On July 5th, 1989, the first episode of the iconic NBC sitcom, "Seinfeld", aired on television. Often called "The Seinfeld Chronicles", it was written by the show creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David and was directed by Art Wolff. When the first episode aired, it was watched by nearly 11% of the American television households, and received generally positive reviews from television critics. Because critics were upset that NBC had not ordered a first season, and because he was convinced the show had potential, NBC executive Rick Ludwin convinced the channel to order a four-episode first season, which became the smallest order in American TV history. "Seinfeld" quickly became one of the most successful sitcoms in American history, amassing a collection of 180 episodes over nine seasons by the time the finale aired in May 1998.
