From Vanity Fair · Blake J. Harris · · 2m
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's Pilot Script Rewrites
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's pilot script was rewritten four times before NBC accepted it.
In brief
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's pilot script was rewritten four times before NBC accepted it. Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's Seinfeld pilot script was rewritten four times by Castle Rock before NBC accepted it. Originally reported by Vanity Fair.
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld meet in LA
Larry David flew to Los Angeles in early March 1989 to write the Seinfeld pilot with Jerry Seinfeld.
Roommate concerns
Larry David worried about sharing a bathroom with Jerry Seinfeld for the first time in many years.
Larry's neat living
Larry David stayed in Jerry Seinfeld's West Hollywood condo with his own bathroom and clean living space.
Writing process
Larry and Jerry wrote the pilot script in a week with no planning or heavy plotting.
Bikram yoga
Larry and Jerry practiced Bikram yoga daily to stay focused on writing the pilot script.
The first draft
Larry and Jerry delivered a pilot script to Castle Rock on March 11, 1989.
Castle Rock's reaction
Castle Rock's showrunner Gary Gilbert thought Larry and Jerry's first draft was too stand-up for a sitcom.
First rewrite
Gary Gilbert cut up Larry and Jerry's script and restructured it with paper clips.
Second rewrite
Gary Gilbert and Andy Scheinman added sitcom language to the rewritten pilot script.
Third rewrite
Larry and Jerry revised the script to make it more jokey but hurt the story.
Fourth rewrite
Gary Gilbert and Andy Scheinman rewrote the script a fourth time to fix the story.
The compromise
Larry, Jerry, Gary Gilbert, and Andy Scheinman sat together to page by page rewrite the script.
WGA arbitration
WGA arbitrators unanimously ruled Larry and Jerry were the sole creators of the pilot script.
The final script
NBC accepted the pilot script after four major rewrites by Castle Rock.
The show's impact
The Seinfeld pilot script became the foundation for a successful sitcom with unique dialogue.
The takeaway
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's Seinfeld pilot script was rewritten four times by Castle Rock before NBC accepted it.
