Larry David once said he would “rather spend a year in prison than do another season of Seinfeld,” according to his biographer, Blake J. Harris. The remark came as the comedy’s co-creator faced the prospect of making its fifth season.
Harris recounted the exchange during an October 23 appearance on The Daily Beast’s Obsessed: The Podcast, where host Matt Wilstein interviewed him about his new biography of the comedian.
His book, Emperor of Nothing: The Making of Larry David, was released October 20 by Dey Street Books. Billed as David’s first authorized biography, it draws on more than five years of research and interviews with the comedian, his family, friends and collaborators, according to the publisher’s description.
The fifth season premiered in 1993, a year that also brought David major professional recognition. He won an Emmy for writing “The Contest” and shared another for outstanding comedy series, according to the Writers Guild.
David Wanted Less Anxiety in His Biography
Harris placed the conversation at Art’s Deli, where David was having lunch with writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross. They were meeting him for the first time and considering joining the show. The author originally planned to open his book with that encounter before moving it into a chapter about the sitcom.
Harris acknowledged that David was partly doing comic shtick, but said the remark also reflected the pressure he put on himself to find good ideas. In the book, he traced that pressure to David’s affection for the series and his insistence that every part of an episode meet his standards. David’s longtime friend and lawyer Lloyd Braun described a relentless workload that made the success difficult to enjoy.
When David read a draft of the biography, he objected to how often it returned to his anxiety about finding ideas. The author defended that choice, explaining that it repeatedly came up when he spoke with people about David.
Jerry Seinfeld Helped Him Focus on One Episode at a Time
Harris described Jerry Seinfeld encouraging David to concentrate on the episode they needed to write next, rather than trying to solve an entire season at once. Where David doubted that they could generate enough material, his partner trusted that they would find a way through the work.
The two had known each other since their comedy-club days in the 1970s, and Seinfeld sought David’s advice when he was asked to develop a show for NBC in 1988.
In a book excerpt published by Vanity Fair, Harris recounts pilot rewrites by producer Gary Gilbert and Castle Rock’s Andy Scheinman. David resented their changes and fought to restore the material he and Seinfeld had written.
The dispute eventually reached a Writers Guild credit arbitration. According to the excerpt, three arbitrators reviewed five drafts and unanimously concluded that David and Seinfeld alone deserved the “Created by” credit.
David continued as head writer and executive producer through seven seasons before leaving in 1996. He returned two years later to write the series finale.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Recalled Arguments and On-Set Improvisation
Julia Louis-Dreyfus discussed her own experience making the sitcom on the September 1 episode of Friends Keep Secrets, hosted by Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky and Kristin Batalucco. Asked whether there had been friction on set, the actress who played Elaine Benes answered, “Of course. Yes. Tons.”
She also remembered considerable creative freedom. In People’s account of the interview, she recalled the cast spending time together as friends. Asked directly about David and Seinfeld’s willingness to collaborate, she said they were open to working with the actors.
The studio audience was part of that process. Louis-Dreyfus said she drew energy from performing in front of people, who could watch the production team rewrite material during filming. Rehearsal improvisations and mistakes could also become part of an episode.
She offered “The Parking Garage” as an example. The car was supposed to start at the end, but it failed to turn over during filming. Louis-Dreyfus recalled collapsing in the back seat because she was laughing so hard.