Newman

Lore & Background

Newman is an employee of the United States Postal Service, which is portrayed in the series as a powerful and nefarious, yet bureaucratic and inept organization. His occupation is first revealed in "The Old Man." George, upon learning it, asks "Aren't [postal workers] the guys that always go crazy and come back with a gun and shoot everybody?" Newman's ominous reply is "Sometimes." Despite taking pride in his work, Newman is paradoxically portrayed as a slacker who has bad habits like hiding bags of mail in Jerry's storage locker in the basement rather than delivering them. He has been known to occasionally use his position for unethical ends, such as deliberately withholding mail for the purpose of blackmail or retaliation. In "The Calzone" it is revealed that he has the habit of calling in sick when it is raining. When George questions this and refers to the United States Postal Service creed, Newman simply says that he does not care much for creeds.

In Their Own Story

Newman's role is primarily as Jerry's nemesis and a frequent collaborator in Kramer's elaborate and bizarre schemes. Often described as Jerry's "sworn enemy" ("The Andrea Doria"), Newman is cunning and often schemes against Jerry. Jerry's trademark greeting for Newman is to say "Hello, Newman" in a snide and condescending tone, while Newman responds "Hello, Jerry" in a falsely jovial tone. Newman considers Jerry to be undeserving of his fame, referring to Jerry's audience as a "half-soused nightclub rabble that lap up your inane 'observations.'" Newman's own talents as a poet and wordsmith are considerable, yet recognition similar to Jerry's has so far eluded him. Newman is a frequent source of annoyance and problems for Jerry, such in "The Doodle" when Newman's secret use of Jerry's apartment results in a flea infestation, and in "The Raincoats" when Newman gets Jerry into trouble with his parents after he tells them Jerry was making out with his girlfriend during the film *Schindler's List*. Jerry's response upon discovering Newman is to blame for any situation is to clench his fist and mutter "Newman!"

Reader's Guide

Newman is a good friend of Kramer's, and the pair are forever participating in various get-rich-quick schemes. In "The Bookstore," Newman and Kramer decide to use a rickshaw to transport people from place to place. In "The Old Man," they try to find valuable records to sell for cash, and in "The Bottle Deposit" they attempt to cash-in by transporting New York bottles to Michigan for the higher redemption value, using a U.S. Mail truck obtained by Newman in his job as a letter carrier. Despite his girth, Newman shows surprising athletic ability. Jerry claims he is a "fantastic" tennis player and he is seen running athletically in several episodes. He can climb trees very well ("like a ring-tailed lemur," as Kramer puts it), a skill he claims to have learned in the Pacific Northwest. Newman has unrequited romantic feelings for Elaine over the course of the series, but in "The Reverse Peephole," he rejects her advances when she tries to seduce him to get back a fur coat, out of loyalty to his current girlfriend. Newman occasionally gets into schemes with George, as in "The Calzone," when he agrees to buy calzones for George's boss from a pizza restaurant that are on his mail route. In this episode Newman states that he has an animosity towards George too, apparently because he "hangs out with Jerry" all the time.

Did You Know?

• Newman's first appearance was only as a voice, provided by series co-creator Larry David, in the episode "The Revenge."
• Wayne Knight dubbed over Larry David's dialogue for syndication airings of "The Revenge."
• Newman claims he once took over the postal route of serial killer David Berkowitz, otherwise known as the "Son of Sam."
• In "The Package," Newman's business card is shown; it simply reads "Newman."
• In October 2020, Wayne Knight reprised his role as Newman to deliver an online public service announcement regarding the 2020 United States Postal Service crisis.