The first 210SA March TV Madness tournament has unfolded in an eerily similar manner to your average NCAA basketball tournament.

Though upsets and Cinderella stories took place, on the whole, the tournament shook down as everyone pretty much expected.

Case in point: the March TV Madness champion — selected by 210SA's 11-member panel — just so happens to be the most popular sitcom in television history.

“Seinfeld,” which introduced us to some of the most memorable characters in television, withstood six foes of varying difficulty on its way to the title. Whether it was taking down current favorites — “Scrubs” and “The Office (U.S.)” — or slaying a couple of older opponents — “The Real World” and “The Simpsons” — “Seinfeld” claimed the championship, just as it claimed the interest of American TV viewers throughout most of the 1990s.

Join 210SA as we honor and celebrate the March TV Madness champion.

‘SEINFELD'
The beginning: “Seinfeld,” first known as “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” was the mastermind of star Jerry Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David, who since has gone to star in his own show about nothing — HBO's “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Early struggles: NBC had such confidence in the fledgling sitcom about a New York stand-up comic and his friends that it granted a full five-episode order for the first season. Ratings weren't great, but critics showered it with praise.
More than a decade later, FOX would experience a similar situation with critically acclaimed but low-rated sitcom “Arrested Development,” which it canceled after three seasons. Imagine if NBC had done the same to “Seinfeld.” We might be giving this award to “Union Square” or “The Single Guy.” Or maybe not.
Mainstream success: “Seinfeld” steadily improved in the ratings and become a mainstream hit in its fourth season, thanks to now-legendary episodes like “The Virgin,” “The Implant” and “The Junior Mint.” Two years later, it had become one of the most — if not the most — popular show on television.
The curtain closes: Though fans were clamoring for more and NBC was offering Seinfeld millions of dollars per episode, he announced in 1997 that the show's ninth season would be its last. The series finale, which saw the show's four main characters sent to prison for one year, drew one of the largest audiences in TV history.
Still strong: Have you seen “Seinfeld” six times today? Well, it's possible, thanks to syndication. In addition to local syndication, TBS picked up “Seinfeld” for national distribution and airs the show twice every weekday — and sometimes more.

OUR FAVORITE EPISODES

“The Bubble Boy”
Premise: Jerry visits a sick fan, who happens to be confined to a germ-free “bubble.” George arrives first and accidentally pops the bubble after a game of Trivial Pursuit goes horribly wrong.
The 210 take: Good riddance. No one really was going to miss the bubble boy.

“The Soup Nazi”
Premise: A soup chef earns the above nickname for a reason.
The 210 take: The Soup Nazi's departure from soup-making because of Jerry and his friends was for the best, as he's much more suited for a profession where his pleasant demeanor is commonplace — like meter maids, will-call ticket booth workers and AOL customer service reps.

“The Strike”
Premise: The group, led by George's dad, Frank Costanza, celebrates “a Festivus for the rest of us,” a holiday Frank created to protest Christmas.
The 210 take: Need proof of this show's influence? Some people now legitimately celebrate Festivus (festivusbook.com).

“The Sponge”
Premise: Elaine learns that her favorite form of birth control is being discontinued and proceeds to stock up and be more selective about her dates: Is he “sponge-worthy?”
The 210 take: The pill might have been more convenient.

Cint Hale | 210SA