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Whether you’ve got a respected actor who’s taken a position in the Obama administration, or a universally loathed actor who finally quit, a character’s sudden death is a great opportunity to honor or completely debase your coworker.

14 ‘Community’: Pierce Hawthorne

Chevy Chase has been a menace to the cast and crew around him for decades, and Community famously disrespected him by making the character of Pierce reflect the doddering racism of the actor himself. The season after he left the show, it was casually revealed that he died of dehydration while filling up jugs of sperm.

13 ‘Jurassic Park’: Ray Arnold

Samuel L. Jackson played the park’s harried chief engineer, Ray Arnold. Arnold was sent into the danger zone to fulfill his destiny as the It guy — turn the power off and on again — only to disappear under mysterious circumstances. He makes one final appearance...

In spite of being remembered as a show about nothing, "Seinfeld" was anything but, as Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld pitched their sitcom to NBC as a show about how a comedian gets their material. For the first seven seasons, these two were responsible for heralding their groundbreaking comedy series from humble beginnings at Desilu-Cahuenga to one of the best sitcoms ever made. "Seinfeld" only grew in popularity with each passing season as audiences became more and more endeared to the bizarre misadventures of Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander), and Kramer (Michael Richards). When it came time to start working on the eighth season, however, there was a regime change that challenged the show's viability.

In the wake of killing off Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg), George's fiancee, in the season 7 finale, David finally put his foot down and decided to leave the show to work on...

"Seinfeld" was truly like no other comedy on television. It refused to adhere to sitcom conventions with the likes of sympathetic main characters, life lessons, and happy endings. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander) and Kramer (Michael Richards) were all, in some form or another, sociopathic walks of life who only seemed to bring about a wave of trouble wherever they made themselves known. But that was part of the whole appeal. Shows like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" would follow in its footsteps because there's an innate curiosity and sicko satisfaction with discovering slivers of humanity inside a batch of unlikable characters. NBC viewers couldn't get enough of "Seinfeld," as the series' popularity and awards consideration grew with each passing season. It was on top of the world. The show reached a turning point, however, at the end of its seventh season for a couple of...

In the "Seinfeld" episode "The Bubble Boy", George (Jason Alexander), his girlfriend Susan (Heidi Swedberg), Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) go on a road trip to a lakeside cabin in upstate New York belonging to Susan's parents. Before they go, though, Jerry is stopped by a man in a coffee shop who recognizes him (Jerry is a famous comedian in the universe of the show). The man entreats Jerry and his friends to visit his son Donald (Jon Hayman), who would appreciate a visit from a celebrity. Donald is sensitive to germs and has to live in an airtight plastic tent to avoid getting sick. Jerry, being very rude, immediately begins calling the kid "Bubble Boy." 

When the road trip finally begins, George is a road warrior, and pushes through the trip as quickly as possible. He arrives at Donald's house early. The extra time forces George and...

"Seinfeld" went to some pretty dark places over its run. It sent its main characters to prison for a year. It killed off George's (Jason Alexander) fiancé Susan (Heidi Swedberg), and in a very cold manner, I might add. There was even a -- decidedly bad -- episode where Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) may or may not have been molested by his dentist. Most sitcoms in the '90s kept things safe and sweet, but Seinfeld, his co-creator Larry David, and the other "Seinfeld" writers had no interest in that sort of thing.

Considering how free "Seinfeld" seemed with pushing boundaries, it's surprising to hear about the moments where the NBC execs decided to draw the line. For instance, there was supposed to be a season 2 episode titled "The Bet" or "The Gun," but it was never filmed because NBC found it way too dark. The episode featured perhaps too much gun-related humor,...

