The Pilot (Seinfeld)

"The Pilot" is the two-part season finale episode of the fourth season of Seinfeld. It makes up the 63rd and 64th episodes and first aired on May 20, 1993.

This two-part episode aired at an earlier time, 8:00 PM, to make room for the two-hour finale of Cheers, whose timeslot would be claimed by Seinfeld at the start of the new fall season. Approximately 32 million people watched this episode (both parts) when it initially aired, and the show became a major ratings grab for its next five seasons.

Jerry and George get the green light to produce Jerry, the pilot for the series based on their "nothing" lives. Russell Dalrymple, the president at NBC behind the pilot, is obsessed with Elaine. George is obsessed with a potentially cancerous white spot on his lip and a box of raisins taken by an actor playing Kramer, played by Larry Hankin (who had actually auditioned for the role of Kramer when Seinfeld began production).

The real Kramer has intestinal problems and, on his way to find a bathroom, he gets delayed by being mugged and "misses his chance" to resolve the problem, resulting in constipation. Jerry has an audition with the new "Elaine" (played by Elena Wohl), a method actress interested in being Elaine in every way, even going as far as dating Jerry (and breaking up with him in Part 2) and being called Elaine. The real Elaine has a problem with Monk's coffee shop, as they appear to be only hiring waitresses, so she tries to get hired; when the owner turns her down, she files a report with the Equal Employment Opportunity office.

Rehearsals for the pilot begin. NBC executive Russell Dalrymple's obsession with Elaine begins to affect his work; she tries to let him down easy by saying she can't be in a relationship with a high-powered man and would prefer to be with someone selfless, such as a member of Greenpeace. Kramer resolves his constipation by administering himself an enema.