Final 'Seinfeld' kept very hush-hush

The final episode of ''Seinfeld'' - famously about nothing at all except laughs - was taped Wednesday night.

The show is going out on top, still television's No. 1 comedy and the centerpiece of NBC's powerhouse Thursday night lineup.

The hourlong finale, which will air on May 14, was being handled under top-secret conditions reminiscent of the ''Who Shot J.R.?'' episode of ''Dallas.''

Courtesy of NBC The cast of "Seinfeld" was the master of its domain for the last time on Wednesday, taping the final episode, which is scheduled to air May 14.

A VIP crowd was expected to watch some scenes, but the ending will be filmed without an audience. Those involved with the show were asked to sign confidentiality agreements, and scripts were kept from actors and NBC executives.

''It's surreal if you're an actor. You don't know what you're going to be doing,'' John O'Hurley, who plays catalog guru J. Peterman, told the Los Angeles Times. ''We're just told what to do.''

Supposed leaks about the ending - one of which had Jerry and his pals ending up in Los Angeles - were dismissed by producers as inaccurate.

The finale was written by Larry David, who created the show with its star, Jerry Seinfeld.

Despite an offer to raise his pay from $1 million to an estimated $5 million per episode next season, Seinfeld decided to end the show.

''I wanted to end the show on the same kind of peak we've been doing it on for years,'' Seinfeld told The New York Times. ''I wanted the end to be from a point of strength. I wanted the end to be graceful.''

Loyal viewers were left to ponder a future without ''Seinfeld'' (not counting those reruns in syndication).

No more new adventures with Jerry, the New York comic with the comical friends: neurotic loser George (Jason Alexander), frenetic Kramer (Michael Richards) and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the sassy ex-girlfriend who's one of the guys.

Critics had complained the quality of the writing had slipped recently. But the audience appeal of ''Seinfeld'' has remained strong to the end - as has its financial value to NBC.

The network sold two 30-second commercials on the final episode for a record $2 million each. The old record for the most expensive ad time on television was set in January, when NBC sold a Super Bowl half-minute for $1.3 million.

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