Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989 to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons.

Many of its catchphrases have entered into the pop culture lexicon. The show led the Nielsen Ratings in its sixth and ninth seasons, and finished among the top two (along with ER) every year from 1994 to 1998. In 2002, TV Guide named Seinfeld as the greatest American television program of all time.

The show premiered as The Seinfeld Chronicles on Thursday, May 31, 1990 on NBC. The show was not an immediate success. After the pilot was shown, on July 5, 1989, a pickup by the NBC network did not seem likely and the show was actually offered to Fox, which declined to pick it up. However, Rick Ludwin, head of late night and special events for NBC, diverted money from his budget, and the next four episodes: “Male-Unbonding,” “The Stakeout,” “The Robbery,” and “The Stock Tip” were filmed. These 1990 episodes were highly-rated as they followed Cheers on Thursdays at 9:30. At one point, NBC considered airing these episodes on Saturdays at 10:30 but instead gave that slot to the short-lived sitcom, FM (TV series).