The Apartment (Seinfeld episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Apartment" is the fifth episode of the second season
of the NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
and the show's tenth episode overall. In the episode, protagonist
Jerry Seinfeld
(Jerry Seinfeld
) gets his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus
) an apartment above his, but regrets this after realizing it might be uncomfortable living so close together. Meanwhile, Jerry's friend George Costanza
(Jason Alexander
) wears a wedding ring
to a party to see what effect this will have on women.
The episode was written by Peter Mehlman
and directed by Tom Cherones
. Series co-creators Seinfeld and Larry David
asked Mehlman to write an episode for the show after they read a few articles he wrote for newspapers and magazines. Mehlman originally had the idea of Elaine moving away from Jerry, but David and Seinfeld felt it would be funnier if Elaine moved closer to Jerry instead. "The Apartment" was first broadcast in the United States
on April 4, 1991 on NBC, and was watched in 15.7 million homes, making it the ninth most-watched program of the week it was broadcast. The episode gained mostly positive responses from critics.
) and Manny (Tony Plana
), the managers of his apartment building, discussing a death that makes an apartment available. Shocked by the low rent, Jerry immediately tells Elaine that he will be able to get her the apartment above his. She is extremely excited to hear this, as she will be able to live near Jerry. Though excited at first, Jerry later realizes how intrusive Elaine might become, and that living with her might get annoying. He discusses his problem with George, but the topic of their conversation changes and they eventually talk about wearing a wedding ring
to a party, to see how women will react. George dislikes the idea at first, but eventually borrows one from Jerry's neighbour Cosmo Kramer
(Michael Richards
) to experiment.
Jerry still worries about Elaine, but Harold and Manny inform him that someone else has bid higher than Elaine and will get the apartment unless Elaine is able to pay $5,000. Elaine is very disappointed when she hears the news. However, Kramer convinces Jerry to lend Elaine the money. When Elaine, Jerry and George go to a party of a friend of Elaine, Elaine asks Jerry if it would be uncomfortable for them to live so close to each other, but Jerry says he does not worry. George's wedding ring plan backfires, as he discovers that wearing the ring is actually causing women who would otherwise date him to reject him. Jerry feels stupid for not telling Elaine the truth, but, the following day, Kramer informs him that he found somebody who is willing to pay $10,000 for the apartment. However, Kramer's friend, a musician, plays loud music all day long, and Jerry regrets not letting Elaine rent the apartment.
and directed by Tom Cherones
. Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David
contacted Mehlman and asked him to write an episode for the show after reading a few articles Mehlman had written for The New York Times
and Esquire
. Mehlman noted that, prior to Seinfeld, he had "barely written any dialogue in [his] life". He first conceived the idea of an episode in which Elaine would move away from Manhattan and Jerry had to confront his feelings about her. He discussed the idea with Seinfeld, David and staff writer Larry Charles
, who felt that it would be funnier if Elaine would move closer to Jerry instead. After their meeting, Mehlman was told to write the episode, which surprised him, describing it as "unlike any other show, where they would have given beat for beat for beat." As Mehlman was writing the script, he came up with the idea of George wearing a wedding ring to a party to see how women would react. Though the wedding ring idea was not included in the approved script, Seinfeld and David decided to keep it as it suited George well.
The first table read
of the episode was held on January 9, 1991. The episode was filmed in front of a live audience on January 15, 1991. Filming of the episode took place at the CBS Studio Center
in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
, where, starting with the season premiere "The Ex-Girlfriend
", filming of all the show's episodes took place. A few scenes were changed prior to the filming of the episode. The scene in which Jerry informs George he told Elaine about the apartment initially showed them standing in line for the movies, talking about sitting in the front of the theatre. George would tell Jerry that he once pretended to have a grotesque physical impairment while he was standing in line to get a ticket for The Exorcist
(1973), and people would let him go in front of them without saying anything. The location of this scene, however, was changed to Monk's Cafe
, a regular hangout for the show's main characters, and George and Jerry's dialogue was shortened. In the original script, Jerry, instead of George, proclaimed himself "lord of the idiots", but this was changed during rehearsals.