When it comes to sitcoms about a group of young adult friends behaving badly in New York City in the 1990s, there are a few people might think of. There's the incredible "Living Single," which followed six young Black professionals living their best lives in a Brooklyn brownstone. Then there's "Sex and the City," HBO's twist on the format with a whole lot more onscreen sex. But for many, the two big ones that come to mind are going to be the NBC hits "Seinfeld" and "Friends." Both are shows about absolutely awful people who are nonetheless kind of lovable, and it turns out that because of a series of crossovers, they're actually set in the same fictional universe. 

Both "Seinfeld" and "Friends" aired on NBC during the same era, but there wasn't really much competition between the two shows because fans of one tended to also love the other.

"Seinfeld" was famously a grower in terms of popularity. The sitcom struggled in the Nielsen ratings throughout its first three seasons before rising in season 4 and, finally, becoming the juggernaut that it would continue to be until the gang called it quits at the end of season 9.

To get there, Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David had to tweak the formula a little to set the show apart from more amiable hit sitcoms like "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show." For folks familiar with Seinfeld's stand-up through his appearances on HBO comedy specials or "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," this irascibility was surprising. Sometimes, the show got downright mean — never nastier than the dispatching of George's bride-to-be Susan (Heidi Swedberg) in the classic episode "The Invitations."

Seinfeld himself got more acerbic than he had been in his act, but, because he was not and has yet to be a versatile actor,...

Your browser does not support the video tag. Seinfeld introduces Susan Ross, a love interest of George Constanza, in the show's fourth season, only to kill her off three seasons later. Susan Ross met an untimely demise on Seinfeld because of chemistry issues with other actors behind the scenes. Killing off Susan was deemed necessary by Seinfeld's creator, Larry David, but her actress, Heidi Swedberg, has no ill will about her character's death.

Seinfeld was more than just a show about nothing it was a show about terrible people doing terrible things. One could even suggest that Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer were legitimate villains, as evidenced by their interactions with Susan Ross throughout the series. During Susan's extended relationship with the perpetually pitiful George Costanza, she frequently found herself the butt of many jokes.

Kramer burnt the Ross family cabin to the ground, George got her fired from...

Who is your favorite Seinfeld character? Perhaps it's one of the leads, or maybe it's a supporting character like Elaine's on-again, off-again dolt of a boyfriend, David Puddy (Patrick Warburton). Then there's George Costanza's (Jason Alexander) loudmouthed mother, Estelle Costanza (Estelle Harris), who stole every scene she was in. Ironically, the man the show is named after, Jerry Seinfeld, isn't usually named as a favorite. Based on Larry David, Seinfeld's co-creator, George Costanza might be the most loved because he is the worst. The guy was relieved when he found out that his fiance, Susan (Heidi Swedberg), died from licking wedding invitations whose envelopes contained a toxic glue. He was Jerry's best friend, but George's wants came first, and it was hilarious to watch him have a meltdown in nearly every episode.

Seinfeld and Mad About You may have been two big NBC series from the '90s set in New York, but their characters and plots are vastly different. Mad About You, starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, was about the trials and tribulations of a newly married couple, Paul and Jamie Buchnan. It's your typical sitcom centered on a couple, though a well written and acted one that won many Emmys. On Seinfeld, couples didn't last long. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Kramer (Michael Richards), or Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) never got married. Sure, George was engaged once, only for his fiancée Susan (Heidi Swedberg) to die. That was treated as a joke, as was everything on Seinfeld. The series, co-created by Larry David, was a place where no lessons were learned, whereas Mad About You was more grounded in reality.

Susan's death in Seinfeld season 7 was a shocking move for the show, but it was in line with its quirky and off-kilter nature. The decision to kill off Susan may have been influenced by behind-the-scenes issues, as the main cast had difficulty working with actress Heidi Swedberg. Ending George's engagement to Susan preserved the chemistry of the Seinfeld cast and allowed the writers to close the book on that storyline.

