Bob Odenkirk Had Never Seen Seinfeld When He Was Offered A Guest Role

"What's the deal with not watching my show?" is what comedian Jerry Seinfeld might playfully ask Bob Odenkirk. Don't feel bad if you blink and missed Odenkirk's guest role on one of the most popular 1990s sitcoms. During the show's iconic run, "Seinfeld" played host to a treasure trove of guest stars, both famous and those yet to make a name for themselves.

The characters of "Seinfeld" spent most of their days judging others, and that was doubly so when it came to guest stars. A pre-"Friends" Courtney Cox and pre-"Will & Grace" Megan Mullally would both get their NBC starts with appearances on the show. Judge Reinhold earned his only Emmy nomination for a 1994 guest appearance, and Molly Shannon made a pop-in during her run on "Saturday Night Live." Even Wilford Brimley got in on the action during the show's final season.

Yada yada yada, the list goes on. You can include Odenkirk on the lineup of luminaries, and even though it was the most popular sitcom on television at the time, Odenkirk wasn't all that familiar with "Seinfeld" when he took the role.

Bob Odenkirk was no stranger to comedy or television when he appeared in a 1996 episode of "Seinfeld" titled "The Abstinence." Odenkirk had been writing in television for years, with shows like "Saturday Night Live" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on his resume. He was also trying his hand at acting, with bit roles in film and television, including "The Cable Guy" and "Roseanne." It was at this point in his career when an opportunity on "Seinfeld" came along.

The actor, however, recently admitted that he hadn't seen the show at the time he has cast. "I did not watch 'Seinfeld' until after it was a long over," Odenkirk told GQ in 2021, though he did know fellow comedian and series creator, Larry David. Despite not watching, Odenkirk came away impressed by the show and the cast's chemistry. He said:

"I was just offered that role on 'Seinfeld.' And it was a great experience. You know, 'Seinfeld' worked like a laugh machine, and not in a bad way, not in a cold and unfeeling and mechanical way, but in a reliable and professional way. So, I went in, acted it, didn't have to exaggerate the person, just played him earnestly. It was a great, great experience. They were such a team, on the same page, working together so well, that you just try to catch up and just say your lines at the right time, and everything would be okay."

If we want to give credit where it is due, we might owe Odenkirk's appearance on the show in part to his "schmoopie" at the time.

Bob Odenkirk might not have been all that familiar with "Seinfeld" back in the day, but as the show's characters might say, his "schmoopie" was. "My girlfriend at the time was a huge fan, so I certainly knew that it was great," Odenkirk confessed in his GQ interview.

It's fitting because, in the episode, Odenkirk plays Elaine's boyfriend, Ben, a doctor struggling to prepare for his medical licensure. When George discovered that abstinence made him more mentally focused, Elaine suggests to Ben that they stop having sex to help him prepare for the test. As always, Elaine's best intentions backfire and Ben breaks up with her after he receives his license.

In typical "Seinfeld" fashion, there's another layer of irony to the comedian's 1996 appearance. "Now that I've watched every single episode, it is in my top three sitcoms of all time," he told GQ. Not watching a series he's cast in has become a pattern for Odenkirk, who hadn't seen an episode of "Breaking Bad" before accepting the role that would define his career and earn him multiple Emmy nominations for his work as Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill in AMC's "Better Call Saul." 

Odenkirk's acting successes since playing Elaine's boyfriend officially put him on the list of little-known actors at the time who went on to become big stars after a guest role on "Seinfeld." That honor stands even though he hadn't seen an episode of the show before stepping on set. Not that there's anything wrong with that.