Template:Important
| “ | The whole reason you watch a TV show is because it ends. If I want a long, boring story with no point to it, I have my life. | „ |
| ~ An example of Jerry's comedy acts |
| “ | Seinfeld, you magnificent bastard! | „ |
| ~ Jerry Seinfeld to himself |
Jerry Seinfeld is the main titular protagonist of the hit comedy TV Series, Seinfeld. His closest friends are George Costanza, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer.
Jerry has been described as the straight man, he "is able to observe the chaos around him but not always be a part of it." He is the only character in the TV series to hold a steady job as a stand-up comedian. His social life normally consists of either helping his friends with thier own dilemmas or just making sarcastic comments on them for his own amusement.
Jerry goes mostly unfazed by his friends dilemmas and personal problems, normally making whimsical observations at their expense. He also goes through different relationships with different women each episodes but normally breaks up with them for stupid reasons. Jerry also had a relationship with another main character, Elaine Benes and there are several clues that they may still remain feelings for each other.
He was portyrayed by the infamous comedian Jerry Seinfeld who also portrayed Barry in Bee Movie. Many of the characters traits were shared with the comedian and other producers of the show.
Personality and Traits
Jerry goes mostly unfazed by his friends personal problems and antics, not really concerned with how it would affect them or himself but more or less sees it as his own comical observations. Jerry is described as a person who's never "off", he is an opportunist who takes any chance he can get to sarcastically quip his friends with their own issues.
Despite this Jerry takes his role as a comedian very seriously, and was left offended when he suspected that Tim Whatley converted only to Judaism purely for it to be acceptable for him to make Jewish jokes and wasn't primarily concerned with his religion as a Jew being misused. In the same episode Jerry was accused of being an anti-Dentite (a person who hates dentist) by Kramer, although in hindsight later in the episodes he did describe dentists "as sadists with newer magazines." He also takes it personally when his parents try to offer him money as they think that he's in constant financial problems due to his failing career as a comedian (in real life Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most infamous comedians of all time).
Jerry seems in better control of his emotions than his friends (specifically George Constanza who can literally go from being calm to actually screaming to another person). Elaine even commented that he couldn't feel remorse for which he replied that he didn't feel bad about that. In one episode one of his girlfriends never saw him got angry which actually resulted in an overflow of emotions, such as rage, angst, depression and happiness. Jerry rarely ever cries and was surprised when he did after another of his girlfriends had just left him (or in his words "what is this salty discharge?")
He is a neurotic, paranoid man (like most of the characters on the show) and showed signs of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, such as consistently putting a coaster underneath a cup or neurotically wiping up any spillage in his apartment. He was also terrified of visiting his girlfriend, Lisi's house as it was the same location of The Lopper (a serial killer who decapitated his victims) when it was in reality Slippery Pete, a guy who was helping George move his arcade game, Frogger. The Lopper was most likely an urban legend than an actual killer. Jerry's germaphobia was evidently so bad that he was unable to kiss the girl he was dating as the toothbrush she used was accidentally dropped in the toilet for one second despite getting a different one and actually sanitising her mouth. Elaine said that if Jerry was unable to kiss this girl his neuroticism would go from being quirky to an actual issue.
Jerry is something of a ladies man, he has dozens of relationships with different woman every week, as Elaine describes it however the reasons for him breaking up are rather stupid (e.g. A girl having man-hands, her being a sentence-filler or even just being too good).
Jerry is an eternal optimist and acts as a lifeboat and the voice of reason for his friends wild antics. He is an avid comic book lover as well particular DC Comics are his favourites, e.g, Superman, Bizarro, Green Lantern. Jerry engages in very intriguing conversations with his friends, (such as does Iron Man wear any undergarment underneath his Iron suit) with George Constanza. A source of Jerry's annoyance is his neighbour Cosmo Kramer whom constantly "mooches" off of Jerry (ironically the source of Kramers mooching was when Jerry moved in eleven years ago and said to his new neighbour "what's mine is yours). However he is mostly irritated his archenemy/neighbour Newman whose primary role in the series was to cause Jerry discomfort. His friends to him for advice and occasionally vice-versa but normally ends disastrousl.
Jerry is quite immature for his age, the most obvious would be his childishness and quirky humour towards serious matters. He was also obsessed about his girlfriends antique toy collection, so much that he was willing to drug her to play with her toys when she was unconscious. He also lacks the steadiness to hold a relationship with a woman, normally nitpicking any major or minor flaw. Depsite this throughout the series he was the only person out of his group that was able to hold a steady job as an indoor comedian.
Jerry derives amusement from the misfortune of his friends. When George called Jerry from a Japanese TV Network and their focus group overslept, he appeared to mock his friend over his franticness. (George (agitated and worried): "Jerry! The Japanese guys had sake in the hot tub! You gotta take them out of the drawers and bring them down here otherwise I haven't got a focus group to sell the pilot to Japanese TV. (Jerry (smugly): Uncle Leo?" (George (pounds the payphone on the payphone box): "JERRY!!!!"
Jerry's family are a constant source of annoyance in his life, his parents can be intrusive and meddlesome however he is not dominated like George is with his family. Jerry constantly plots to get them to move to Florida but with no avail. Jerry's parents constantly mistake thier son for being in constant financial trouble and urge him to leave his comedian career and take up advertisement, they normally try to offer him money which he insistently denied no matter how many times they urged him. Jerry is on moderatly good terms with his Uncle Leo however when Jerry caught him shoplifting at a library he went out of his way to scare him straight which actually put him in jail due to his past "crime of passions."
George has been Jerry's closest friend since high school however Jerry normally mocks or toys with his friends even when he's in one of his "crisis" states. On one episode George begins a relationship with a woman who looked remarkably like his friend and Kramer notes that it George was "secretly in love with Jerry". Eventually he ended the relationship when she cut her hair in the exact manner as Seinfeld. Kramer is his neighbour however Jerry is easily irritated by his "mooch" tendencies. Kramer is surprisingly loyal to his friend, such as when Jerry became overemotional and told his neighbour "I love you" and without a second thought Kramer instantly replied "I love you too buddy." Elaine differs a lot from from the rest of his friends, she used to be his girlfriend however there is some indication that even after breaking up the two harbour deep feelings for each other.
Jerry has a fondness for cereal as he is often seen eating many bowls (at times in the afternoon and with his friends), collecting the toys inside the box and his kitchen shelf is usually stocked with various varieties of cereal. At one point George claims Jerry’s entire life revolved around “Superman and cereal”.
Trivia
- Jerry Seinfeld is the only main character who appears in all 180 episodes of the series.