Jerry Seinfeld Brings the Funny Back to NBC

Comic strikes deal with NBC to produce marital-advice-dispensing reality series

By Breanne L. Heldman Feb 26, 2009 4:11 PMTags
Jerry SeinfeldNancy Kaszerman/ZUMA Press

Jerry Seinfeld is once again ready to be the master of his domain—television!

Well, sorta.

The funnyman is teaming up with NBC once again to produce a reality series called The Marriage Ref. The show "will feature opinionated celebrities, comedians and sports stars who will candidly comment, judge and offer different strategies for real-life couples in the midst of a classic marital dispute."

The show is inspired by the star's own experiences with married life, not unlike Seinfeld, which drew from its lead's bachelorhood.

"This is not a therapy show, it's a comedy show," the actor said. "After nine years of marriage, I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich."

Six episodes of the sitcom hero's marital mayhem hour have been ordered and are slated to air in the fall. The crack-up will be executive producing the show alongside former Oprah Winfrey Show EP Ellen Rakieten. Given the show's guest-driven format, he will likely appear on camera occasionally.

Hopefully, this venture will turn out a bit better than his recent ads for Microsoft. It marks the star's first commitment to a network series since Seinfeld's finale in 1998…not that there's anything wrong with that.