SEINFELD CONFIRMS HIS SHOW WILL RETURN NEXT SEASON.

Byline: Ray Richmond Daily News Television Writer

Claiming it's just too fun to quit, Jerry Seinfeld confirmed Monday that he and his crazy crew will return next fall for an eighth season of "Seinfeld."

Though riding high through a season in which many critics have noted a creative resurgence, Seinfeld admitted to reporters that he and co-stars Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards once thought this probably would be their last year on NBC.

"But as the season went on, we were laughing so much and having so much fun and enjoying each other's company so much - like we did at the beginning when we were a bomb - that we found it was too enjoyable not to continue the show next season," Seinfeld said.

The bottom line for Seinfeld is that "the core experience of the four (main) cast members performing the show has remained enjoyable. To enjoy the people you're doing a show with this much - that's rare. So we want to stay together."

And, it's likely Seinfeld would like to earn some more good money. He reportedly earns an annual salary of $20 million.

The announcement of "Seinfeld's" return comes on the heels of CBS' decision to renew "Murphy Brown" for a ninth season next fall and the expectation that "Roseanne" also will be back for a ninth run.

None of the three shows were expected to return come fall. Roseanne had long stated her intention to say farewell this season - a year that saw the departure of her co-star John Goodman. What's more, "Murphy Brown" was said to be on its last legs until star Candice Bergen - encouraged by this year's creative output on the show - agreed to return.

"Seinfeld" almost didn't return for the current season amidst charges that the show was sliding in quality - which consistently has been disputed by Seinfeld himself.

The perceived drop never has been reflected in the "Seinfeld" ratings. It ranks second for the season, trailing only "ER."

Asked Monday if he believed in the show business axiom of "leave the people wanting more," Seinfeld replied, "Absolutely. Definitely. And I think they want more."

Seinfeld admitted that TV series in general have "a healthy life of five to eight years," and "Seinfeld" will be hitting eight next fall.

Does that mean next season will definitely be the show's last? In an interview last November, co-star Jason Alexander said he would be open to the show returning so it could lead into a grand finale, a la "Cheers."

But Seinfeld wouldn't confirm that on Monday. In fact, he sounded a tad confused on the issue, perhaps by design.

"Last season? No, no. I don't know, it might be, it could be. Probably," Seinfeld said. "Maybe. I don't know."

Well, that settles that.

All that Seinfeld seems to acknowledge is that doing the show still feels good - in fact, better than ever.

"It's really just like when you're sitting at a dinner table with friends, having a good time," he said. "You have the coffee, have the dessert, you're all just kind of sitting there and then there is the moment where somebody goes, 'OK, let's go.' And everyone just gets up and leaves.

"But I guess we're at the point where the waitress comes over and asks if anyone wants more coffee, and you say, 'Yeah.' "

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