The following list is arranged in the order the episodes were broadcast (as opposed to production order). Still, everything that happens here is evidence that going out of your way to adhere to supposed social niceties is a step toward pain and some kind of universe-authored corrective action against bad instincts masquerading as politeness. Seinfeld, obviously, mastered this as well as any classic, but these characters were also strong enough on their own to carry a side quest without causing the audience to long for when everyone was safely nestled in their usual box. Today, surprisingly, it plays a good deal better. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Honestly, our own list could probably be rearranged about a thousand times. The Airport (Season 4, Episode 12) The Story: Jerry exploits George’s delusions of athletic grandeur … You could legitimately pick any one of these episodes (any one of the show’s 25 or 30 best, really) to sit atop this list and I wouldn’t insult your intelligence or call you names. But with Elaine’s John F. Kennedy Jr. flirtation, Jerry’s relationship with a virgin, Kramer’s view of a nudist neighbor, and George’s proximity to a sponge bath session, all seem doomed to indulge themselves. It’s a perfect reminder that for all his many outbursts, George was often all bark and no bite. But anyway, this might be the closest thing to a horror episode in the Seinfeld canon and so it earns a spot of prominence. Seinfeld, “The Kiss Hello,” Episode 17. Naturally, George finds a way to get screwed over by life. There are some standout episodes in the mix for sure. Second, nothing lingers in the mind from this episode like the work Julia Louis Dreyfus does while trying to get her houseguest off to the airport. Even the black and white cookie, majestic staple of New York delis and bakeries, betrays Jerry, causing him to break a 14 year long vomit streak. Season 7, Episode 6 - The Soup Nazi - IMDb rating: 9.6 - Air date: Nov. 2, 1995 Inspired by a real-life—and recently... #3. Story: Jerry and George embody writerly procrastination before Jerry calls Elaine, gets her chatty assistant instead, and inadvertently leads to the assistant quitting. The Story: Jerry bumps into a former college classmate who asks about George. In real life, sometimes your shared glossary of terms fails you with your friends and you have to own a crappy quip. The whole thing plays out like a series of short films. Why It’s On This List: The main plot points — a looming wedding, an engagement (for Jerry to his doppelganger), characters pondering the future of their group dynamic and where they are in their own lives — feel like the kinds of developments you’d expect in the twilight years of any sitcom, but the show turns them all on their ear. #TrustTheProcess. Still, we wanted to break down those that still stand out for their contribution to the show’s legend and television as well as the ones that still generate the most laughs and we had to put the cutoff somewhere. 'Seinfeld' was on top with a 17 rating and 29 percent share of households using ... A repeat episode shown in its customary 9:30 p.m. Thursday timeslot weighed in at No. Absent sentimentality with a dedicated focus to being funny: that was the blueprint and so that’s what’s behind this choice. Which, ironically, is something I can relate to having proudly boasted about my own nearly as lengthy vomit streak on many occasions. The Contest. Why It’s On This List: Like “The Chinese Restaurant,” the comedy comes from the relatability of the situation/setting, but in this case, it’s greatly enhanced by the chemistry of the actors and their ability to sell patter that wouldn’t be particularly memorable on paper. Think about how any other show would handle that situation. But where would the fun be in that? George isn’t the George that we know today. Seinfeld (1989–1998) Episode: The Stakeout (1990) PG | 23 min | Comedy. But George, poor bitter and callous George. The show is a tour-de-force; one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time, a microcosm of the 1990s, and the source of so many one-liners and memorable characters that even if you didn’t watch the show when it was on the air, you’ve definitely encountered a situation that stems directly from its influence. The Story: Jerry exploits George’s delusions of athletic grandeur to score an airport pickup for he and Elaine on a trip back from St. Louis, but a canceled flight throws everything into chaos. The Contest. Jason Alexander’s theater training and ability to command a stage show as he stands in the middle of the restaurant’s waiting area and briefly launches into a “Mad As Hell” type hissy fit before the guy he was ready to rumble with snaps him out of it with a