QUICK TAKES - Feb. 27, 2009

Jerry Seinfeld is returning to NBC as producer of a comic reality series in which celebrities and a referee try to help squabbling couples make peace.

That’s the good news for Seinfeld’s fans.

The bad news? Seinfeld said he has no plans to step in front of the cameras for “The Marriage Ref” or, for that matter, to star in a television series again.

“It’s a young man’s game,” said Seinfeld, 54. “Nothing could surpass the experience I had.”

Seinfeld helped develop the idea with a friend, Ellen Rakieten, who had just left Oprah Winfrey’s production company after working there for 23 years.

The hourlong episodes will introduce couples through filmed reports and show them fighting. A panel of celebrity guests will weigh in to offer advice and observations before the final arbiter, a “ref,” settles things.

Being right may not always be the deciding factor, either. The ref will penalize people for fighting dirty, Rakieten said. Eye-rolling is a technical foul.

The team hopes to get the show on the air for next season, but said the timing hasn’t been determined.