"The Apartment" featured the first and only appearance of Harold and Manny, the two building superintendents. Veteran actors Glenn Shadix and Tony Plana portrayed Harold and Manny respectively. Their part in the episode was originally smaller, but they were written into the final scene of the episode. Harold was set to return in the season two episode "The Revenge", in which he would tell the show's central characters that Jerry's suicidal neighbour Newman
jumped from the building, but an awning
broke his fall. However, the Newman sub plot in the episode was significantly reduced during production and Harold's part was cut. Theresa Randle
, Patricia Ayame Thomson and Leslie Neale guest starred as women George flirts with unsuccessfully when he is wearing his wedding ring. Louis-Dreyfus' half-sister Lauren Bowles
appeared as an extra at the party George, Jerry and Elaine attend. Bowles would continue to appear regularly throughout the series' run, frequently as a waitress at Monk's Cafe. Additionally, David Blackwood, who appeared as a guest at the party, would also continue to make small appearances on the show. Assistant director Joan Van Horn appeared as a woman feeding her baby at Monk's Cafe.
The episode marks the first time Elaine does her trademark "Get Out!" shove; the catchphrase was not in the original script, but was added at Louis-Dreyfus' suggestion. It became one of the show's popular catchphrases. "The Apartment" is the first episode in which Jerry's apartment number is 5A; it had been changed a few times prior to the broadcast of this episode, but would remain 5A until the end of the show. It is also contains one of the few references to Kramer's father, who remained unseen throughout the show's run.
on April 4, 1991 as part of a Thursday night line-up that also included Cheers and L.A. Law
. "The Apartment" gained a Nielsen rating
of 16.9 and an audience share of 28, meaning that 16.9% of American households watched the episode, and that 28% of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into it. Nielsen also estimated that 15.7 million homes were tuned into the episode, making Seinfeld the ninth most-watched show in the week the episode was broadcast, while 20.5 million homes tuned into Cheers. Seinfelds ability to keep a large number of Cheers audience eventually helped the show get a third season order.
Ocala Star-Banner critic Jon Burlingame praised the episode for its "smart humor" and stated the show could be a perfect fit between Cheers and L.A. Law. Mike Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling of Entertainment Weekly
reacted very positive to the episode and praised Alexander's performance in particular, stating "George's profound self-hatred is now in full bloom ('Please, a little respect, for I am Costanza, Lord of the Idiots!'). Kramer's input, meanwhile, remains limited to off-the-wall, often annoying cameos. Which reminds us: Why in the world has Alexander been denied an Emmy
, while Richards has scored two?" Schilling and Flaherty graded
the episode with a B+. However, The Kitchener-Waterloo Record critic Bonnie Malleck gave the episode a particular negative review, comparing Seinfeld to It's Garry Shandling's Show
, she stated "Seinfeld isn't neurotic enough to be as funny as[ Garry Shandling
] . So, instead of being nervously funny, he's just nervously dull".
Seinfeld (season 2)
Season two of Seinfeld, an American television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on January 23, 1991, on NBC. Because of the commencement of the first Gulf War, the second season's premiere was postponed one week. The season comprised 12 episodes, and concluded its...
of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
and the show's tenth episode overall. In the episode, protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
(Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
) gets his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
) an apartment above his, but regrets this after realizing it might be uncomfortable living so close together. Meanwhile, Jerry's friend George Costanza
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
(Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
) wears a wedding ring
Wedding ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe...
to a party to see what effect this will have on women.
The episode was written by Peter Mehlman
Peter Mehlman
Peter Mehlman is an American television writer and producer, best known for serving as a writer and producer on the TV series Seinfeld through nearly all of the show's nine-year run from 1989 to 1998. He also created the 1999 series It's Like, You Know... and produced the 2004 animated series...
and directed by Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones is an American director and producer of several TV series.-Early life:He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father operated a radio and TV repair shop. His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy...
. Series co-creators Seinfeld and Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
asked Mehlman to write an episode for the show after they read a few articles he wrote for newspapers and magazines. Mehlman originally had the idea of Elaine moving away from Jerry, but David and Seinfeld felt it would be funnier if Elaine moved closer to Jerry instead. "The Apartment" was first broadcast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 4, 1991 on NBC, and was watched in 15.7 million homes, making it the ninth most-watched program of the week it was broadcast. The episode gained mostly positive responses from critics.
Plot
While Elaine is depressed about the low quality of her apartment, Jerry overhears Harold (Glenn ShadixGlenn Shadix
William Glenn Shadix Scott , born William Glenn Shadix, was an American actor, known for his role as Otho Fenlock in Tim Burton's horror/comedy film Beetlejuice and the voice of the Mayor of Halloween Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas.-Early life and education:Shadix was born in Bessemer,...
