Jerry Seinfeld Declares ‘TV Is Over and There’s Nothing Special About It’

The comedian behind “Seinfeld” explains at Crackle upfront that “TV networks are worried” audiences will soon figure it out for themselves

Kevin Hart Jerry Seinfeld comedians in cars getting coffee
Crackle

Jerry Seinfeld, who had the biggest television show on the air for much of the 1990s, declared this week that “TV is over.”

The host of Crackle’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” made the bold, and perhaps traitorous statement at the digital network’s first-ever upfront event.

“I did a TV show,” Seinfeld reminded the audience of media buyers and press. “I loved that experience.”

“I really had the full experience that you could have on TV,” he continued. “And I thought if I wanted to do something else, I wanted to be a part of inventing a new experience for viewers.”

So he went to Crackle, where his short-form reality show is entering its sixth season and has more episodes already ordered for future seasons.

“There’s nothing different about what we’re doing than what anyone else is doing on any media anywhere,” he said about “Comedians.” “TV networks are worried that you’ll figure out TV is over and there’s nothing special about it.”

Then Seinfeld had a message for the clutter out there, posing as polished multiplatform programming.

“I don’t want to see this crap,” he said. “We have a giant garbage can called YouTube for user-generated content.”

“We’re trying to generate a little higher level,” Seinfeld concluded of the digital network he tethered himself to. “I mean, I’m still an old showbusiness guy — I think showbusiness is for talent, that’s who should be in it. There’s room for other people, but let’s keep it in its hierarchy. I like hierarchy and I like being at the top of the pyramid.”

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