Seinfeld was always happy to reference itself as "the show about nothing." But that really couldn't be further from the truth. The hit NBC sit-com -- it ran for nine seasons -- starred Jerry Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself: a stand-up comedian living in Manhattan. The show was co-created by Seinfeld and Larry David, and starred a trio of characters alongside Seinfeld: George Costanza (Jerry's best friend, and a fictionalized version of co-creator David), Elaine Benes (Jerry's ex-girlfriend), and Cosmo Kramer (the oddball next-door neighbor).
Like most cultural phenomena, a summary can't do it justice. The show's running joke was that it was a show about nothing, but the relationship trials, etiquette faux-paus, and farcical build-ups are hardly pointless. As Tim Delaney, author of Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld put it: "Seinfeld is much more than an entertaining show about nothing. It is a show about everything."
Seinfeld originally premiered on May 31, 1990. So in honor of its twenty-third anniversary, take a look at our favorite picks from its nine-year run:
Tracy's Picks:
“Ya know, its not fair people are seated first come, first served. It should be based on who's hungriest.” -- Elaine
Jerry, George, and Elaine are on their way to see Plan 9 From Outer Space and decide to stop and grab a quick dinner before the movie. It turns out to be anything but quick since they don’t have reservations, and they see people getting seated who came in after them. Elaine and Jerry try to pass the time talking; George is desperate to make a call to his girlfriend, but can’t because the pay phone is constantly in use.
This episode, while appearing to be about nothing, is far from it. Who hasn’t sat frustrated at a restaurant, waiting for a table? What also sets this episode apart is that it is in real time, which was incredibly out of the ordinary for a network situation comedy at the time.
"We're like rats in some experiment." -- George
The gang goes on a trip to the mall when Kramer wants to buy an air conditioner, and then no one can remember where the car is parked. They start wandering around the garage but have no luck. Elaine is worried that the goldfish she bought might suffocate in the plastic bag, George has to meet his parents for their anniversary dinner, and Jerry has to go to the bathroom, urgently! Who knew that a simple trip to the mall could result in such hilarity!
This episode is similar to "The Chinese Restaurant" in that it all takes place in one location. It also shows how childish and self-centered all four of the characters can be.
"That must've been one magic loogie." -- Jerry
This two-parter finds Jerry meeting his sports idol, New York Mets Keith Hernadez, who also happens to be a fan of Jerry’s. Jerry develops a man crush and is very jealous when Keith starts dating Elaine. Meanwhile, George is trying to find a way to stay on unemployment without actually getting a job, by telling the unemployment office that he’s applied for a job at Vandelay Industries. Needing a contact for his fake company, George gives out Jerry’s phone number.
Kramer and Newman are appalled when they find out about Jerry meeting Keith Hernandez. They accuse Keith of spitting on Kramer after a game a few years earlier. Keith remembers the incident but says it wasn’t him. The whole incident is recounted JFK style, including film clips as flashbacks that are reminiscent of the Zapruder film.
The main story here is about Jerry's new friendship with Keith and how difficult it can be to make new friends the older you get. Friendships evolve like any relationship, whether it is romantic or not. Sometimes friendships can move too fast, which is how Jerry feels about his new friend, Keith. (Plus this episode has the magic loogie theory!)
"You wanna make this plane, you've gotta run like a man! Get your knees up!" -- Jerry to Elaine
Jerry and Elaine are headed back to New York after a trip to St. Louis for one of Jerry’s gigs, when their flight gets cancelled. They get moved to another flight, but Jerry gets upgraded to first class while Elaine has to stay in coach. Jerry is seated beside a beautiful supermodel, but poor Elaine is stuck in the middle seat and has a terrible flight.
Back in New York, George and Kramer are traveling back and forth between airports because of the flight cancellation. They get involved in their own hijinks (of course!), which end with George on a plane with a convict who took a dislike to George at the airport, and Kramer coming out of the chute at baggage claim. How does Kramer end up in baggage claim? You have to watch to find out.
This is so much fun to watch now, just to see how flying has changed in 20-plus years. However, the differences between First and Coach has not, which is where most of the relatable humor lies.
