Maternity Leave Leads to Elaine's Absence in "Seinfeld" Premiere

The beloved sitcom "Seinfeld" ran for 9 seasons and 180 episodes, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who portrayed the character of Elaine Benes, was absent from 3 of those episodes. In the season 4 premiere, titled "The Trip," Elaine was not written into the storyline as Louis-Dreyfus was on maternity leave at the time.

Additionally, in the original "Seinfeld" pilot, Elaine's character did not yet exist. Instead, actress Lee Garlington played a wry-humored diner waitress named Claire who interacted with the show's main trio of Jerry, George, and Kramer (then known as Kessler). However, Garlington's character was ultimately let go, as she did not fit the neurotic dynamic of the group.

According to Jason Alexander, who played George, Garlington had made the "critical error" of suggesting some script changes to co-creator Larry David, which was a big no-no, as comedians are typically very protective of their material. This led to the introduction of Elaine, Jerry's ex-girlfriend, who was brought in as a new character. David had previously worked with Louis-Dreyfus on "Saturday Night Live."