is considered one of the best-written TV series of all time.
- Many famous actors made guest appearances on Seinfeld before they became well-known, including Courtney Cox and Bryan Cranston.
- Jennifer Coolidge lied on her resume to land a guest role on Seinfeld, which turned out to be the right choice for her career. Wayne Knight's character, Newman, became a fan favorite but did not become a regular on the show due to Jerry Seinfeld's decision.
Despite airing between 1989 and 1998, Seinfeld is still one of the most popular and influential sitcoms of all time. When it was announced that the show would be canceled after nine seasons and 180 episodes, fans were devastated.
But, over the years, the love for Seinfeld has only grown. It’s no wonder why the Writers Guild of America considers this show the second Best-Written TV Series of All Time, only after The Sopranos.
During its nine-year run, countless celebrities made guest appearances on Seinfeld. Popular actors who appeared on the show before becoming famous include Friends alumn Courtney Cox, Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls, and Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk. One of the many guest stars on Seinfeld did such a great job that the actor thought he was going to become a regular in the series. He was shocked when it didn’t happen. Can you guess which iconic character we’re talking about?
Many Celebrities Guest-Starred in Seinfeld, But This Actress Lied To Land A Guest-Star Role On The Show
Many celebrities guest-starred in Seinfeld before they got their big break, including Bryan Cranston, Teri Hatcher, Courtney Cox, James Spader, Debra Messing, and Jennifer Coolidge, who played Jody, a massage therapist and one of Jerry's many girlfriends. Believe it or not, this White Lotus star lied to land a guest role on this show.
In the early 90s, Coolidge was trying to break into Hollywood without much luck. When she got the chance to audition for a small guest role on Seinfeld, she knew she couldn’t pass it up. So, she went to the audition and handed in a resume that was full of lies.
"It was a weird day. I booked Seinfeld the same day that I booked this very short-lived series called She TV, which was an all-women sketch show on ABC. I didn't really have any jobs before that. I only had lies on my resume. I'd gone to a school called the American Academy of Dramatic Arts up in Pasadena, and I'd just named all these shows and all these different theaters at the school as if they played there,” Coolidge revealed. “You have to do that if you have a blank resume, until you start getting jobs. Then you can slowly erase the lies. I'd love to get my hands on that resume now."
The actress also revealed that she had to go on an emergency shopping spree that day because she didn’t have any nice clothes to wear to the audition. At the end of the day, lying on her resume turned out to be the right choice because she got the role. And after appearing on Seinfeld, Coolidge appeared in many popular movies, including American Pie (1999), A Mighty Wind (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), Click (2006), Promising Young Woman (2020), and Single All the Way (2021).
Wayne Knight Couldn’t Believe He Didn’t Become A Regular On Seinfeld
One of the most iconic guest roles on Seinfeld is Newman (played by Wayne Knight), a scheming mailman who upholds a constant rivalry with Jerry. After appearing for the first time on the fifteenth episode of the third season, titled "The Suicide," this character made many appearances throughout the show’s nine seasons.
Despite being Seinfeld’s arch-nemesis, Newman made a strong impression on the fans. He’s one of the most iconic guest stars to ever appear on the show and he’s been ranked number 16 in Rolling Stone’s "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time" list. Knight himself thought the character was a great fit on the show and was surprised when he wasn’t asked to become a series regular.
“I came in, did the audition, got the job for the one-off of Newman.” Knight revealed in an interview for AV Club, “In this one scene… The question of the episode was, “How long do you have to wait for a guy who’s in a coma to hit on his girlfriend?” And I’m sitting in there as a friend of Kramer’s, and we’re visiting the guy in the coma, and we see that Jerry is making time with his girlfriend. And I vow to tell the guy when he comes out of his coma about this, and I get bought up with a Drake’s Cake.”
Despite being hired for a one-off role, producers asked Knight to come back once again after seeing the success his character had with the audience. “It was kind of like odd kismet. And I just kept coming back. I kept thinking, “They’re gonna make me a regular on this thing!” But, uh, no. [Laughs.]” Despite not becoming a series regular, Knight came back many times to reprise the role of Newman.
Jerry Seinfeld Didn’t Want Wayne Knight’s Character To Become A Regular
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As it turns out, the only reason why Wayne Knight didn’t join the cast of Seinfeld was because Jerry Seinfeld didn’t want Newman to become a regular on the show. Despite what many believe, Seinfeld and Knight didn’t feud when they worked together on the show. In fact, Seinfeld was quite impressed with the way Knight had fit in, but he was hesitant to have his character become a regular because of how it would affect other characters in the show.
"I thought we thought it might disturb Kramer's mystic if you actually saw any friends of his," Jerry admitted in a behind-the-scenes interview. “We wanted him to be, you know, kind of an island unto himself." Despite not becoming a series regular, fans got to see Newman make small appearances throughout Seinfeld’s nine seasons.
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