Resume Security: ‘Seinfeld’

The countdown to the end of “Seinfeld” this May is in full tick, with devotees of the quirky comedy busily speculating on everything from how Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George will make their final exit to the astronomical fees being sought by NBC for commercials on the final episode.

But for the writing staff of the hit series, all the buzz swirling around their show--at least for the moment--is a lot of yada, yada, yada.

“Sure, there’s a lot of frenzy out in the world about the end of the show, but we’re inside here doing the work, and it really hasn’t registered that things are that different,” Alec Berg, one of the show’s executive producers, said as he sat in one of the “Seinfeld” writers’ offices in Studio City.

“It’s just the same old tune around here. We owe about six or seven shows, and that’s what we’re worried about,” Berg said.

But when it comes down to life after “Seinfeld,” the writers and producers of the show also have little to worry about. Although their secure gig on TV’s most successful comedy is about to end, they are already among the hottest creative properties in television.

Many among the veteran writing staff already have lucrative development deals waiting for them. Berg and his partner, Jeff Schaffer, who is also an executive producer, have a deal with DreamWorks. Co-executive producers Andy Robin and Gregg Kavet, whose episode “The Fatigues” won a Writers Guild of America award Saturday for best teleplay for an episodic comedy, have a deal with Castle Rock Television. Supervising producer David Mandel is linked to Touchstone Television.

Dan McDermott, head of DreamWorks Television, said of the “Seinfeld” writers: “These guys are some of the hottest commodities in the business. They have labored on a show that has been in peak form for eight or nine years. They have been first-hand participants in the crafting, shaping and execution of the best half hour on television.”

And although newer “Seinfeld” writers, including co-producers Steve Koren and Jennifer Crittenden, who have been on the show for two seasons, have yet to hook up with another show, their colleagues and others say they will have no problem landing prestigious writing jobs.

“The only reason we got our deal is because of ‘Seinfeld,’ ” said Schaffer, 28, who, like Berg, has been writing for the comedy for four years. He quipped, “I don’t think if we had spent four years on ‘Evening Shade’ that this would have happened.”

David Neuman, president of Walt Disney Network Television and Touchstone Television, said: “Inevitably, there is always one side effect of anyone associated with a hit show, and that is their stock always rises. It’s certainly no different here, especially with these writers. It’s an extremely well-written show.”

Sue Naegle, an agent for United Talent Agency, which represents the Berg-Schaffer and Robin-Kavet teams, agreed: “With all of the writers on this show, there is an expectation that they will all do something great.”

The current writers are hoping to follow in the footsteps of other “Seinfeld” alumni who have scored well in Hollywood. Former co-producer Carol Leifer is star and creator of the WB comedy “Alright Already.” Former consulting producers Tom Gammill and Max Pross are developing “buddy comedy” pilots for both NBC and Fox. Former co-executive producer Peter Mehlman is developing a comedy for DreamWorks. Ex-supervising producer Larry Charles is developing “Dilbert” for UPN after a stint as executive producer of “Mad About You.” And “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David has a movie, “Sour Grapes,” coming out in April (and is collaborating with Seinfeld on the final episode).

Mehlman, whose “Seinfeld” credits include co-writing the famous “Yada, Yada” episode, said that for a writer to have “Seinfeld” on his or her resume “is everything,” adding that the current fever surrounding the writing staff is nothing new.

“During the first couple of years on the show, agents would just be swooping around the set,” competing to get the best writers, Mehlman recalled.

Insiders pointed out that in addition to being linked with a TV phenomenon, the best writers on “Seinfeld” are hot right now because of their dedicated work ethic, an intense comedic demeanor and a sensibility for the quirky but accessible joke that goes far beyond standard sitcom fare.

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But industry experts also pointed out that the “Seinfeld” connection is not an automatic boost to a writer’s career.

Said Mehlman: “To a certain extent, there are a lot of benefits in being associated with the show. But you also have to be a good writer within the show to get the golden goose. You have to write good scripts, particularly on ‘Seinfeld,’ which is a writers’ show. If you’re on ‘Seinfeld’ for one season but don’t do particularly well, that won’t do it.”

Mandel and several of the other current staff secured their deals long before Seinfeld announced on Christmas Eve that the comedy would not be coming back. However, they put off leaving right away because they enjoy working on “Seinfeld” so much. “We could have moved on already, but we love the show,” Schaffer said.

But they acknowledged that writing for “Seinfeld” is pivotal to their increased marketability.

“The show definitely had a lot to do with our deal,” said Robin, who has written for “Seinfeld” for five years. “We talked to a lot of studios last year.”

The writers--several of them graduates of “Saturday Night Live”--praised the benefits of working on a so-called “water cooler show,” saying the episodes they write are almost instantly recognized by studio honchos, serving as comedic calling cards.

Mandel said Disney executives were impressed by several of his episodes, which include “The Bizarro Jerry” (in which Jerry and his gang meet their polar opposites) and “The Friars Club” (in which Jerry, who hopes to get into the Friars Club, misplaces a club jacket).

“People know us by our episodes,” Schaffer echoed.

The production companies and the writers are insistent that there is no interest in a copycat “Seinfeld”--at least not for the moment.

“It would be a dumb mistake for a studio to hire a ‘Seinfeld’ writer to create a clone or a road company of ‘Seinfeld,’ ” Disney executive Neuman said. Although they wish to catch the success of “Seinfeld,” he and other studio heads said they are more interested in the unique comic outlook inherent among “Seinfeld” staffers.

Mehlman said: “DreamWorks wanted my sensibility, but they let me do what I want to do. That could be anything, although I don’t think they would want me to write a drama. My show now has a ‘Seinfeld’ feel but goes way beyond that.”

Although they rank in the elite corps of TV writers, the “Seinfeld” writers work in a less-than-royal atmosphere. Offices are cluttered, though not messy. Couches are well-worn. One room where the writers meet to hammer out episodes has a couple of tables and steel-backed chairs. Bulletin boards display the titles of upcoming episodes and the outline of the episode currently being worked on.

Despite the non-plush surroundings, the writers said not only that working on “Seinfeld” is the best job on television but that it has provided them with an invaluable sitcom education.

“We’ve learned the three rules of comedy writing,” Kavet said. “No bad lunches. Three jokes per page. And always try to have a character named Kramer.”

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* “Seinfeld” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC (Channel 4).