) and Manny (Tony Plana
Tony Plana
Tony Plana is a Cuban-American actor and director. He is well known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC show Ugly Betty.-Personal life:...
), the managers of his apartment building, discussing a death that makes an apartment available. Shocked by the low rent, Jerry immediately tells Elaine that he will be able to get her the apartment above his. She is extremely excited to hear this, as she will be able to live near Jerry. Though excited at first, Jerry later realizes how intrusive Elaine might become, and that living with her might get annoying. He discusses his problem with George, but the topic of their conversation changes and they eventually talk about wearing a wedding ring
Wedding ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe...
to a party, to see how women will react. George dislikes the idea at first, but eventually borrows one from Jerry's neighbour Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
(Michael Richards
Michael Richards
Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
) to experiment.
Jerry still worries about Elaine, but Harold and Manny inform him that someone else has bid higher than Elaine and will get the apartment unless Elaine is able to pay $5,000. Elaine is very disappointed when she hears the news. However, Kramer convinces Jerry to lend Elaine the money. When Elaine, Jerry and George go to a party of a friend of Elaine, Elaine asks Jerry if it would be uncomfortable for them to live so close to each other, but Jerry says he does not worry. George's wedding ring plan backfires, as he discovers that wearing the ring is actually causing women who would otherwise date him to reject him. Jerry feels stupid for not telling Elaine the truth, but, the following day, Kramer informs him that he found somebody who is willing to pay $10,000 for the apartment. However, Kramer's friend, a musician, plays loud music all day long, and Jerry regrets not letting Elaine rent the apartment.
Production
"The Apartment" was written by Peter MehlmanPeter Mehlman
Peter Mehlman is an American television writer and producer, best known for serving as a writer and producer on the TV series Seinfeld through nearly all of the show's nine-year run from 1989 to 1998. He also created the 1999 series It's Like, You Know... and produced the 2004 animated series...
and directed by Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones is an American director and producer of several TV series.-Early life:He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father operated a radio and TV repair shop. His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy...
. Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
contacted Mehlman and asked him to write an episode for the show after reading a few articles Mehlman had written for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
. Mehlman noted that, prior to Seinfeld, he had "barely written any dialogue in [his] life". He first conceived the idea of an episode in which Elaine would move away from Manhattan and Jerry had to confront his feelings about her. He discussed the idea with Seinfeld, David and staff writer Larry Charles
Larry Charles
Larry Charles is an American writer, director, and producer. He is best known as a staff writer for the American sitcom Seinfeld for its first 5 seasons, contributing some of the show's darkest and most absurd storylines...
, who felt that it would be funnier if Elaine would move closer to Jerry instead. After their meeting, Mehlman was told to write the episode, which surprised him, describing it as "unlike any other show, where they would have given beat for beat for beat." As Mehlman was writing the script, he came up with the idea of George wearing a wedding ring to a party to see how women would react. Though the wedding ring idea was not included in the approved script, Seinfeld and David decided to keep it as it suited George well.
The first table read
Read-through
The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film and theatre production when an organized reading around a table of the screenplay or script by the actors with speaking parts is conducted....
of the episode was held on January 9, 1991. The episode was filmed in front of a live audience on January 15, 1991. Filming of the episode took place at the CBS Studio Center
CBS Studio Center
CBS Studio Center is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. It is located at 4024 Radford Avenue and takes up a triangular piece of land, with the Los Angeles River bisecting the site...
in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City is an affluent residential neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. Studio City expands over four ZIP code areas: 91604 and sections of 91602, 91607 and 90210....
, where, starting with the season premiere "The Ex-Girlfriend
The Ex-Girlfriend
"The Ex-Girlfriend" is the first episode of the sitcom Seinfelds second season on NBC, and is the show's sixth episode overall. The episode first broadcast in the United States on January 23, 1991, after being postponed for one week due to the start of the First Gulf War...
", filming of all the show's episodes took place. A few scenes were changed prior to the filming of the episode. The scene in which Jerry informs George he told Elaine about the apartment initially showed them standing in line for the movies, talking about sitting in the front of the theatre. George would tell Jerry that he once pretended to have a grotesque physical impairment while he was standing in line to get a ticket for The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
(1973), and people would let him go in front of them without saying anything. The location of this scene, however, was changed to Monk's Cafe
Monk's Cafe
Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, is often shown on the show as the exterior of Monk's, though the interiors were shot on a sound stage. The coffee shop is...
