NEW YORK — Jerry Seinfeld loves cars. He’s fond of coffee. And, of course, he’s a comedian who loves to talk comedy.
NEW YORK — Jerry Seinfeld loves cars. He’s fond of coffee. And, of course, he’s a comedian who loves to talk comedy.
But the inspiration for his online talk show, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (wherein he and a fellow comedians crack wise while powered by a car and caffeine), was inspired by an episode of his eponymous 1990s sitcom.
In that memorable episode, Jerry’s sad-sack pal, George, decided success might await him if he lived his failed life in the opposite manner.
“That,” recalled Seinfeld in a recent interview, “gave me the idea to create a talk show that was the opposite of the typical show.
“With a typical talk show,” he explained, “you have to go to a studio. You have to tell them in advance what you’re going to talk about. You have to dress up. You have to put on makeup. It’s very, very organized.
“I thought, maybe there’s a different way than being stuck on a couch: Outside and moving is the opposite of inside and still.”
“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” launched on the Crackle digital network in 2012, and its third season hit the road Thursday with Seinfeld joining Louis C.K. for a cup of joe after a zany ride on a clown-car-scale 1959 Fiat Jolly.
“I pick you up at your house and we literally go out for a cup of coffee,” Seinfeld said.
Future ride-alongs include Patton Oswalt, Howard Stern, Tina Fey, Todd Barry and Jay Leno.
“I wanted to make a show that people would like to be on, instead of groaning and going, ‘Yeah, all right, I’ll do it,’” said Seinfeld in his office in Manhattan.
Needless to say, Seinfeld mostly focuses on comedy with each guest.
“That’s what I normally talk about during the day,” he said, looking very Jerry at his desk clad in jeans, a gray sweater with a rakish black scarf at his throat and a pair of Nike Shox. “At least 50 percent of the waking life of every comedian is gossiping and analyzing with other comedians about comedy. Comedy is a very mysterious profession, so we’re always trying to figure it out.”