Jerry Seinfeld Grabs Coffee, With Comedians, For Online Talk Show

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee might sound like the name of a not-very-exciting viral video, but it is in fact Jerry Seinfeld’s own talk show. It is coincidentally a web series, which does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s an hour of Seinfeld and a fellow comedian riding around, drinking coffee and being (hopefully) very entertaining. The format was inspired by an episode of his infamous 90s sitcom. In the episode in question, Jerry’s pal George decided success might await him if he lived his failed life in the opposite manner.

“That,” recalls Seinfeld in a recent interview, “gave me the idea to create a talk show that was the opposite of the typical show. “With a typical talk show,” he explains via the Sun Times, “you have to go to a studio. You have to tell them in advance what you’re going to talk about. You have to dress up. You have to put on makeup. It’s very, very organized.

“I thought, maybe there’s a different way than being stuck on a couch: Outside and moving is the opposite of inside and still.”

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is not a new production – it launched on the Crackle digital network back in 2012. Its third season launched today, January 2, at at www.comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com, with Louis CK as Seinfeld’s caffeine-fueled guest. Future ride-alongs include Patton Oswalt, Howard Stern, Tina Fey, Todd Barry and Jay Leno. Seinfeld himself briefly sums up the concept: "I pick you up at your house and we literally go out for a cup of coffee."