Seinfeld came to an end on May 14, 1998. The two-part series finale saw Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer go to jail and then get tried in court, with dozens of the colorful characters they’d encountered over the course of the show’s nine seasons reappearing to testify against the criminally indifferent quartet. See how many of the cameos you recognize ahead.
Of course, Jerry’s scheming nemesis Newman had a front-row seat at the trial in which Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer were accused of doing nothing to help an overweight man named Howie who they witnessed being robbed.
Marla Penny was still a virgin when she met Seinfeld and the gang (whom she abandoned when she learned about “The Contest”) — but that changed when she crossed paths with John F. Kennedy Jr. At the trial, Marla reappeared (and grossed out everyone in the courtroom) when she explained that “the contest” involved Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George trying to see who could go the longest without, um, pleasuring themselves.
Though he made the best soup in town, Yev Kassem was so strict with customers that he was dubbed the Soup Nazi. George experienced this firsthand when he made the mistake of requesting bread with his order. “No soup for you!” yelled the Soup Nazi, who also banned Elaine from his establishment for a year because of her behavior in his soup line. He sought his revenge at the trial because Elaine put him out of business after she came upon a bunch of his recipes in an old armoire she had purchased — and published them!
Jerry’s old flame Sidra testified against the gang recounting the story of what happened in “The Implant” episode. If you’ll recall, Elaine was convinced that Jerry’s latest gal pal’s breasts were fake, and then accidentally discovered that she was wrong when she got to feel the goods herself after she tripped in the sauna and grabbed Sidra’s breasts to break her fall. As Sidra put it — as did her new boyfriend Jackie Chiles following the trial: “They’re real, and they’re spectacular.”
Speaking of Jackie Chiles, the Johnnie Cochran-like lawyer who had represented Kramer several times — including when he filed a suit against the tobacco companies after Kramer’s face started showing signs of aging thanks to the fact that he had turned his apartment into a smoking lounge — returned in the finale to represent the fab four.
Elaine and Jerry vied for the attention of the MLB player in the season 3 episode “The Boyfriend,” in which the former New York Met reminded himself, “I’m Keith Hernandez.”
Elaine’s eccentric boss Mr. Pitt — who had a habit of eating Snickers bars with a fork and knife and initially hired her to be his assistant because she reminded him of Jackie Onassis — traveled to Massachusetts to testify against Elaine, claiming she and Jerry tried to kill him.
Lt. Bookman would not rest until Jerry received justice for having neglected to return a library copy of Tropic of Cancer in 1971.
Mabel Choate never forgot her run-in with Jerry at Schnitzer’s Bakery, where the comedian was in search of a marble rye at George’s request (long story). After discovering that Mabel had just purchased the last loaf, Jerry tried to buy it from her but she refused. In the end, he ended up stealing the marble rye. “Shut up, you old bag!” he exclaimed before making off with the bread.
George’s overbearing mother spent a lot of time over the years screaming at her son and her husband Frank (played by Jerry Stiller). But when push came to shove, she was willing to do anything for her Georgie. While the jury was deliberating during the finale, Estelle paid a visit to the judge and offered to do something for him if he gave George a lighter sentence. When Judge Vandelay asked what she meant by something, Estelle replied, “You know.”
George’s father Frank was also at the trial. Known for his extensive TV Guide collection, creating an alternative holiday to Christmas known as Festival, and inventing a male bra for men (the “Bro”) with Kramer, Mr. Costanza’s main concern after his son and his friends had been found guilty was to wake up Estelle (she fainted following the verdict) so they could beat the traffic back to New York.
Jerry! Hello! The series finale wouldn’t have felt right at all if Uncle Leo hadn’t been included.
Hayman had provided the voice of “The Bubble Boy” in the season 4 episode of the same name that resulted in a genuinely disastrous game of Trivial Pursuit. The actor came back as a prison guard in the finale.
The Bubble Boy’s father, Mel Sanger, also suited up to help his son into the courtroom.
Mr. Wilhelm — who was George’s supervisor when he worked for the Yankees — had a seat in the back.
Elaine’s on-again, off-again boyfriend didn’t seem too concerned during her trial. After she was sentenced to a year behind bars, Elaine told him not to wait for her. His response? “Alright.”
When George discovered that the judge presiding over the gang’s case was named Arthur Vandelay, he believed it was a good sign. After all, Art Vandelay was a character he made up and referenced frequently throughout the course of the show, whether he was lying to an unemployment caseworker claiming he had interviewed for a job as a latex salesman at Vandelay Industries or pretending to sell more computers out of his father’s garage than his childhood nemesis Lloyd Braun.
Naturally, Elaine’s’ onetime boss — a fictionalized version of the real-life founder of the J. Peterman Company — John Peterman (though the J stands for Jacopo on Seinfeld), made an appearance in the finale.
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Of course, viewers only saw the back of Bear’s head when he portrayed the owner of the New York Yankees. Larry David provided the voice. Also pictured: James Rebhorn as D.A. Hoyt
When Seinfeld said goodbye
Seinfeld came to an end on May 14, 1998. The two-part series finale saw Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer go to jail and then get tried in court, with dozens of the colorful characters they’d encountered over the course of the show’s nine seasons reappearing to testify against the criminally indifferent quartet. See how many of the cameos you recognize ahead.
