In June, Jason Alexander finally shed light on why the writers of Seinfeld decided to kill off George’s fiancée, Susan. Alexander said it was because he “couldn’t figure out how to play off of” Susan’s actress, Heidi Swedberg. He told Howard Stern, “Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring. And she would do something, and I would go, ‘Okay, I see what she’s going to do — I’m going to adjust to her.’ And I’d adjust, and then it would change.” Alexander later posted an apology to Swedberg, saying, “She is a kind, lovely person who undoubtedly worked really hard to create Susan and that character was clearly what Larry and Jerry wanted her to be for George.”
In the wake of Alexander’s explanation, a five-year-old fan-made video called “Serious Seinfeld” has resurfaced. The video imagines George Costanza mourning the death of Susan in a sappy, sentimental Lifetime-style movie called George, which meditates on the meaning of life and death. In his grief, George finds out he has a son (“I’m a father!”) and finds the will to live again. It’s profoundly bad and utterly perfect, like George. Now, if only someone would make a Seinfeld after-school special explaining shrinkage for adolescent boys.