, a regular hangout for the show's main characters, and George and Jerry's dialogue was shortened. In the original script, Jerry, instead of George, proclaimed himself "lord of the idiots", but this was changed during rehearsals.
"The Apartment" featured the first and only appearance of Harold and Manny, the two building superintendents. Veteran actors Glenn Shadix and Tony Plana portrayed Harold and Manny respectively. Their part in the episode was originally smaller, but they were written into the final scene of the episode. Harold was set to return in the season two episode "The Revenge", in which he would tell the show's central characters that Jerry's suicidal neighbour Newman
Newman (Seinfeld)
Newman is a recurring character on the television show Seinfeld, played by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.-Background:...
jumped from the building, but an awning
Awning
An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a light structure of aluminium, iron or steel, possibly...
broke his fall. However, the Newman sub plot in the episode was significantly reduced during production and Harold's part was cut. Theresa Randle
Theresa Randle
Theresa E. Randle is an American stage, film and television actress.Randle was born in Los Angeles, California. She began her performing career by studying dance and comedy. She entered Beverly Hills College with a special program for the exceptionally gifted...
, Patricia Ayame Thomson and Leslie Neale guest starred as women George flirts with unsuccessfully when he is wearing his wedding ring. Louis-Dreyfus' half-sister Lauren Bowles
Lauren Bowles
Lauren Hannah Bowles is an American actress and a half-sister of Julia Louis-Dreyfus.She has appeared in numerous TV shows including Seinfeld, Arrested Development, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Judging Amy, The New Adventures of Old Christine , Private Practice and many more...
appeared as an extra at the party George, Jerry and Elaine attend. Bowles would continue to appear regularly throughout the series' run, frequently as a waitress at Monk's Cafe. Additionally, David Blackwood, who appeared as a guest at the party, would also continue to make small appearances on the show. Assistant director Joan Van Horn appeared as a woman feeding her baby at Monk's Cafe.
The episode marks the first time Elaine does her trademark "Get Out!" shove; the catchphrase was not in the original script, but was added at Louis-Dreyfus' suggestion. It became one of the show's popular catchphrases. "The Apartment" is the first episode in which Jerry's apartment number is 5A; it had been changed a few times prior to the broadcast of this episode, but would remain 5A until the end of the show. It is also contains one of the few references to Kramer's father, who remained unseen throughout the show's run.
Errors
Jerry tells Donna that he has never watched one "I Love Lucy" episode in "The Phone Message", but in this episode he mentions Fred Mertz to his show audience.Reception
The episode was first aired in the United States on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on April 4, 1991 as part of a Thursday night line-up that also included Cheers and L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
. "The Apartment" gained a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 16.9 and an audience share of 28, meaning that 16.9% of American households watched the episode, and that 28% of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into it. Nielsen also estimated that 15.7 million homes were tuned into the episode, making Seinfeld the ninth most-watched show in the week the episode was broadcast, while 20.5 million homes tuned into Cheers. Seinfelds ability to keep a large number of Cheers audience eventually helped the show get a third season order.
Ocala Star-Banner critic Jon Burlingame praised the episode for its "smart humor" and stated the show could be a perfect fit between Cheers and L.A. Law. Mike Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reacted very positive to the episode and praised Alexander's performance in particular, stating "George's profound self-hatred is now in full bloom ('Please, a little respect, for I am Costanza, Lord of the Idiots!'). Kramer's input, meanwhile, remains limited to off-the-wall, often annoying cameos. Which reminds us: Why in the world has Alexander been denied an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, while Richards has scored two?" Schilling and Flaherty graded
Academic grading in the United States
Academic grading in the United States most commonly takes on the form of five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest. In the mid-twentieth century, many American educational institutions—especially in the Midwest —began...
the episode with a B+. However, The Kitchener-Waterloo Record critic Bonnie Malleck gave the episode a particular negative review, comparing Seinfeld to It's Garry Shandling's Show
It's Garry Shandling's Show
It's Garry Shandling's Show is an American sitcom which was initially broadcast on Showtime from 1986 to 1990. It was created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel. The show is notable for its frequent use of breaking the fourth wall to allow characters to speak directly to the audience...
, she stated "Seinfeld isn't neurotic enough to be as funny as
Garry Shandling
Garry Emmanuel Shandling is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for his work in It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show....
External links
- "The Apartment" at Sony Pictures