„There’s No Way He’s Ever Going to Want to Do This”. Larry David Was Afraid to Tell Jerry Seinfeld a Risky Idea for a Seinfeld Episode
One idea for a Seinfeld episode was so risky that Larry David kept it to himself for several years before deciding to share it with his co-creator of the TV series.
Seinfeld was not afraid to take on risky subjects, however, one idea of series co-creator Larry David was so daring that its author was afraid to share it with Jerry Seinfeld. He wasn't sure if his co-creator would agree to something so crazy, so he kept the idea to himself for years, until he finally got up the courage to present it to Seinfeld's other creator. We're talking about the concept for the 11th episode of season 4 – The Contest.
Despite David's misgivings, Seinfeld appeared to be interested in pursuing the idea once he heard about it. The decision turned out to be a good one, as this episode became one of the most beloved by fans of the TV show. It turned out that testing the restraint of Seinfeld's characters interested viewers.
David told the story during an interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
I didn’t even tell Jerry until three or four years in because I thought oh, there’s no way he’s ever going to want to do this. I had it in my notebook and then one day I just said, ‘What about this idea?’ He went, ‘Yeah.’ Whoa, okay, I had it for two years already.
Despite the bold topic, the creators took care to avoid vulgar language and overly telling allusions in the episode. Seinfeld cared about this because he wanted to keep the tone of the sitcom light, which David thought was a good thing.
I’m going to give Jerry full credit because I mentioned something. I had some euphemism in the first draft. I don’t know what it was. There’s 10,000 of them. He said, ‘Let’s not even say it.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s good. Let’s not.’ That was his thing.
As you can see, even from the riskiest ideas something good can come out. The creators of Seinfeld took a risk with an episode of The Contest, the themes of which could have turned against them, but it didn't happen and the characters' restraint provided the audience with entertainment.
