In 1988, Jerry Seinfeld missed out on a role he would always regret losing. A year later, ‘Seinfeld’ premiered

Jerry Seinfeld missed out on the ABC sitcom *Past Imperfect* in 1988, losing the role to Howie Mandel. The rejection came just before he began discussing a new comedy idea with Larry David, which eventually became *Seinfeld*, the sitcom that made him a television star.

At the time, Seinfeld was busy with stand-up, performing around 300 club dates a year and appearing regularly on *The Tonight Show*. He later said he regretted missing the role, but also admitted he did not want to be in a sitcom. The article suggests that not getting the part left room for the conversation with David, while Seinfeld’s continued preference for stand-up helps explain why he has not made another sitcom since *Seinfeld* ended.