Where are the Seinfeld cast now?

On May 14, 1998, there were riots in Indonesia. The Dow made up for some losses. Continental slashed airfares. And later that night, Frank Sinatra died at 82.

But for most of us – at least the 79 million people who watched – one memory endures.

A perfect storm of hype and unmet expectations, the “Seinfeld” finale – that silly trial scene, remember? – remains a watershed moment in popular culture.

Other sitcom hits have gone in the intervening years, such as “Friends” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

“Seinfeld” was often an indisputably great situation comedy and, as the years wore on, continued to wear well – a welcome fate denied others in the quest of rerun eternity (such as “Friends”).

Then, there was and is the ubiquity. If you have never actually seen “Seinfeld,” then you don’t actually own a TV.

Estelle Harris (who played George’s mother, Estelle Costanza) said in a recent interview, “It’s getting more and more popular because there’s a whole new generation that has become interested in the show from the repeats.

“Younger and younger people are stopping me on the streets, all races, creeds and colors, saying, ‘You’re just like my mother.’ “

But a decade’s a decade, and while “Seinfeld” is forever trapped in TV amber, the lives of its the principals are not.

Here’s what has happened to our four heroes over the years, with a quick assessment on just how well they’ve used their precious time:

Jerry Seinfeld

Yeah, he’s done pretty much next to nothing. Oh, sure – there was some movie about bees, and he got married and fathered three children. Some stand-up here and some stand-up there. But it’s been so nothing that he worked the joke into his routine:

“Everybody says to me, ‘Hey, you don’t do the show anymore. What do you do?’ I’ll tell you what do I do: nothing. … Well, let me tell you, doing nothing is not as easy as it looks … because the idea of doing anything, which could easily lead to doing something, would cut into your nothing, and that would force me to have to drop everything.”

Still, the animated “Bee Movie,” which he co-wrote and voiced the main character, was a hit. Seinfeld’s first love, the comedy club circuit, has been good to him as well.

At 54, his rep remains mostly intact. Rumors of another show on NBC seem to go down in flames reliably every year (though he made a funny cameo on the “30 Rock” season opener this year); when someone during the open mike part of a recent performance asked about a small-screen reprisal, he replied: “No. I’m old, I’m rich and I’m tired.”

The lowdown: One of the most skillful “retirements” in show business history – Carsonesque, almost. The chances of producing another show as good as “Seinfeld” are (about) one in 1.987 billion; so why bother? He continues to do what he loves (stand-up) and he does a good bee, too.

Grade: A

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

After creating one of the most memorable characters in television history (Elaine Benes), Louis-Dreyfus has kept doing what she does best: TV comedy.

Over the past 10 years, she’s had three major TV roles – Ellie Riggs, in the short-lived “Watching Ellie”; Maggie Lizer (briefly), in “Arrested Development”; and a spunky single mom in “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (which may, or may not, get picked up by CBS this week) – and appeared on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Otherwise, she’s doing the hardest job of all – raising two sons, 11 and 16. (She’s married to TV writer Brad Hall.)

The lowdown: Louis-Dreyfus was stuck with the tired old label/cliche, “The Seinfeld Curse,” by the press for most of the decade until she scored the lead actress/sitcom Emmy in 2006. Then, the scarlet letter magically melted away.

Was it ever fair? Not really. “Ellie” was a good show – innovative, sometimes funny – as is “Christine.” No one ever expected “Seinfeld Redux.” Or should have.

Grade: B-plus

Jason Alexander

In some ways, this has been the most fascinating post-“Seinfeld” life; it’s a spin-the-dial career, and where you stop … well, who knows!

Alexander is guest-judging on Bravo’s dance show, “Step It Up,” while there have been a few dozen cameos, starring roles and other assorted turns on the tube (including “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), along with a few movies.

His two TV sitcoms both flopped: ABC’s 2001 “Bob Patterson” (he played a motivational speaker) and CBS’ 2004-05 “Listen Up” (he played a sportswriter).

Alexander has started a stand-up career (recently toured in Australia), and the Tony Award winner has also returned to the stage: He’s artistic director of the Los Angeles-based Reprise Theater Company, which produces four musical revivals per year.

The lowdown: A career track suggesting both an adventurous spirit and an insecure one. “Seinfeld” – or at least the DVDs – gave Alexander the financial security blanket needed to escape George, but he’s squandered some of that. The job at Reprise, however, may well be the best move of all. There’s hope still for the abundantly talented George … er, Jason.

Grade: C

Michael Richards

Richards was first out with a major sitcom – “The Michael Richards Show” – in 2000. It was burdened by expectations and the inevitable critical blow-back that “it’ll never be as good,” and it hardly was; the show was canceled after six episodes, and the “Seinfeld Curse” began.

Richards did some credited voice work (for Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie”) and there were rare cameos. He also worked on the comedy circuit, but the Nov. 20, 2006 Laugh Factory tirade ended it. That blowtorch of rage and racial epithets was captured on a cell phone, and Richards’ career seemed over.

He disappeared into the Far East, where a reporter for the Los Angeles Times caught up with him: “That night, when I was insulted and disrupted, I lost my heart; I lost my sense of humor. I’ve retired from that.” He’s back and in production on a major studio animated release, “Cat Tale.”

The lowdown: Richards stared down the biggest challenge facing any actor – how to get beyond the character that made you – then seemed to back off. After the Laugh Factory incident he tried the recovery program (hired a big-league PR firm, etc.) but remains somewhat radioactive.

Grade: D