When Will ‘Seinfeld’ Be Available on Netflix?
In 2019, Netflix announced that Seinfeld would be coming to the streaming platform, much to fans’ delight. The show about nothing, however, hasn’t materialized on the platform just yet. Now more than a year since the announcement, fans wonder when they’ll be able to connect with Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes, George Costanza, and Cosmo Kramer. Don’t fret, though, it’s happening sooner than you think.
Netflix outbid several streaming platforms to earn the rights to Seinfeld
With Seinfeld’s exclusive contract on Hulu set to expire, a bidding war ensued. Netflix eventually came out victorious. HBO Max and NBCU were both reportedly interested in housing the series. The contract details have not been released to the public, but insiders believe the global rights to the show fetched upward of $500 million. Netflix was desperate for an anchor show after losing both Friends and The Office. HBO Max houses Friends. The Office has migrated to Peacock.
According to What’s On Netflix, the one streaming platform that wasn’t interested in Seinfeld was the one they were already on. According to the publication, Hulu declined to bid too hard on the show. While it was one of its most expensive acquisitions, the show, reportedly, only accounts for 1% of streaming activity. According to Hulu, its subscribers seem to prefer dramas over comedies like Seinfeld. Law & Order: SUV was among its most streamed offerings in 2020.
When will Seinfeld be available on Netflix?
Netflix hasn’t officially announced when Seinfeld will be available on the streaming platform, but we have a couple of clues that make it easier to nail down when the show will arrive. In 2015, Hulu paid about $160 million to house Seinfeld on its platform. According to The Los Angeles Times, the deal kept Seinfeld on Hulu for six-years.
The exclusive rights expire this year, and presumably, the contract runs from the day the show premiered on the platform. A little detective work reveals that Hulu made Seinfeld available at the end of June 2015. The streaming service provider also announced that Seinfeld would be leaving its catalog in June 2021. Since that is the case, it’s safe to assume that Netflix will premiere the series in late June 2021, 21 months after they announced the big news.
Will there ever be a reboot of Seinfeld?
In the last 12 months, fans have gotten news that several of their 1990s favorites are returning for reboots. The cast of Friends will eventually return to HBO Max for a reunion episode. Kelsey Grammer is signed on to reboot Frasier, and Sex and the City will also offer fans a glimpse into the future with a limited-series on HBO Max. It would make sense for Seinfeld to return, too. Unfortunately, it is not going to happen.
In an interview with Howard Stern, Jerry Seinfeld revealed that he’s something of a minimalist and prefers the idea of going out on top. The show went off the air at the height of its success, and he’d like to keep it that way. A reboot doesn’t jive with his philosophy. According to ABC News, Jason Alexander feels the same way. He noted that Seinfeld set the trend, it didn’t follow one, so there would be no use in following the reboot trend now.
