Skip to main content

Jerry Seinfeld's first Netflix special is coming in September with old jokes

jerry seinfelds netflix standup news seinfeld
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Earlier this year, Jerry Seinfeld proclaimed Netflix and its chief content officer Ted Sarandos “have the same enthusiasm for the art of stand-up comedy as I do.” Now, we will see just how funny the combination will be with Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix stand-up special, Jerry Before Seinfeld, featuring him telling jokes of his from more than 40 years ago.

Jerry Before Seinfeld will have footage from Seinfeld’s personal archive, previously unreleased material, and “an intimate performance at the Comic Strip in New York City,” according to Netflix. To get deeper into the man who mined gold out of daily minutia, Jerry Before Seinfeld will showcase “a library of legal pads with every joke he’s written since 1975.”

In promotion of Jerry Before Seinfeld, Netflix flooded its new Netflix Comedy account on Instagram with photos and audio clips and pictures of Seinfeld’s decades-spanning trove of jokes. Very serious insights scribbled on the yellow pages include socks hating their lives, cotton ball preferences between men and women, and Cookie Crisp.

In one of the few audio clip previews from Jerry Before Seinfeld, the legendary Seinfeld co-creator explains his gripes with the negative connotations associated with anything “left.” “You go to a party and there’s nobody there,” Seinfeld began. “‘Where did they go?’ They left.” These are the types of jokes that landed him a reported $100 million from Netflix.

Seinfeld is not just helping us end the year with a look back at his comedy past. He is also bringing two dozen new episodes of his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee series, as well the series’ full 59-episode library, to Netflix. Hopefully, Netflix will make all of this Seinfeld goodness available to stream offline, for those who do not let an internet connection preclude their binging.

You can prepare yourself for Seinfeld’s return to the Comic Strip Live comedy club in New York City in Jerry Before Seinfeld by checking out grainy, yet hilarious footage of a set of his at the club back in his pre-Seinfeld heyday on YouTube. The hair is bigger, but the jokes are just as funny as what you have come to expect from Seinfeld.

Netflix’s Jerry Before Seinfeld is set to start streaming on September 19.

Editors' Recommendations

Keith Nelson Jr.
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…
3 underrated Netflix shows you should watch this weekend (May 3-5)
6 people stand on a beach in The 100.

Even as Netflix attempts to wow subscribers with its constant stream of new shows and movies, many are also aware that there's plenty of stuff on Netflix that the service basically buries. The algorithm might recommend it to you, but if the algorithm doesn't, you're not very likely to find it.

If you're looking for some underrated shows that are nonetheless great, then you're in luck. We've pulled together a list of three underrated titles that are all available on Netflix to be watched immediately. While Netflix does host plenty of good stuff, it'll only keep hosting it if you decide to watch it. Here are three shows you should start with this weekend.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015-2019)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Trailer

Read more
3 Hulu movies you need to stream this weekend (May 3-5)
The cast of That Thing You Do!

The first weekend in May has arrived, and Hulu fans should be happy to hear that there's a new lineup of movies to enjoy. Like most of the major streamers, Hulu debuts the majority of its library additions on the first of the month. But there will more movies released on Hulu throughout May.

Since the first weekend of May is traditionally timed around the opening of a superhero movie, our first choice this weekend is a comic book film that's celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Our other two picks include Tom Hanks' directorial debut, and a generation-spanning drama that holds up three decades after its release.
The Mask (1994)

Read more
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (May 3-5)
A man is restrained by other men in A Hero.

Love and Friendship MGM Studios

While Amazon doesn't release as many new movies as some of its competitors, the service has a pretty extensive library of titles that are worth exploring. These titles range from excellent foreign films that might have flown under the radar to underrated movies from some of the best directors to ever sit behind a camera.

Read more