When one iconic sitcom leaves, another arrives. After losing the rights to stream "The Office," and "Friends," Netflix has announced that it will begin streaming "Seinfeld."
All 180 episodes of the Emmy Award winning sitcom will be available in 2021. It's the first time Seinfeld will be available on Netflix and the first time all 180 episodes will be available on one streaming service globally. Hulu currently holds the domestic streaming rights for the show, and it's currently available internationally on Amazon in certain regions.
The show stars Jerry Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself. The episodes follow him and his friends George Costanza played by Jason Alexander, Elaine Benes played by Julia Luis-Dreyfus, and Cosmo Kramer played by Michael Richards as they go through their daily life. It's often described as "a show about nothing."
Seinfeld has partnered with Netflix in several projects, including "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" and "Jerry Before Seinfeld," a film that follows Seinfeld as he returns to a stand-up comedy routine in New York.
Netflix's acquisition of "Seinfeld" is a huge win after the streaming service lost the rights to stream "The Office" and "Friends" Both shows will be leaving the streaming service as the companies that own the shows start their own services. "Friends" will leave Netflix in 2020 and eventually stream on HBO Max, and "The Office will leave Netflix in 2021, and will eventually make its appearance on NBC's streaming service.
“ ‘Seinfeld’ is a one-of-a-kind, iconic, culture-defining show,” Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “Now, 30 years after its premiere, ‘Seinfeld’ remains center stage. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to bring this beloved series to current fans and new audiences around the globe.”