New shit has come to light that reveals Peterson was created in a Jim Henson workshop in the late 80s. Originally intended as a guest character for Sesame Street, he would have hosted a segment in which he appeared in a classic news reporter costume and reported on shenanigans happening on the street. Early child test audiences were scared by the character and didn't really connect with the frequent tangents about Solzhenitsyn, lobsters and dragons. Henson sold the creation to NBC, who at the time were looking for a new sitcom to improve the ratings for their prime time lineup. Again, he didn't really resonate with test audiences, so they went instead with a little known stand-up named Seinfeld and sold Peterson to the Harvard University Psychology Department.