The Susan Seinfeld was a shocking move for the show despite its reputation as being dark for a sitcom. Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg) debuted in Seinfeld season 4, as an NBC executive hearing Jerry and George's pitch for the Jerry show-within-a-show. Susan eventually became a love interest for George, and the two had a short relationship throughout season 4. The pair broke up (an experience that seemingly drove Susan to lesbianism) but surprisingly got back together in Seinfeld season 7. At the beginning of that season,...

During its nine-season run, one of the running gags was just how many partners the Seinfeld gang went through. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) had so many that when he once cried over a breakup, a confused Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) said, "Jerry, you break up with a girlfriend every week." Kramer (Michael Richards) had his share too, and then there was George (Jason Alexander). He had the worst of luck until he met Susan (Heidi Swedberg) and actually got engaged, only to hate every minute of it to the point of feeling relieved when she accidentally died from licking toxic envelopes for their wedding invitations.

Friends director James Burrows reveals behind-the-scenes struggles with Emily, mirroring a similar problem on the set of Seinfeld. Burrows dislikes Emily character and finds Helen Baxendale "not particularly funny," affecting chemistry with David Schwimmer. Emily's storyline on Friends was quickly written out due to difficulties, while Seinfeld dealt with a similar issue by killing off Susan for laughs.

Friends director James Burrows has revealed on-set difficulties with the Emily character that surprisingly mirror a behind-the-scenes problem from the making of Seinfeld. Burrows is a prolific TV director whose sitcom credits include episodes of Cheers, Taxi, Will & Grace, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and, of course, Friends. In his memoir Directed By James Burrows, Burrows has revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets from the making of Friends – including the revelation that Emily polarized the cast and crew just as much as she polarized the fan base.

The struggles that Friends went through...

On Seinfeld, Jerry dating beautiful woman after beautiful woman could be explained away by him being semi-famous within the world of the show. George Costanza, on the other hand... short, bald, stocky, quick to anger, and usually unemployed, George's love life seemed to be a writer's room construct for plot points. But none of the sitcom character's relationships with women made less sense than when George dated Susan Ross.

It isn't that George was wholly undateable. He could be funny and persistent, but those traits were overshadowed by neuroses, pettiness, explosive-yet-impotent anger, refusal to take personal responsibility and a toxic combination of narcissism and low self-esteem. Combined, they made a long-term relationship with a real "catch" like Susan as far-fetched as a judge sentencing a man to be someone's butler.

Related: This Seinfeld Episode Is So Offensive That It’s Out of Syndication

Susan Brought More to the Relationship Than...

Throughout Seinfeld's run on television, and up to and including today, fans have become attached to its main characters, their comical shenanigans, and seemingly impossible and unrealistic storylines. But although it was the main characters in the limelight, its supporting characters were equally as important.

Related: Seinfeld: 10 Great Cast-Member Side Projects

Some became series regulars, like postman Newman (Wayne Knight) and Susan (Heidi Swedberg). Before becoming characters in the famous sitcom, some were already well known on the small and big screen. Others continued their acting careers and even hit it big after their supporting role on the show, becoming notable Hollywood actors.

2017-08-23T11:35:44-07:00This Is Why Your Favorite Character Was Written Out of Your Favorite Series

Everything seems to be going great for your favorite character one day, and the next he or she is suddenly gone, having been written out of the show for one odd reason or another. Here's the story behind some of TV's most notable character disappearances. Are there other characters you miss? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Susan from Seinfeld

Remember George Costanza’s fiance Susan Ross? Her character tragically and comically died in Season 7 after licking all of the envelopes from their cheap wedding invitations. According to Jason Alexander (George) and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Elaine), Heidi Swedberg was extremely difficult to work with and Larry David decided to kill her off.

2. Charlie from Lost

If you booked the show Lost, your life would be set, right? Not for Dominic Monaghan.

