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'Seinfeld' Sign-off

May 14, 1998
Web posted at: 9:20 a.m. EDT (1320 GMT)

(CNN) -- Would Jerry, Kramer, Elaine and George gather around a television set to watch a sitcom finale?

On any other program, the answer would be no. But as fans know, anything is possible on the sitcom "Seinfeld."

The omnipresent interviews and photos of the cast, the countless stories, the clamor, hype and the program itself come to an end tonight. NBC begins the evening with a retrospective at 8 p.m. EDT.

In a move certain to frustrate those used to taping "Seinfeld" at its usual time, NBC begins the final show fifteen minutes early, at 8:45 p.m. EDT.

Americans consider "Seinfeld" the funniest show on TV, and 44 percent say they will watch the sitcom's final episode, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted April 17-19. Pollsters questioned 1,007 adult Americans, including 487 who identified themselves as fans of "Seinfeld".

Fifty-eight percent of "Seinfeld" fans say Kramer is their favorite character. Only 12 percent voted for Jerry, which ties him with George, while Elaine squeaked past both of them with 15 percent.

Kramer is particularly well-liked among male fans of the show. Two-thirds of the men who watch the show say the "hipster doofus" is their favorite character.

"Seinfeld" fans say that the show's characters are likable rather than annoying. Fans of the show -- who represent about half the adult population in the United States -- also say they would like to see NBC put "Frasier" in the "Seinfeld" slot on Thursday nights. "Mad About You" was a close second. The sampling error for the poll was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points for questions asked of "Seinfeld" fans only, and plus or minus 3 percentage points for questions asked of all respondents.

If you're not among those who care about all this, the other major networks aren't giving up. ABC's promos say they are giving Thursday night their "best shot" with their broadcast of the Clint Eastwood movie "Unforgiven."

CBS has season finales of its own to offer. In an effort to hook loyal followers of "Promised Land" and "Diagnosis Murder," CBS began the finales of those series last week with two-part episodes. Each concludes Thursday night.

The ultimate program about nothing will be literally nothing on the cable channel TV Land.

For two hours Thursday, that network will show the door to the network's office. Taped to it is a sign that says: "We're watching the last episode of `Seinfeld' Please return at 10 p.m."

Of course, Seinfeld will never go away as long as there is syndication. Many stations around the country already show multiple reruns from the sitcom's early years. But for true fans of the show, that is a video scrapbook. A friendship is concluding. Instead of asking each other "Did you see..," fans will be left with discussions that begin with "Remember when...."

To help you remember when -- CNN Interactive presents our Seinfeld special section, "The Last Yada".

 
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