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‘Seinfeld’ Regular Who Played J. Peterman Reveals the Secret: What Made ‘Seinfeld’ So Different Than Most Other Sitcoms

Jun 29, 2015  •  Post A Comment

John O’Hurley, who played Elaine’s long-time boss, J. Peterman, on the long-running sitcom ‘Seinfeld,’ has revealed to The Hollywood Reporter what made the series so different.

Asked by interviewer Aaron Couch, “Have you been about to pinpoint what made ‘Seinfeld’ so different from other sitcoms,” here was O’Hurley’s insightful response:

“The first time I read the script, I sat down at the table read and go, “This is the No. 1 show on television? It’s not even funny.” And it doesn’t read funny. It performs funny. That was the difference and that was what made the show so different.”

O’Hurley also said that his character, J. Peterman, was given lots of monologues that ended up getting cut because episodes would just run too long. The following, which he still remembers, is his favorite Peterman speech that never made it to air (the “Bob” mentioned below is Rob Schneider, who was playing Bob, Peterman’s assistant who was hard of hearing.):

“Elaine, I too am no stranger to love on the clock. As a youngster, my father apprenticed me to a honey factory in Belize. The chief bee keeper was this horrible hag of a woman with gnarled teeth and a giant wart that she called a nose. Wooh! She was not attractive, even by backwoods standards. But love is truly blind, Elaine, and as the days went on, working closer and closer together, that sweet smell of honey in the air, I knew I had to have that horrible creature. And I did. So you and Bob have a good time tonight.”

To read more about O’Hurley’s experiences on ‘Seinfeld’ we urge you to click here, which will take you to Couch’s original THR interview.

PetermanonSeinfeldJohn O’Hurley Played Elaine’s Boss J. Peterman on the Long-running Hit Sitcom ‘Seinfeld’

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