Announced today, the iconic show is available to pre-order for the first time as a 4K and Blu-Ray box set
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Seinfeld is not only one of the greatest TV shows of all time (#6, if you ask us), but it’s also one of the most quotable — the kind of media in the rarefied air of people quoting it without even realizing it. Seinfeld’s iconic catchphrases and lines also make it endlessly rewatchable, but it has never been released on Blu-Ray in the 26 years since the show went off the air. Now, to coincide with the show’s 35th anniversary, Seinfeld is getting its first-ever 4K and Blu-Ray release. Dropping on Dec. 17, it’s the ideal gift for Christmas, Hannukah, and of course, Festivus.
Seinfeld: The Complete Series will be available in two formats: a Blu-Ray edition and a 4K Ultra HD Edition. Both editions comprise 24 discs, so you’ll want to make room on your bookshelf. In addition to the episodes, the box sets include special features like commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, and alternate versions of select episodes.
The standard Blu-Ray and 4K editions are formatted slightly differently; the Blu-Ray is formatted in a 1.78:1 High Definition aspect ratio, while the Ultra HD Blu-Ray is in a 1.33:1 4K aspect ratio. Previously, the show was only available as a standard-definition DVD. Fans who want to own the upscaled episodes can also buy a digital version of the series.
The box set is being produced and released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has held the distribution rights to Seinfeld since 2002, succeeding the now-defunct Columbia TriStar Television. Seinfeld originally aired on NBC, and ran from 1989 to 1998, totaling 180 episodes across nine seasons. During the show’s history-making run, the stars appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the July 1993 issue, sporting bold leather ensembles that were a far cry from The Puffy Shirt.
The show’s namesake and co-creator recently walked back previous comments decrying political correctness in comedy during an appearance on comedian Tom Papa’s Breaking Bread podcast, telling the host, “I don’t think the extreme left has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy. I’m taking that back now officially. They have not. Do you like it? Maybe, maybe not. It’s not my business to like or not like where the culture is at. It’s my business to make the gate.” In his comments, he framed changing cultural norms using skiing as a metaphor, adding “The game is: Where is the gate? How do I make the gate and get down the hill the way I want to?”
In addition to Seinfeld’s 35th anniversary, this year marked the series finale of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David’s long-running HBO sitcom, Curb Your Enthusiasm. In June, Kramer actor Michael Richards released his memoir Entrances and Exits, and spoke to Rolling Stone about its release, getting candid on his cancer diagnosis, career setbacks, and his time on Seinfeld.