A Dark Fan Theory About Seinfeld's Finale Has Us Seeing Red
Not many sitcoms can brag about making the kind of impact that "Seinfeld" had during its successful run, and many of the people enjoying the sitcom now weren't born when it first aired (via The Wrap). While many shows are forgotten after the last episode, fans of the legendary comedy continue to watch entries repeatedly and thoroughly speculate on all things related to the Emmy-winning series years after the finale aired.
The fiercely devoted fanbase has unleashed a plethora of theories online about an array of very intriguing aspects of the show. There is an ample amount of captivating views that have come out over the years, including the idea that "Seinfeld" exists in the same shared universe with other hit sitcoms of the time, "Mad About You" and "Friends" (via E! Online). Then there are also the educated guesses regarding Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richardson), which have led to some wild assumptions. Some followers of the NBC comedy hypothesized that he was part of a marriage that didn't go well before the show's narrative started, and there has been some interesting conjecture regarding how Kramer actually makes money. There is even a perplexing notion surrounding the show that states the 2019 movie "Joker" could have been inspired by crazy Joe Davola in clown makeup from Season 4, Episode 9 ("The Opera").
Some theories are obviously more believable than others, and then certain ones are as thought-provoking as they are downright chilling, like an alluring presumption about the show's last episode.
Fans thinks the main characters die in the finale
The universally panned series finale consists of a bizarre storyline where the core four of "Seinfeld" survive a plane crash, get arrested, and are judged for all their misdeeds by an unprecedented amount of character witnesses from their past, only to end up behind bars. But the lackluster concept hasn't stopped individuals from coming up with wild ideas to justify that messy ending.
One otherworldly interpretation makes the ordeal a spiritual affair rather than a train wreck of a conclusion. u/bfitzyc posted a theory on Reddit that states, "Instead of surviving the plane incident, being arrested and going to jail for a year, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer actually die when the plane crashed, are eternally judged in their trial, and are sentenced to purgatory." Several users agreed that the episode taking place in the afterlife makes the peculiar trial with all the familiar faces much more believable. Others had similar feelings, like u/junkmail9009, who wrote, "They were forced to re-evaluate their life (essentially why the trial is the highlights of the entire show) and were sentenced to 'hell' for a year, but they were essentially the same regardless." While some see this as a lousy excuse for bad writing, others think it works when applied to the final "Seinfeld" chapter. For instance, u/flamiethedragon wrote, "This is the one 'they were in purgatory' theory that's alright." Still, it seems somewhat unlikely that anyone involved in the show saw it that way.
Even if fans see things differently, the creators are happy with their ending
While many may have their own ideas about the ending, the people in charge of the show are content with what they put out. In an interview with Variety, supervising producer David Mandel said, "The people who created the show made the finale they wanted, and as far as I'm concerned, there's no other version." Seinfeld co-creator Larry David also spoke about fans' expectations and interpretations when talking with Bill Simmons of Grantland, "I think the thing about finales is everybody writes their own finale in their head ... They've already written it, and often they're disappointed because it's not what they wrote."
It's easy for assumptions to run wild after nine seasons, and it's impossible to please everyone when ending a successful series. According to a Reddit AMA with Jerry Seinfeld, the two-part finale was nothing more than a fun reunion to thank everyone involved. Any assertions regarding the characters being dead are purely theoretical. While the far-fetched purgatory theory doesn't seem to be what anyone involved had in mind, it does help the hard-to-swallow pill of an ending go down a bit smoother for those that think the original concept is too odd to handle.
The original theorizer suggested that people "try watching it from the perspective of this theory," saying that it might make the experience more fun. For some, it already enhances the ending. u/mariam67 wrote, "I liked the finale and this makes it even better. Very interesting theory."