Jerry Seinfeld explores the roots of his comic career in the new trailer for his upcomingNetflixspecial, Jerry Before Seinfeld. The hour-long show, which comes toNetflix on August 19th, marks the comedians debut on the platform.
In the teaser, Seinfeld returns to Long Island to visit the house he grew up in. Would I have been funnier if I grew up in Peoria in a whore house raised by prostitutes? Seinfeld asks, referencing the famous comic Richard Pryors childhood home in Illinois. Absolutely. But this is what I had to work with.
He continues to riff on his comfy upbringing, slipping into his high, incredulous vocal register as he ticks off the indignities he faced as a child. My parents didnt even know our names! he exclaims. They were ignorant; they were negligent; we grew up like wild dogs in the Sixties. No helmets, no seatbelts, no restraints!
In Jerry Before Seinfeld, the comedian revisits a number of his early jokes during a set at The Comic Strip in New York City. The show is also set to include videos from Seinfelds youth and a tour of his legal pad collection, which includes every joke he has written over the last 42 years.
Seinfelds new special will be the first of two the comedian is crafting for Netflix as part of a major deal he inked with the platform in January. In addition to the specials, Seinfeld is developing both scripted and non-scripted series for Netflix. His Comedians in Cars series, in which Seinfeld interviews other funny people while seated in a classy automobile, also moved to Netflix.