Jerry Seinfeld reveals his favourite TV ending following Curb Your Enthusiasm finale

The final episode of the comedian’s sitcom ‘Seinfeld’ famously sparked controversy when it aired in 1998

Jerry Seinfeld has revealed which television show he believes has the “greatest final moment” – and it isn’t Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The final episode of the stand-up comedian’s sitcom Seinfeld aired on 14 May 1998 and drew a record television audience estimated at around 73 million viewers.

However, the episode, which was written by series co-creator Larry David, received mixed reviews after it concluded with the show’s main characters sitting in a prison cell together.

Earlier this month, David’s follow-up sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm came to an end with a finale that featured Seinfeld in a guest appearance directly referencing the last episode of Seinfeld.

In the final moments, Seinfeld springs David from prison, telling him: “You don't wanna end up like this. Nobody wants to see it. Trust me.”

As he leaves the cell, David says: “Oh my God, this is how we should have ended the finale!”

On social media, Curb Your Enthusiasm fans praised the ending and hailed the episode as “the best finale ever”.

Jerry Seinfeld attends the US Open in 2022 (Associated Press)

Speaking to GQ, Seinfeld said: “What you have there is a joke that was set up 25 years ago and then paid off 25 years later! How do you even describe something like that?”

He added of the scene’s final lines referencing the original Seinfeld ending: “We all got very excited: ‘Let’s talk about the finale in the finale!’ It was absolutely one of the highlights of my professional life.”

However, Seinfeld went on to reveal that his favourite ever ending to a television show was the concluding episode of Mad Men, which aired on 17 May 2015.

“I feel Mad Men was the greatest,” said Seinfeld. “A lot of people like the Bob Newhart one. Mary Tyler Moore was okay. I think Mad Men was the greatest final moment of a series I’ve ever seen. So satisfying. So funny.”

In a contemporary review of the Mad Men finale, The Independent’s Sarah Hughes wrote: “This being Mad Men, Don broke down and found enlightenment, but with a twist.

“The final shot of him cross-legged and chanting revealed not as a moment of spiritual nirvana but rather of creative reawakening with Don, the consummate magpie, stealing inspiration once again before almost certainly heading back to New York to make the iconic ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’ Coca-Cola ad for McCann-Erickson.”