This is Jerry Seinfeld’s first performance on The Tonight Show, back in 1981. He was 27 years old at the time, and had been doing stand-up for five years. This performance, all 6 minutes of it, opened doors for him to perform on other late night shows and for his star to rise.

Then, again on The Tonight Show, 10 years later, the night before The Seinfeld Chronicles (later renamed Seinfeld to avoid confusion with The Marshall Chronicles), one of the most successful shows of all time, premiered on NBC. Had it not been for the success of those 6 minutes in 1981, there’s no telling whether or not Seinfeld would have gotten to this stage.

Interesting career arc. And instructive. Every 6 minutes counts.

Deep? Yes. Yes, it is.

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The best show on television.