In June, Jason Alexander finally shed light on why the writers of Seinfeld decided to kill off George’s fiancée, Susan. Alexander said it was because he “couldn’t figure out how to play off of” Susan’s actress, Heidi Swedberg. He told Howard Stern, "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring. And she would do something, and I would go, 'Okay, I see what she’s going to do — I'm going to adjust to her.' And I'd adjust, and then it would change." Alexander later posted an apology to Swedberg, saying, “She is a kind, lovely person who undoubtedly worked really hard to create Susan and that character was clearly what Larry and Jerry wanted her to be for George.”In the wake of Alexander’s explanation, a five-year-old fan-made video called “Serious Seinfeld” has resurfaced. The video imagines George...

I have written previously in this space about my unabashed adoration of Howard Stern, but even casual fans know that the King of All Media's skillful long-form interviewing style is one of his most enduring qualities. He conducts hard-hitting interrogations that feel like casual conversations, leading normally guarded celebrities to offer revelations and opinions they would probably never utter in another forum. This year alone, he has helped draw out newsworthy bites from a number of big stars, and with 2015 more than half over, I thought I'd recap the wildest, most revealing quotes that have come out of Studio 69 in the past six months and change (with attendant clips). Here we go... 1. Jason Alexander tells the real story behind Susan's "Seinfeld" demise Date: June 3 Behind-the-scenes dish on famous TV shows never gets old, and Alexander's tidbit about actress Heidi Swedberg (who played George's ill-fated fiancee Susan) was particularly juicy. After...

Welcome to today's edition of Nerd Alert, where we have all the off-beat, nerdy news for you in one convenient spot. What do we have in store for you on this tantalizing Thursday? Conan O'Brien takes Fury Road to San Diego, Mad Max style, a man dressed as a Stormtrooper walks over 500 miles to Comic-Con in honor of his late wife, and Magic Mike Xxl gets an unwanted Nsfw spinoff. Plus, Terminator 2: Judgment Day gets the 8-Bit Cinema treatment and the Seinfeld "death by envelope licking" theory is put to the test. So, sit back, relax, and check out all that today's Nerd Alert has to offer.

Stormtrooper Walks Over 600 Miles to Comic-Con

Today I complete the first leg of my walk when I arrive in San Diego! It's been an incredible journey. #501MileWalkpic.twitter.com/y06b4YxDyL

— 501 Mile Walk (@501MileWalk) July 9, 2015

Fans at Comic-Con will likely see several Stormtroopers this week,...

Seinfeld actress Ali Wentworth, who played Jerry's overly affectionate girlfriend on the "Soup Nazi" episode, was shocked to hear about former co-star Jason Alexander's unprompted attack on Heidi Swedberg last week. "I read a little bit about that, and I was a little bit like, 'Wow, now? Now?' " Wentworth told The Hollywood Reporter at a party for her new book, Happily Ali After, which humorously documents her recent self-improvement quest. Read More Julia Louis-Dreyfus Regrets Not Agreeing to Jerry Seinfeld's Idea "That Elaine Just Gets Fat" (Video) Wentworth and Jerry Seinfeld, whose characters were fond of calling

read more...

After comments he made on Wednesday's Howard Stern Show about his former Seinfeld costar Heidi Swedberg were taken out of context, Jason Alexander took to Twitter to clear the air.

"To Heidi, I personally apologize," Alexander, 55, wrote in a lengthy TwitLonger. "You are a sweetheart. I actually launched into this on Stern to defend you. But this is why I'm not a lawyer. Now everybody, calm down and just enjoy the reruns and think, 'Why did he think this wasn't working? This is great.' "

Oh dear God, leave Heidi alone Read: http://t.co/14Q5akRj38

— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) June 4, 2015

On his radio show,...

Should he stuff his sorries in a sack? Jason Alexander was actually trying to stick up for Heidi Swedberg, who played George's ill-fated fiancée Susan on "Seinfeld," and instead he managed to throw her back under a bus that has been rolling over her for more than a decade.

