What date did Seinfeld first air on NBC?

Seinfeld first aired on NBC on July 5, 1989.

That date belongs to the pilot, which was broadcast under the original title “The Seinfeld Chronicles.” The episode introduced Jerry Seinfeld’s fictionalized character, George Costanza, and Kramer—who was initially called Kessler. It was written by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David and directed by Art Wolff.

The pilot’s reception was poor enough that NBC initially declined to order a full season. NBC late-night executive Rick Ludwin nevertheless believed the concept had potential and used money from his budget to finance four more episodes. Those episodes began airing on May 31, 1990, nearly a year after the pilot.

That gap explains a frequent date mix-up: May 31, 1990, was not the series premiere, but the first airing of the additional episodes produced after NBC reconsidered the show. January 23, 1991, was a season 2 airdate, while September 18, 1991, belonged to season 3. The series ultimately ran for nine seasons and 180 episodes.