Julia Louis-Dreyfus says a tense argument on the set of Seinfeld broke out over whether Jerry and Elaine’s Season 2 episode “The Deal” should lead to a romance, with co-creator Larry David pushing back hard. She also credited an NBC executive, Rick Ludwin, for
Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer may have looked like they were in control of the chaos on screen—but Julia Louis-Dreyfus says the atmosphere behind the scenes could get just as tense.
During a conversation on the “Awards Chatter” podcast, Louis-Dreyfus revisited the pressure that came with one specific storyline in Season 2.. In “The Deal. ” the ninth episode of the season. Elaine and her best friend Jerry sleep together and then agree to keep things platonic.. Louis-Dreyfus says that concept didn’t stay purely “temporary” in the room.
“There was a big fat argument on set about that because Jerry and Elaine sleep together in that episode and they sort of make a deal about it,” she said. The dispute, she explained, centered on whether the show should shift their relationship into a “will they, won’t they” storyline.
Larry David vs. the romance idea
Louis-Dreyfus said co-creator Larry David was firmly against turning Jerry and Elaine into romantic partners. “Larry was livid. He did not want anything to do with the idea of romance, the cute, the s***,” she recalled.
In the end, David’s vision won out. Jerry and Elaine remained close friends throughout all nine seasons.
A show that nearly didn’t make it
That wasn’t the only frustration Louis-Dreyfus described. She said her character was absent from the original pilot, and she also talked about how close the series came to never airing.
“NBC didn’t want to do the show,” Louis-Dreyfus said, before pointing to the late Rick Ludwin, who ran special programming at NBC. She explained that Ludwin helped “keep this show afloat” by redirecting the late-night programming budget into four episodes.
“God love Rick Ludwin, he’s passed away, but he was an incredibly wonderful guy, and we really have him to thank,” Louis-Dreyfus added.
Why she sensed Seinfeld was different
Louis-Dreyfus also reflected on how quickly she recognized the show’s unusual rhythm. “The comedies on television had a familiar rhythm to them, and this I’m not saying anything negative, it’s just was the case,” she said. “This show did not. This show was sort of almost an anti-joke in a way.”
She said she saw the difference early, even on the page. “I recognized the difference on the page, and I thought, wow, this is wild. It’s like my friends have gotten into the system and fooled everyone.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Seinfeld Larry David Jerry and Elaine The Deal NBC Rick Ludwin Awards Chatter podcast Seinfeld behind the scenes