This is partly Howard Stern's fault for bringing it up again -- to ask about the relationship between George and Susan, and actors Jason and Heidi. In Jason's retelling, he explained how he and Heidi just worked differently in finding the comedy of the scene. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld had no idea what the problem was, he said, until they worked with her and he said they found it impossible too. Well, cue a dozen stories about the actress who played Susan being "impossible" to work with, hence the character's death.

So now George Jason is gettin' upset. Here's...

After seemingly taking digs at her acting abilities on yesterday's episode of "The Howard Stern Show," Jason Alexander has posted a lengthy apology to Heidi Swedberg, the actor who played his doomed fiancee Susan Ross on "Seinfeld." He was trying to defend her, see? I think Alexander is right in noting that his lack of chemistry with Swedberg played perfectly into the way the relationship was written; the whole point was that George and Susan were wrong for each other from the start. This seems heartfelt. "Ok folks, I feel officially awful. Yesterday on @Sternshow, I retold a story I had told years ago about my personal difficulties and insecurities in playing George against the Susan that Heidi Swedberg created. The impetus for telling this story was that Howard said, 'Julia Louis Dreyfuss told me you all wanted to kill her'. So I told the story to try and clarify...

Jason Alexander feels “officially awful” for sharing a story Wednesday on Howard Stern’s radio show about why Heidi Swedberg’s Susan Ross was killed off of “Seinfeld,” the show on which she was engaged to Alexander’s George Costanza. A day later, he backed off a little bit — or at least explained his intentions in greater detail in a post he promoted on Twitter. Alexander said on Stern’s show: “The actress is this wonderful girl, Heidi Swedberg, I love her ... I couldn’t figure out how to play off of her.” “Her instincts for doing a scene — where the comedy was — and mine,...

Seinfeld‘s Jason Alexander is mastering his domain — in the art of the backpedal.

The actor on Thursday morning apologized for and attempted to clarify remarks he made on Howard Stern’s radio show Wednesday recollecting the classic NBC sitcom’s decision to kill off George Costanza’s fiancée Susan, played by actress Heidi Swedberg.

RelatedEmmys 2015: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series — Our 6 Dream Nominees!

“She’s a terrific girl. I love her. I couldn’t figure out how to play off of her. Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine, were always misfiring,...

Like most Seinfeld fans, we still haven't gotten over the death of George's fiance Susan Ross back in season 7.  Just kidding. She was actually kind of a pain (after all, she was the one who ruined George's potential relationship with Marisa Tomei). What we actually haven't gotten over, however, is how shockingly out of the blue her death was. In case you've somehow forgotten, Susan died suddenly after licking the toxic glue on the cheap envelopes George had decided to order for their wedding invitations.  After the strange and sudden death, rumors started swirling that the character was killed off because Jason Alexander didn't like working with the actress, Heidi Swedberg. Finally,...

On Howard Stern's show this week, Jason Alexander gave us an answer to the long-standing Seinfeld question we didn't even realize we wanted answered: Why did the show kill off Susan? We just assumed that was Larry David's way of making a PSA about the dangers of expired envelopes, but according to Alexander, there were behind-the-scenes factors at play. Apparently, actress Heidi Swedberg was a wonderful person, but her comic stylings were so far away from the rest of the cast's that the regulars felt it was "impossible" to work with her. "I couldn't figure out how to play off her," Alexander explained. "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring. And she would do something, and I would go, 'Okay, I see what she’s going to do — I'm going to adjust to her.' And I'd adjust, and then it would change.

Jason Alexander, the man behind perhaps the greatest sitcom character of all time — “Seinfeld’s” George Costanza — revealed on Wednesday why his on-screen fiancée Susan Ross had to be killed off in 1997 after 28 episodes. “The actress is this wonderful girl, Heidi Swedberg, I love her,” Alexander started his story on Wednesday morning to an eager Howard Stern. “I couldn’t figure out how to play off of her.” “Her instincts for doing a scene — where the comedy was — and mine, were always misfiring,” he continued. “She would do something and I would go, ‘Ok, I see what she’s going.

