In the days before there was Friends and The Big Bang Theory, Jerry Seinfeld pretty much defined what a modern sitcom ought to look like, with his eponymous show on NBC. Seinfeld the series aired on the network between July 1989 and May 1998, with a total of 180 episodes over the course of nine seasons.
Seinfeld played the titular character, a fictionalized version of himself. Other major cast members were Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes, Michael Richards as his neighbor Cosmo Kramer and Jason Alexander in the part of his best friend since childhood, George Costanza. This part was loosely based on comedian Larry David's experiences.
As would be the case with any show lasting nearly a decade on television, Seinfeld had some very memorable guest stars. Unsurprisingly, not all of them loved their time on the program. Here is a look at actors who made cameos that they didn't quite enjoy... and a few who actually loved it.
8 Hated: Heidi Swedberg
Heidi Swedberg's role on Seinfeld could have been so much more than a bit-part one. She was cast to play George's girlfriend, Susan Ross. What she found was that the central cast on the show was a very tight-knit group and if you did not immediately gel, the consequences could be terminal.
A simple comment from Louis-Dreyfus about how difficult it apparently was to work with Swedberg became her character's death sentence. "Don't you want to just kill her?" the actress had reportedly asked. Seinfeld did, and killed off Susan.
7 Hated: Megan Mullally
Like Swedberg, Megan Mullally is another actress who almost had so much more as far as Seinfeld is concerned. There was nothing really wrong with her appearance as Betsy, a short-time girlfriend of George in episode 19 of Season 4.
However, Seinfeld has admitted that she was in strong contention to play Elaine, but lost out to Louis-Dreyfus. Her eventual small role pales in comparison to the 169 episodes she could have had as Elaine.
6 Loved: Jon Favreau
Today, Jon Favreau is an accomplished director, actor, and comedian. That was not the case when he made his cameo on Seinfeld back in 1994. He had only been acting for about two years before that, and the role was his first-ever on TV.
Even then, he only played a clown in the 20th episode of Season 5. It may have only been a very small part, but as the saying goes, you never forget your first.
5 Hated: Al Roker
Famous NBC weatherman Al Roker once featured as himself in the 10th episode of Season 5, titled The Cigar Store Indian. Although his part was only limited to just a few minutes, Roker has since come to see the entire episode in a completely different light.
Without being explicitly critical of Seinfeld, the journalist has since condemned the racial undertones against Native Americans that were present in the episode.
4 Loved: James Spader
James Spader's characters are very recognizable. From Alan Shore in Boston Legal and The Practice to the more recent Raymond Reddington on The Blacklist, they all carry a flavor unique to him: He always injects a dash of the goofy even to his most serious characters.
That is perhaps why he worked very well as Robert California in The Office. The same can be said for his one memorable cameo as Jason 'Stanky' Hanky in Seinfeld back in '97.
3 Hated: Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider had six years' worth of experience at Saturday Night Live under his belt when he took up his guest star role on Seinfeld in Season 7. He played a character called Bob Grossberg, a new co-worker with Elaine who had a hearing disorder. Elaine does not think the problem is real, suspecting that he is only faking it to avoid work.
The character was not greatly appreciated by audiences, who generally felt his story arc was flat and unfunny.
2 Loved: Courteney Cox
Fans came to love Courteney Cox as Monica Geller on Friends. What most of them might not know is that Monica might not have been all that she was had Cox not had a short experience on Seinfeld. She was also in only one episode, as Seinfeld's girlfriend called Meryl.
She, however, managed to pick up how the co-stars had each other's backs and carried the same spirit to Friends. "I just did a Seinfeld, and they all help each other," she reportedly told her new colleagues. "[So] feel free to tell me. If I could do anything funnier, I want to do it."
1 Hated: Denise Richards
Starship Troopers star Denise Richards was 21 years old when she was featured in a Season 4 episode of Seinfeld. She portrayed the 15-year-old daughter of a character called Russell Dalrymple. This is where things started to get a bit weird. Her role involved a scene where she was supposed to be bending down, exposing her cleavage.
George is caught by Russell staring at her and gets reprimanded for it. While Richards as an actor was old enough to play such a part, the implication of a grown-up man ogling at a teenager is enough to make anyone cringe.
