NEW YORK — Jerry Seinfeld loves cars. He’s fond of coffee. And, of course, he’s a comedian who loves to talk comedy.
But the inspiration for his online talk show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (wherein he and a fellow comedian crack wise while powered by a car and caffeine), was inspired by an episode of his eponymous 1990s sitcom.
In that memorable episode, Jerry’s sad-sack pal, George, decided success might await him if he lived his failed life in the opposite manner.
“That,” recalls Seinfeld in a recent interview, “gave me the idea to create a talk show that was the opposite of the typical show.
“With a typical talk show,” he explains, “you have to go to a studio. You have to tell them in advance what you’re going to talk about. You have to dress up. You have to put on makeup. It’s very, very organized. I thought, maybe there’s a different way than being stuck on a couch: Outside and moving is the opposite of inside and still.”
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee launched on the Crackle digital network in 2012, and its third season hits the road Thursday with Seinfeld joining Louis C.K. for a cup of joe after a zany ride on a clown-car-scale 1959 Fiat Jolly. Future ride-alongs include Patton Oswalt, Howard Stern, Tina Fey, Todd Barry and Jay Leno.
“I got really excited about the Leno episode,” he says, “with me being his friend all these years, and now having this opportunity to show the old comedy-crazy Jay. So many people think of him as a talk-show host. This captures him as a comedian.”
Fine, but how competitive does Seinfeld feel with another comedian?
“Zero,” he declares, and flashes a quizzical smile: “I haven’t done well enough? But even if I hadn’t, no, I do not have that gene.”
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