"Seinfeld" might've gone out on top of the Nielsen ratings in the spring of 1998, but it took the show five seasons to crack the top ten, in part because its network, NBC, couldn't make heads or tails of the series.
Jerry Seinfeld, who co-created the show with his stand-up comedy pal Larry David, was anything but edgy. He was an observational comic with a gently absurdist bent, pointing out all of humanity's little quirks and peccadilloes. He stopped by "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" frequently, and gradually became a mainstream-friendly stand-out amid the crowded 1980s stand-up scene.
So why did NBC struggle to identify its ratings-topping potential?
Because "Seinfeld" was edgy, mean even, and its serrated comedy was primarily the invention of David, whose shamelessness permeated the character of George Costanza (Jason Alexander). All four major characters on Seinfeld -- Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer -- were deeply selfish and generally unpleasant people. They were our close-to-worst selves -- and we recognized it and loved it as a form catharsis for our inner a**hole.