Larry David Originally Had A Different Look In Mind For Seinfeld's Kramer

Everything about your favorite sitcoms feel as though they were fated to be. 60 actors auditioned for the role of Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," but Van Dyke, creator Carl Reiner and the casting director couldn't have known at the time that they were waiting for pool shark Mary Tyler Moore to show up and blow them away. Fortunately, the universe interceded. The cosmos also ensured that "Cheers" would not only survive two major cast departures, but launch the replacement actors (Woody Harrelson and Kirstie Alley) to full-fledged stardom. And when you upset the karmic whims of the television firmament, you get Danny Cooksey in "Diff'rent Strokes."

Piecing together a successful sitcom is tricky business, so it's best not to be rash in your decision making. Obviously, you need to give yourself space to try things because you're creating a universe and characters that are meant to enchant for the long haul (i.e. five seasons or longer). Sherwood Schwartz's "Gilligan's Island" had to recast several crucial roles after its disastrous pilot. And even if you've nailed the cast the first time through, there's the matter of the portrayal. Where do the characters live? What do they wear? How do they style their hair?

Every little decision counts, and you need look no further than "Seinfeld," one of the greatest sitcoms in the history of television, for evidence of how one little stylistic choice could've derailed a beloved character.

In a 2024 interview with Fox News, Michael Richards revealed that, if Larry David had brought his original vision of Kramer to "Seinfeld," the character would've looked a bit different (he also might've had a different name). According to Richards:

"Larry David, who began to sketch the character through a neighbor of his, Kenny Kramer, and he had a ponytail. So Larry was very close to the look of Kenny and asked me if I would wear a ponytail. And I thought at first that could be interesting. Perhaps it would fall off during the take. You know, the man, Kessler at the time, who became Kramer, wears a hairpiece. I was thinking of how to make that funny, but then I decided I got enough to think about than a hairpiece, so I ditched it."

In case you didn't catch that, Kramer was at one point going to be called Kessler because David was justifiably worried that Kenny Kramer would seek to benefit from his portrayal on the show. This all got worked out (to Kenny's advantage), but fortunately David and the "Seinfeld" braintrust opted to ditch the ponytail in favor of Richard's naturally frizzy hair. And that, along with uncannily sharp sitcom writing, is why "Seinfeld" is every bit as popular today as it was during its initial run.