The Real Reason Larry David Left Seinfeld At Its Highest Point

Summary:

• Seinfeld was one of the most popular and successful shows created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld; but after Season 7, Larry left the show.
• According to Larry David's own comments, after seven long years, he felt ready to leave Seinfeld to create something new.
• According to Jason Alexander, Seinfeld was too stressful and too much of a commitment for Larry to handle after the seventh season.

Seinfeld's influence on pop culture cannot be overstated – The Office 's often unlikable characters were clearly inspired by Jerry and George, and Friends, steeped in the romantic spirit of 1990s New York, likely would not have been greenlit without the success of Seinfeld.

Seinfeld Was a TV Phenomenon

The idea of making the main characters of a sitcom a group of characters who are not too close to each other seemed absurd. But it was with this concept – called no hugs, no learning – that two friends, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, came to the management of NBC.

The former was doing low-paying jobs on TV, and the latter was a promising stand-up comic who was already appearing on late-night shows. At the pitch, they suggested: let Seinfeld play himself, the plot will be built around how the comedian collects material from everyday life, all the characters will be just acquaintances, and most importantly, no morals.

Thus was born a show that will glorify both Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as the main actors – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards – and, most importantly, will live for nine seasons without slowing down.

If you ask a Seinfeld fan which season of the show they consider the best, they will most likely choose Season 7. This makes it all the more strange that Larry David left the show right after the seventh season, literally at the height of its popularity.

Larry David Left Because He Was Ready

David himself said in an interview that he wasn't burnt out or in conflict with the crew, but that seven years was too long and that he was already thinking about trying something new:

"I just felt like I was ready. I had done that, and now I wanted to try something else."

Jason Alexander expressed a different point of view – in his opinion, a project as popular as Seinfeld was too stressful for Larry, who constantly felt the responsibility resting on his shoulders, and after seven years of carrying that burden, he simply could not take it anymore.

The show ended in 1998 (although the network offered Seinfeld an incredible amount of money for another season), but its heritage lives on. A reunion of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David can be seen in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld's spiritual brother, which sometimes directly references plots from the 1990s show. Here, David plays himself – a man always dissatisfied with the world around him.

Sources: Charlie Rose, WTF With Marc Maron