tap on the shoulder. It’s impossible to say something about Seinfeld that hasn’t been said dozens of times before—the stories from the making of this now thirty-year-old series have been told time and again. The show was that good and so clearly able to break comedic barriers and transcend the kinds of stories that everyone else on the block was trying to do. However, if one-hour episodes are counted as whole episodes and not as two 30-minute parts, the total is 172 episodes. “The Chinese Restaurant” (Season 2, Episode 11) In its early seasons, Seinfeld hadn’t quite found its … And if there’s a message derived from George’s ultimate failure to have sex with his girlfriend (due to some negative word of mouth about the size of his penis) and Kramer’s punishment for raiding a commercial lobster trap, it’s that sometimes you don’t get what you want. Each episode, however, comes fully stocked with its own hijinks and undercover references—like Jerry’s sneakers—where a single word could send die-hards down a rabbit hole of quotes. Why It’s On This List: George’s dedication to maintaining a lie is always impressive, especially when you consider the lack of smartphones, Google, and Wikipedia. The Story: Jerry and George get bold and jump into a limo meant for someone else. Writers Larry David, Elaine Pope, and Tom Leopold really lingered on the domestic battlefield with these two as they sniped at each other over dinner and then seemingly fell apart when it was revealed that Susan’s father had carried on a secret love affair with author John Cheever (now there’s a guy who knew how to communicate with passion). Producers could have had George and Susan break up following an arc that saw George clawing at the walls trying to escape couplehood. Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, and the show’s writers excelled at minimizing the shock of an absurd situation to nestle it nicely into the world they were building. The Story: Jerry, Elaine, and George wait to be seated at a Chinese restaurant. The Story: Jerry, Elaine, and George go out to dinner and George accidentally gets a busboy (David Labiosa) fired. The Bizarro Jerry (October 10, 1996) For my money, this has the four greatest individual storylines … The Story: Susan puts a wedge in between George and his friends before the wedding and both Jerry and Elaine wonder about the state of their lives and what will happen once George gets married. It’s a perfect demonstration of Jerry’s gleeful indifference to the suffering of others, including those that are close to him. Jerry Seinfeld stars in this television comedy series as himself, a comedian. IMDb Rating: 9.6. Sure. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Votes: 3,679. Seinfeld wasn’t the first show to use sex on television as a main theme, but it doubtlessly helped usher in a sea change (along with other early ‘90s entries like NYPD Blue and HBO’s oft-forgotten Dream On) that we’re still reaping the benefits of. Bobby Hundreds and ThankYouX on the Future of Cryptomedia, Daniel Kaluuya on Chadwick Boseman Story, His Unimpressed Mom & Judas & the Black Messiah | 360 With Speedy Morman, Jake Paul Rips Floyd Mayweather for Taking Shots at Him, Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive: Hit-Boy on Working with Nas, Big Sean, & Benny | 360 With Speedy Morman. Elaine barely even has a voice of her own and really serves only to have a woman on the show and set up Jerry’s jokes at this point (she would eventually go on to become one of the strongest and most empowered female characters in TV history). Still. They doubt his staying power, which sparks a contest. In total, there are 180 episodes, including the pilot. YoungBoy NBA’s $540K Bond Could Set Him Free. Everything We Know About Migos’ ‘Culture III’, Solidarity in New York: “Unfortunately in This Country, Dead Lives Matter More”, How to Get Waves: With Guapdad 4000 | Complex News, What Is NFT? Time has been kind to Seinfeld (which debuted more than 30 years ago as The Seinfeld Chronicles). Still, it’s easily one of the most memorable episodes. 26. She falls and hurts herself because of the shock, causing George to swear off “that” while recounting the story to his friends. The group enters into an unusual contest, and thus the term "master … At its midpoint, Seinfeld delivered a season that was fittingly moderate by Seinfeld’s standards. That’s what makes picking the top episodes so hard: there really aren’t that many that feel hollow or which don’t deserve some kind of lengthy tribute. It’s absurd, but not so over-the-top that the scene loses you before the big payoff. Ratings for finale of Seinfeld show that episode attracted huge audience, but not record-breaking one; finale had 41.3 rating and 58 share, good for …