Doing Nothing Pays Off For Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld Image by Getty Images
By Anne Cohen April 4, 2013
George had it right all along: doing nothing pays off.
Fifteen years after the Massachusetts’s Good Samaritan law landed the fabulous foursome in jail, the show has reportedly earned approximately $3.1 billion in reruns, The Independent reported on Wednesday. Yes, that’s right. Billion.
Co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David have earned an estimated $400 million each, and a fifth syndication deal for “Seinfeld” is now being negotiated.
George, Kramer and Elaine really missed the boat on this one. According to the report, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards and Julia Louis-Dreyfus did not get syndication rights, but earn a percentage of revenues from Seinfeld DVD sales, a right they demanded as part of their contract negotiations for the final season.
Back in 1997, who could have guessed that a little something called the Internet would come along with its wonderfully free viral streaming options?
With users moving more and more towards online binge-watching, one might wonder why they even bother with syndication at all. Well, how many times have you turned on the TV, flipped channels casually and almost switched off, only to spot a Seinfeld rerun and stay glued for hours? (If you’re anything like me, the answer is too embarrassing to share) Oh, and each of the 180 episodes has individually earned more than $17 million to date, MSN Now reported.
That’ll keep Jerry’s fridge full of Snapple for a long, long time.
“Sweet fancy Moses!” Check out some of the best moments on “Seinfeld”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
