Check out the 10 best episodes of Seinfeld.
Seinfeld is often regarded as one of the best sitcoms in television history. Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, the show stars Seinfeld as a fictionalised version of himself, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes and Michael Richards as Kramer.
It was said that Seinfeld was a show about nothing as the show did not follow the traditional format of characters evolving as the show moved on, yet they never came across as lazy or repetitive. Seinfeld ran for nine seasons and ended in 1998. This was one of those rare shows that bowed out at its peak.
Here are the 10 best episodes of Seinfeld.
1. The Chinese Restaurant (Season 2, Episode 11)
One of the early episodes of Seinfeld, The Chinese Restaurant showed the audience that a sitcom episode did not necessarily have to have an event. Comedy could be found in anticipation of the so-called event, and that’s exactly what happened as Jerry, Elaine and George wait for a table at a Chinese restaurant. It’s one of the rare episodes that does not feature Kramer.
2. The Parking Garage (Season 3, Episode 6)
In my opinion, this is one of the best episodes of Seinfeld. So much so that I can’t help but think of this episode every time I am in a parking garage. The entire plot of this episode has the four friends trying to look for their car in a multi-level parking garage because they have forgotten where they parked it. This episode’s writing is a masterclass in comedy writing.
3. The Bubble Boy (Season 4, Episode 7)
This episode has the group travelling to Susan’s cabin, but they have to make a stop on the way to meet the “bubble boy” who lives in quarantine. Jerry and Elaine get lost on the way, but Susan and George reach the bubble boy’s house. Meanwhile, Kramer burns down Susan’s cabin, which becomes a long-running gag for Susan’s storyline.
4. The Contest (Season 4, Episode 11)
When this episode originally aired, television was still confined by its limitations and wasn’t as liberal as we know it today. The four friends make a bet as to who will hold out on masturbation for the longest time. The subject matter in itself was seen as controversial, but upon watching the episode, one realises that there’s absolutely nothing offensive here but just the old, clean Seinfeld comedy with some hilarious writing.
5. The Junior Mint (Season 4, Episode 20)
Jerry can’t remember the name of the girl he is dating. The way he guesses Mulva still makes us crack up. In other storylines, Jerry and Kramer go to view the surgery of Roy, Elaine’s ex, but accidentally drop a junior mint in the open cavity which leads to Kramer feeling guilty over the guy getting sicker. Elaine is at her shallowest but funniest self here.
6. The Dinner Party (Season 5, Episode 13)
The gang is going for a dinner party, but Elaine points that it is customary for them to buy some cake and wine for the hosts, so the group splits up. Jerry and Elaine go to the bakery to buy chocolate babka but are held up because the last chocolate babka is gone and they have to make do with the cinnamon one. Kramer and George have to buy wine but have no change for their hundred dollar bill. Worst, they are double parked by a Saddam Hussein lookalike.
7. The Marine Biologist (Season 5, Episode 14)
This is one of those classic Seinfeld episodes where the events happening in one place affect the lives of other characters. George is pretending to be a marine biologist on one side and Kramer is playing golf on the other, but the two events are related in the funniest way. Elaine gets her electronic organizer broken after making a bad pun in front of a famed Russian writer, thanks to Jerry.
8. The Opposite (Season 5, Episode 21)
This was the episode that changed George Costanza completely for the future of the show. George lands up a job at the Yankee stadium because Jerry tells him to do just the opposite of what he would do in any situation. Elaine believes she has become George and Jerry finds himself as the ‘Even Steven’. Meanwhile, Kramer loses his deal of the coffee table book about coffee tables.
9. The Soup Nazi (Season 7, Episode 6)
While this episode continues to be a favourite among Seinfeld fans, we wonder if it would be accepted if it had come out today. Here, Jerry, Elaine and George are trying to stay on the good side of a soup vendor as they try to buy soup from his shop. The soup is so good that Jerry is ready to let go of his girlfriend for it. Kramer, meanwhile, has befriended the man who seems to be extremely uptight with everyone else.
10. The Chicken Roaster (Season 8, Episode 8)
The main storyline of this episode has Jerry and Kramer switching apartments due to a red neon sign that’s disrupting Kramer’s sleep cycle. But as they exchange apartments, the two start turning into each other. In Seinfeld-like fashion, the story of Elaine’s expensive hat affects the entire gang here.
Seinfeld is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.