If you think “Seinfeld” was all about its fab four of Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards, I envy you. This means you have nine unwatched seasons of sitcom genius waiting for you on streaming (or you could just buy the complete series on Blu-ray and own every episode for probably the rest of your life, provided you store the discs properly). If there’s a “Seinfeld” fanatic in your life, you probably know about frequently recurring characters like the weaselly Newman (Wayne Knight), George’s eccentric parents (Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris), and standouts like the Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas), but do you know about the deadpan majesty of David Puddy?
Portrayed by Patrick Warburton (to the consternation of his father), David Puddy first appeared in the classic season 6 episode “The Fusilli Jerry.” Puddy is Jerry’s friend and mechanic who violates an unwritten guy rule when he steals Jerry’s coital “move” while having sex with Elaine. This sets into motion a series of hilariously petty complications, so no one was upset to see Puddy return in a subsequent episode that found him donning New Jersey Devils face paint. At this point, the odd-but-seemingly-decent Puddy seemed destined for recurring status. He was a perfect straight-faced foil for Elaine, and possessed of quirks that could be exploited for huge laughs further down the line.
So, why did Puddy suddenly go away and not return until the series’ final season?
Another sitcom obligation caused Warburton’s two-year absence from Seinfeld
In a 2013 interview with The A.V. Club, Warburton revealed that his long absence from “Seinfeld” was due to him joining the cast of the sitcom “Dave’s World” in 1995. Based on the nationally syndicated humor columns of writer Dave Berry, the series hung around until 1997, which effectively kept Warburton out of circulation for two years. As he told The A.V. Club:
“[I] did get a few phone calls about doing more ‘Seinfeld,’ but I just couldn’t do it. That was frustrating. But then they canceled ‘Dave’s World,’ and that’s when Jerry approached me about doing a final season of ‘Seinfeld.'”
And this only came to pass because Warburton shot an American Express commercial with Seinfeld where he provided the voice of the sitcom star’s favorite superhero, Superman. Per Warburton:
“[I]t was on that set that he just threw it out there. He says, ‘Do you want to come back on the show this next season?’ To which I replied, ‘Let me check my schedule.’ Yeah, it was great that the door opened once again because, like I said, it was very frustrating not being able to come back and work with Jerry and the gang on the No. 1 show on TV because I was tied to another contract.'”
Warburton appeared in eight episodes that season (including the controversial finale), which boosted his profile and allowed him to star as the havoc-wreaking superhero The Tick on Fox’s tragically short-lived superhero sitcom in 2001. To date, Warburton’s finest hour is probably his voice portrayal of Kronk in Disney’s animated classic “The Emperor’s New Groove.” And none of this would’ve ever come to pass had he not stolen Jerry’s move on “Seinfeld.”
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