The on-screen rivalry between Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Newman (Wayne Knight) is one of the funnier aspects of “Seinfeld.” Newman lives down the hall from Jerry in the same apartment building, and he works as a mail carrier. For reasons that are never revealed, Newman and Jerry hate each other with a fiery passion. Jerry infamously greeted his neighbor with a “Hello, Newman” that was dripping with loathing and animosity. The character was introduced off-screen and was originally voiced by “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David, but was eventually played by Knight, who gave a sublime comedy performance. Newman first appeared on screen in the season 3 episode “The Suicide” (January 29, 1992).
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Newman was a series semi-regular, appearing in 44 episodes of the show. This was only a small fraction of “Seinfeld,” however, seeing as it lasted 180 episodes over the course of its nine seasons. Some of the show’s fans felt that Knight, a comedy veteran, should have been permitted to play a larger role on the show. The four lead characters on “Seinfeld” (played by Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Jason Alexander) were all shallow, awful people, but they seemed to be fond of each other. It would have been a great addition to the dynamic to have a character that Jerry just loathed, week after week.
Seinfeld himself certainly thought so. In 2014, Seinfeld took to Reddit to answer questions from fans, and he expressed a twinge of regret over not making Newman an actual series regular. There was no reason, after all, that “Seinfeld” should only have four main characters. It could have easily been five.
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Jerry Seinfeld felt that Wayne Knight should have been part of the main cast
When asked his favorite supporting character, Seinfeld was straightforward, writing:
“Newman would be my favorite supporting character. I mean, when I got to have a real evil nemesis like Superman would have, that was a dream come true for me. There’s no superhero that doesn’t have an evil nemesis, and I got to have one. And I love that nobody ever asks ‘Why didn’t you like Newman?’ No one ever asks me that, and no one ever questions it. There was no reason, but it was just fun.”
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Knight, it should be noted, was already an experienced character actor by the time “Seinfeld” debuted. He had small roles in high-profile 1980s films like “Everybody’s All American” and “Born on the Fourth of July” before expanding his repertoire in the 1990s with excellent supporting turns in “Dead Again,” “JFK,” and “Basic Instinct.” Knight had a talent for attracting the attention of notable filmmakers, as one can see from his work with Oliver Stone, Kenneth Branagh, and Paul Verhoeven. He landed his “Seinfeld” gig shortly before playing the devious computer hacker Dennis Nedry in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park.” He did voices in Disney films, and spiced up his scenes in Gus Van Sant’s “To Die For.” (He was also in “Space Jam,” but no one’s perfect.) He even got in on the Marvel game, playing Microchip in the bonkers-ass “Punisher: War Zone.”
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Knight also had a regular role on the hit series “3rd Rock from the Sun,” and has been the lead or co-lead in about a dozen other TV shows besides. Some may fondly remember him from the 1993 sketch comedy series “The Edge,” a deathly violent show that was too far ahead of its time, or from the time Knight and character actress Margo Martindale worked together as private investigators in real life (yes, really).
Knight certainly had the chops, so there was every reason to include him in the core quartet of “Seinfeld.” Kramer liked him, Jerry hated him, and the conflicts would provide many stories. They should have done it.