The Seinfeld Chronicles The Seinfeld Chronicles "The Seinfeld Chronicles" (also known as "Good News, Bad News" or "Pilot") is the pilot episode of the American sitcom "Seinfeld", which first aired on NBC on July 5, 1989. The first of the 180 "Seinfeld" episodes, the pilot was written by show creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, and directed by Art Wolff. The episode revolves around a fictionalized version of Seinfeld, who is unsure about the romantic intentions of a woman he met, and frets about the meaning of her signals with his friend George (Jason Alexander) and neighbor Kessler (Michael Richards, whose character would
The Seinfeld Chronicles was watched by nearly 11% of American households, and received generally favorable reviews from critics, who reacted with disappointment that NBC did not order a first season. Convinced that the show had potential, and supported by the positive reviews, NBC executive Rick Ludwin managed to convince his superiors to order a four-episode first season (the smallest order in TV history), by offering a part of his personal budget in return. The show, renamed "Seinfeld", would go on to become the most successful sitcom in television history. The series opens with Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld) and George Costanza (Jason Alexander) seated