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In the series Seinfeld, why does Jerry not change his character's name?

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The character is a fictionalized version of himself. – Oliver_C Jul 11 '12 at 8:03
Would love to know why this wasn't true for Larry David's character on the show (George) – TylerShads♦ Jul 11 '12 at 16:51
Tyler, from what I have learned about the show, Larry David was a very reluctant participant. He wanted to help Jerry with the first episode and then kept trying to get out of helping further. He never thought the show would get picked and kept agreeing to work on "just a few more" episodes. – Evik James Jul 13 '12 at 14:24

3 Answers

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The similarities between the real Jerry and the fictionalized Jerry are subtle. Since his life as a comedian was the show's core, there was great reason to tie the real and fictionalized characters together. They did so using the name of the character.

Also, I am sure there was a bit of ego involved.

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up vote 2 down vote

According to a documentary I watched seinfeld didn't change his name because he has based it on his life, he also used the series to showcase his standup comedy talents

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do you remember the name of the documentary? – oers Oct 22 '12 at 11:29
I can't off the top of my head, no but it can be found in the season1/2 DVD boxset as one of the special features – minimatt Oct 22 '12 at 11:37
up vote 1 down vote

I mean, the show is called Seinfeld. I think much of the basis of the show is that it is an exaggerated interpretation of his own life. A viewer is meant to believe that the Jerry we watch in Seinfeld is the same Jerry we see doing stand up comedy.

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