Mel brooks interviewed by seinfeld episodes

American Netflix series starring Jerry Seinfeld

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is an American television talk show directed and hosted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The series premiered on digital network Crackle on July 19, 2012, and has since run on Netflix. As of May 2015, it had been streamed nearly 100 million times. The series moved to Netflix in 2018 for the debut of its tenth season. Its eleventh season premiered on July 19, 2019. Seinfeld has since indicated that he may be done working on the series.

Episodes feature Seinfeld introducing a vintage car selected for a guest comedian, followed by a drive to a café or restaurant where they drink coffee. Episodes diverge from the format spontaneously, from making unplanned stops to interacting with members of the public.

Production

History

Seinfeld said that the roots of the concept traced to a DVD extra he made for his 2002 documentary Comedian along with a later trip he made after purchasing an old VW Beetle in New Mexico, subsequently filming the return trip to the east coast with a friend. Later, describing the birth of the series, Seinfeld said the series birth was "an experiment"—as "kind of a guess".

Before the series was developed, Seinfeld was told by leading social network advisers including those at Facebook and Yahoo, that a show length exceedi

Seinfeld allowed the commander-in-chief to appear on his show because he has "gotten off just enough funny lines to qualify for this show." President Barack Obama agreed to do it in order to promote the Affordable Care Act.

Either way, the conversation turned toward Obama's underwear drawer, his most embarrassing moment as president ("this may be it") and, of course, their mutual friend Larry David. Obama barely mentioned the Seinfeld creator when the host interrupted. "I love Larry, but when we play golf… he's a fair-skinned guy…" 

"Oh, the sunscreen," Seinfeld immediately said. 

"He lathers himself in sunscreen and it's dripping, caked all over him," said Obama. He also later told Seinfeld that a "pretty sizeable percentage" of world leaders are probably out of their minds, and being president is like football. "Every once in awhile, you'll see an opening."

Jerry Seinfeld sips from one of Starbucks’ recognizable holiday cups at the start of an interview about his new book “The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Book” (Simon & Schuster, 352 pp., out now) commemorating the decade since his series first percolated on Crackle.

"Good coffee is my drink, but I will drink any coffee," Seinfeld, 68, says. 

His beverage is an interesting choice considering the standup personally pitched "Comedians in Cars" back when it was a bean of an idea to Howard Schultz, then-CEO of Starbucks and got denied.

"He said, ‘I don't see how this is right for us,’" remembers Seinfeld. "And I said, ‘Well, maybe another major comedian will have a show with the word coffee in the title very soon that you will like.’” 

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The series ended up debuting in 2012 on Crackle, but after nine seasons found a new home on Netflix. The show's 11th and latest season premiered in 2019. At this time, there are no plans for additional installments. 

The Starbucks story is one noted in an oral history featured in the book, which also includes an introduction from Seinfeld and transcribed snippets of episodes divided into sections about getting started in comedy, relationships, the art of comedy and “Seinfeld” the series.

Over 84 episodes, Seinfeld has interviewed comedic legends like Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin. The "Comedians in Cars" host was “most nervous” for his chat with then-sitting President Barack Obama for Season 7.

"I didn't want to waste his time, for obvious reasons," says Seinfeld. "I was very appreciative that they were even letting me do that, that he was willing to do that. That'