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The show was famously described as "the show about nothing," and this remark is largely accurate, as most of the comedy was based around the largely inconsequential minutiae of everyday life, often involving petty rivalries and elaborate schemes to gain the smallest advantage over other individuals. The characters have also been described as utterly selfish and amoral, and to a degree that is accurate, the show stands out in deriving nothing but amusement from it; unlike other sitcoms, even The Simpsons, when a moment was just about to lapse into sentimentality, it managed to regain its balance. However, themes of illogical social graces and customs, neurotic and obsessive behavior, and the mysterious workings of relationships run in numerous episodes, making it possible to categorize the show as a comedy of mannersThe comedy of manners satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters, such as the miles gloriosus in ancient times, the fop and the rake during the Restoration, or an old person pretending to be young.. The show is also unique in reflecting the activities of real people, rather than the idealized escapist characters often seen on television, although many episodes do feature surreal escapades, often based on scenes in famous movies.

Previous shows on television were almost always family or co-worker driven, and Seinfeld holds itself up as being a then-rare example of a sitcom wherein none of the characters were related by blood or employed, if at all, in the same building or business.

According to Bruce Fretts' 1993 The "Entertainment Weekly" "Seinfeld" Companion, Seinfeld's audience was, "TV-literate, demographically desirable urbanites, for the most part-who look forward to each weekly episode in the Life of Jerry with a baby-boomer generation's self-involved eagerness." Likewise, in episodes adhering to the original concept, the show featured clips of Seinfeld himself delivering a standupA stand-up comedian or stand-up comic is someone that performs in comedy clubs, usually reciting a fast paced succession of amusing stories, short jokes and one-liners, typically called a monologue''. Some stand-up comedians use props, music, or magic tri routine at the beginning and end of each episode, the theme of which relates to the events depicted in the plot. By this device the distinction between the actor Jerry Seinfeld and the character who is portayed by him is deliberately blurred. In later seasons, these standup clips became less frequent. All the main characters were modeled after Seinfeld's nonfictional acquaintences. (Gantz 2000)

Another violation of the fictionThree Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. Fiction is the term used to describe works of the imagination. This is in contrast to non-fiction, which convention of isolating characters from the actors playing them, and separating the characters' world from the actors' and audiences' world, was a story arcA story arc is a term in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books and comic strips that refers to a continuing storyline. In a television series, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the stor that concerned the characters' roles in promoting a television sitcom series named Jerry. Jerry was much like Seinfeld in that Seinfeld played himself, and that the show was "about nothing." Jerry was launched in the 1993 series premiere of Seinfeld, in an episode titled "The Pilot". This story arc, along with other examples of self-reference, have led many critics to point out the postmodern nature of the show.

According to Katherine Gantz, "This multi-layered Möbius stripThe Mobius strip or Mobius band (named after the German mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Mobius) is a topological object with only one surface and only one edge. It was co-discovered independently by Mobius and the German mathematician Johann of person/actor/character relationships seems to be a part of the shows's complex appeal. Whereas situation comedies often dilute their cast, adding and removing characters in search of new plot possibilities, Seinfeld instead interiorizes; the narrative creates new configurations of the same limited cast to keep the viewer and the characters intimately linked. In fact, it is precisely this concentration on the nuclear set of four personalities that creates the Seinfeld community."

Another attribute that makes Seinfeld exceptional is that in almost every episode, several story threads are presented at the beginning of the plot, generally involving the various characters in separate and unrelated situations, which then converge and are interwoven towards the end of the episode in an ironic fashion. Due to the densely-plotted construction of the storylines, attempts to summarize the action in a given script are generally more verbose than one would expect for a sitcom. Despite any separate plot strands, the narratives show a "consistent efforts to maintain [the] intimacy," between the "decidedly small cast" of characters. "Much of Seinfeld's plot and humor (and consequently, the viewer's pleasure) hinge on outside personalities threatening--and ultimately failing--to invade the foursome," "especially where Jerry and George are concerned." (Gantz 2000)

Another factor in, or further proof of, a community of Seinfeld spectators' and characters' participation in a what Gantz calls "a certain delineated 'lifestyle'" is the large amount of in-slang, "a lexicon of Seinfeldian code words and recurring phrases that go unnoticed by the infrequent or 'unknowing' viewer." These include Snapple, Bubble Boy, Cuban cigars, Master of My Domain, Junior Mints, Mulva, Crazy Joe Davola, Pez, Sponge Worthy, and Vandelay Industries. (Gantz 2000)

The show premiered on July 5, 1989. After nine years on the air and 180 episodes filmed, the series finale of Seinfeld aired on NBC on May 14, 1998. It was watched by a huge audience, estimated at 76 million viewers. Jerry Seinfeld holds both the record for the "most money refused" according to the Guinness Book of World Records by refusing an offer to continue the show for 5 million dollars per episode, and another record for the Highest Ever Annual Earnings For A TV Actor, while the show itself holds the record for the Highest Television Advertising Rates.

In 2004 a deal was negotiated to make Seinfeld available on DVD for the first time. Due to legal problems with the cast involving episode commentary and other DVD extras, the release was pushed back. The first 3 seasons were released November 23, 2004.