Wayne Knight as Newman
Of course, Jerry’s scheming nemesis Newman had a front-row seat at the trial in which Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer were accused of doing nothing to help an overweight man named Howie who they witnessed being robbed.
Jane Leeves as Marla Penny
Marla Penny was still a virgin when she met Seinfeld and the gang (whom she abandoned when she learned about “The Contest”) — but that changed when she crossed paths with John F. Kennedy Jr. At the trial, Marla reappeared (and grossed out everyone in the courtroom) when she explained that “the contest” involved Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George trying to see who could go the longest without, um, pleasuring themselves.
Larry Thomas as Yev Kassem
Though he made the best soup in town, Yev Kassem was so strict with customers that he was dubbed the Soup Nazi. George experienced this firsthand when he made the mistake of requesting bread with his order. “No soup for you!” yelled the Soup Nazi, who also banned Elaine from his establishment for a year because of her behavior in his soup line. He sought his revenge at the trial because Elaine put him out of business after she came upon a bunch of his recipes in an old armoire she had purchased — and published them!
Teri Hatcher as Sidra Holland
Jerry’s old flame Sidra testified against the gang recounting the story of what happened in “The Implant” episode. If you’ll recall, Elaine was convinced that Jerry’s latest gal pal’s breasts were fake, and then accidentally discovered that she was wrong when she got to feel the goods herself after she tripped in the sauna and grabbed Sidra’s breasts to break her fall. As Sidra put it — as did her new boyfriend Jackie Chiles following the trial: “They’re real, and they’re spectacular.”
Phil Morris as Jackie Chiles
Speaking of Jackie Chiles, the Johnnie Cochran-like lawyer who had represented Kramer several times — including when he filed a suit against the tobacco companies after Kramer’s face started showing signs of aging thanks to the fact that he had turned his apartment into a smoking lounge — returned in the finale to represent the fab four.
Keith Hernandez as Himself
Elaine and Jerry vied for the attention of the MLB player in the season 3 episode “The Boyfriend,” in which the former New York Met reminded himself, “I’m Keith Hernandez.”
Ian Abercrombie as Justin Pitt
Elaine’s eccentric boss Mr. Pitt — who had a habit of eating Snickers bars with a fork and knife and initially hired her to be his assistant because she reminded him of Jackie Onassis — traveled to Massachusetts to testify against Elaine, claiming she and Jerry tried to kill him.
Philip Baker Hall as Joe Bookman
Lt. Bookman would not rest until Jerry received justice for having neglected to return a library copy of Tropic of Cancer in 1971.
Frances Bay as Mabel Choate
Mabel Choate never forgot her run-in with Jerry at Schnitzer’s Bakery, where the comedian was in search of a marble rye at George’s request (long story). After discovering that Mabel had just purchased the last loaf, Jerry tried to buy it from her but she refused. In the end, he ended up stealing the marble rye. “Shut up, you old bag!” he exclaimed before making off with the bread.
Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza
George’s overbearing mother spent a lot of time over the years screaming at her son and her husband Frank (played by Jerry Stiller). But when push came to shove, she was willing to do anything for her Georgie. While the jury was deliberating during the finale, Estelle paid a visit to the judge and offered to do something for him if he gave George a lighter sentence. When Judge Vandelay asked what she meant by something, Estelle replied, “You know.”
Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza
George’s father Frank was also at the trial. Known for his extensive TV Guide collection, creating an alternative holiday to Christmas known as Festival, and inventing a male bra for men (the “Bro”) with Kramer, Mr. Costanza’s main concern after his son and his friends had been found guilty was to wake up Estelle (she fainted following the verdict) so they could beat the traffic back to New York.
Len Lesser as Uncle Leo
Jerry! Hello! The series finale wouldn’t have felt right at all if Uncle Leo hadn’t been included.
Jon Hayman as Donald Sanger "the Bubble Boy" Prison Guard
Hayman had provided the voice of “The Bubble Boy” in the season 4 episode of the same name that resulted in a genuinely disastrous game of Trivial Pursuit. The actor came back as a prison guard in the finale.
Brian Doyle-Murray as Mel Sanger
The Bubble Boy’s father, Mel Sanger, also suited up to help his son into the courtroom.
Richard Herd as Matt Wilhelm
Mr. Wilhelm — who was George’s supervisor when he worked for the Yankees — had a seat in the back.
Patrick Warburton as David Puddy
Elaine’s on-again, off-again boyfriend didn’t seem too concerned during her trial. After she was sentenced to a year behind bars, Elaine told him not to wait for her. His response? “Alright.”
Stanley Anderson as Judge Arthur Vandelay
When George discovered that the judge presiding over the gang’s case was named Arthur Vandelay, he believed it was a good sign. After all, Art Vandelay was a character he made up and referenced frequently throughout the course of the show, whether he was lying to an unemployment caseworker claiming he had interviewed for a job as a latex salesman at Vandelay Industries or pretending to sell more computers out of his father’s garage than his childhood nemesis Lloyd Braun.
John O'Hurley as J. Peterman
Naturally, Elaine’s’ onetime boss — a fictionalized version of the real-life founder of the J. Peterman Company — John Peterman (though the J stands for Jacopo on Seinfeld), made an appearance in the finale.
Lee Bear (the back of his head) as George Steinbrenner
Of course, viewers only saw the back of Bear’s head when he portrayed the owner of the New York Yankees. Larry David provided the voice. Also pictured: James Rebhorn as D.A. Hoyt
