Fans of Seinfeld can finally experience the show up close and personal: The Seinfeld Experience is coming to New York City. The popular NBC sitcom ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998. Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, it followed the adventures of a fictional Seinfeld and his friends in Manhattan. The show focused on the day-to-day lives of its characters rather than big events. It's thought of as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and had a large impact on TV comedy as we know it today.
Seinfeld was beloved by critics and audience members alike; its final season averaged over 38 million viewers. It also won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for 68 throughout its run. In addition to David and Seinfeld, it starred Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards, all of whom have continued to work steadily since the show's conclusion. Louis-Dreyfus starred in The New Adventures of Old Christine and VEEP, while David went on to create and star in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Seinfeld, meanwhile, has found success with Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, a web series and talk show where he chats with fellow comedians.
According to Deadline, The Seinfeld Experience is "part retail shop and part immersive show promotion" and features "interactive exhibits with costumes, memorabilia, set re-creations, and props." It will also have unspecified new content and a store that sells "limited-edition and exclusive merchandise." The experience comes from both entertainment producer Superfly and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Tickets will go on sale in the next few months and will be available until February 2020.
The Seinfeld Experience comes as the show is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Peter van Roden, who is the SVP of Global Themed Entertainment at Warner Bros. Consumer Products, said that the company is "thrilled to partner with Superfly to introduce an authentic experience that pays tribute to the sitcom’s most iconic scenes, catch phrases and characters." Meanwhile, Seinfeld released the following statement about The Seinfeld Experience:
"Because I am Seinfeld, for a long time I was the only person to actually have the Seinfeld experience. Now, these crazy Superfly people are going to make it so lots of people can interact with our silly ’90s TV show. All I can say is, in the general context of the world we live in, this now seems completely normal."
TV experiences like this one have become popular in the last few years. Back in 2014, Eight O'Clock Coffee sponsored a Friends themed Central Perk pop-up in honor of the show's 20th anniversary. A similar thing happened before the Gilmore Girls revival in 2016 when Netflix converted coffee shops around the country into versions of Luke's Diner for one day only. Though the concept isn't new, The Seinfeld Experience stands out for being a more permanent fixture in New York. With Seinfeld's enduring place in pop culture, a lengthier stay makes sense. Fans of the show should be excited that they have until 2020 to make the trip and celebrate their favorite show.
More: 10 TV Shows For People Who Miss Seinfeld
Source: Deadline