Good riddance from George Costanza! Jason Alexander apologized on Thursday, June 4 to his Seinfeld costar Heidi Swedberg after finally revealing the reason why his on-screen fiancee was killed off the sitcom in 1997. "I couldn't figure out how to play off of her," Alexander, 55, told Howard Stern on the shock jock's Sirius Xm radio show on Wednesday. "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring. And she would do something, and I would go, 'Okay, I see what [...]...

If you had trouble understanding why George (Jason Alexander) and Susan (Heidi Swedberg) stayed together on Seinfeld, you weren't the only one. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Alexander was a guest on Wednesday's Howard Stern Show and admitted that the show's writers decided to kill off Susan with poisonous envelopes because he and the rest of the cast did not enjoy sharing scenes with the actress who portrayed her. "I couldn't figure out how to play off of her," Alexander said of Swedberg, who followed her 1997 departure from the celebrated NBC sitcom with roles on Roswell, Gilmore

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George Costanza's fiancee Susan was unceremoniously killed off at the end of Season 7 by licking too much low-quality glue, and rumors later swirled that she met her demise because Jason Alexander couldn't stand working with Heidi Swedberg, the actress who played her. On today's episode of "The Howard Stern Show," Jason Alexander set the record straight by explaining that, while he loved Swedberg on a personal level, their on-set chemistry was "a disaster." "I love her. She's a terrific girl. I love her. I couldn't figure out how to play off of her. Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine, were always misfiring. And she would do something and I would go, okay, I see what she's gonna do, I'm gonna adjust to her. And then I would adjust. And then it would change! "So I had done three episodes with her and Larry calls...

Last week’s True Blood served up a host of shocking moments, including a cop shooting his friend and lady-love in the head, a gruesome beheading, and a very pregnant woman violently stabbing the father of her child to death in a demonic ritual. But the episode’s climactic scene – where a band of drugged-up vampires crashed a Bourbon Street karaoke bar and devoured the wedding party enjoying a round of “You Light Up My Life” inside – is the scene that has many viewers talking. And some of those viewers are talking about calling it quits on the series.

Throughout television history, many shows have lived and died based on their ability to balance shock with reassurance: play it too safe, and the show is dull and lifeless; push too far into squirm-inducing territory, and you risk alienating your audience. It's a tightrope walk that has claimed its fair share...

David and Victoria Beckham may have named their new baby daughter after an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. Victoria gave birth to the couple's fourth child, Harper Seven Beckham, on Sunday. The name of the baby has reminded many fans of the Jerry Seinfeld comedy, where one of the main characters is mocked for wanting to name his baby Seven. George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) tells his girlfriend Susan (Heidi Swedberg) that the name Seven is "a beautiful name for a boy or a girl, especially a girl". Susan responds by saying: "It's awful, I hate it. No child of mine is ever going (more)...

Seinfeld fans have taken to the internet to ponder whether David Beckham and Victoria Beckham named their new baby daughter after watching a particular episode of the classic sitcom. Victoria Beckham gave birth to the couple's fourth child, Harper Seven Beckham, on Sunday. The name of the baby has reminded many fans of the Jerry Seinfeld comedy, where one of the main characters is mocked for wanting to name his baby Seven. George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) tells his girlfriend Susan (Heidi Swedberg) that the name Seven is "a beautiful name for a boy or a girl, especially a girl". Susan responds by saying: (more)...

After last year's Seinfeld-themed reunion episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, it seems more unlikely than ever that we'll ever see a traditional Seinfeld reunion. Fans of the popular 1990s series will just have to keep watching reruns.

One viewer recently decided to look at the old episodes in a brand new way. The YouTuber took footage from the George (Jason Alexander) and Susan (Heidi Swedberg) storyline that played out over season seven and put it together to make a trailer for a dramatic movie called George.

You may not look at George Costanza in quite the same way again.