"Elaine, don't get too down. Everything will even out. See, I have two friends. You were up, he was down. Now he's up, you're down. You see how it all evens out for me?" -- Jerry
George has decided that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong. To rectify that, from now on, he’s going to do the exact opposite of what he would normally do. Suddenly, things start to work out for George – he starts dating a beautiful woman and he gets a job with the New York Yankees. Elaine, though, is having all kinds of problems. Her boyfriend breaks up with her, she loses her job, and she is getting kicked out of her apartment. Jerry’s life, of course, stays the same as always. No matter what happens, things always work out as he had planned.
Who hasn't wondered if some of the decisions they've made in their life were the right ones? I feel like George is doing what many of us have always wanted to try, but lacked the courage. Elaine, on the other hand, is so totally clueless about why things are not working out for her. And then there's Jerry. Don't we all know someone where everything always seems to work out for them?
Ms. B's Picks:
"Shut up and PACK!" -- Elaine
The A-plot of this episode features Jerry, Elaine, and George going out to dinner and inadvertently getting one of the restaurant's busboys fired. As George (with Kramer's "assistance") attempts to make things right, things go from bad to worse -- until an unexpected turn of events results in the busboy being grateful to George after all. (At least ... for awhile.)
It's a fun enough episode right there. But the real comedy gold comes courtesy of the B-plot, involving Elaine ready to get rid of her week-long houseguest. It's been a boring visit and Elaine can't wait to get him loaded back onto his plane and out of her life -- which makes it all the more horrible when Elaine oversleeps the morning of the flight. Increasingly frantic, Elaine takes matters into her own hands to get both her and her visitor out the door and in time for the flight. Not to be missed by anyone who's ever been ready to see their houseguest's visit come to a close.
"Maybe the dingo ate your baby." -- Elaine
When Jerry and Elaine tag along with George to a party out on Long Island, it's not long before they find themselves trapped in conversations both offensive and boring. When George ducks out without them, Jerry and Elaine are left trapped and waiting for their ride -- and Jerry, out of sheer, panicked politeness, finds himself inviting the hosting couple to stop by his place any time they're in the city. Not a good long-term plan.
Seinfeld spends a lot of time exploring the conventions of polite interactions -- and what we all try to do to get out of them. I love this episode particularly for Elaine and Jerry's "secret signal" -- if one gets trapped in an intolerably boring conversation, a pat on the head is the signal for the other person to swoop in and "rescue" them from it. Like most things on Seinfeld, of course, things hardly go according to plan.
"I like dogs. I'm not sure this is a dog." -- Jerry
In one of Seinfeld's earlier, better build-ups, Jerry finds himself the unhappy sitter for an incessantly-barking dog named Farfel. Farfel won't shut up and is tearing Jerry's apartment apart -- leaving Jerry afraid to leave the dog alone. Missed movies, melodramatic romance, and George and Elaine realizing all they have to talk about is Jerry all come together in appropriately hilarious fashion.
There's a particularly noteworthy gimmick that stands out as being done, and being done well. Two of the episode's most important characters -- Farfel the dog, and Kramer's girlfriend Ellen (who he breaks up with, and subsequently begs to be taken back by) -- are never seen. The other characters interact with them, but "Farfel" and "Ellen" both remain off-camera.
"You STUPID mutt!" -- Elaine
Once again, it's the B-plot that shines for me, in this episode primarily about George's engagement to his old girlfriend, Susan Ross. George and Jerry have made a pact to start making serious changes in their lives -- but it's George who takes the most initiative, showing up at Susan's door and asking her, "Will you marry me?" When she says yes, George is initially thrilled until he finds out that Jerry broke up with his own girlfriend, meaning that, as far as George is concerned, he's the only one who properly honored the pact. And it's not long, of course, before George is hoping to find a way out of his newly-realized commitment.
But as a long-time apartment dweller, my favorite bits of the episode come from Elaine. Living in a new apartment, Elaine's been running on three hours of sleep a night thanks to the incessant barking of a neighbor's dog. When she enlists Kramer and mailman Newman to help her fix the problem (they'll kidnap the dog and relocate it to the country), she ends up, of course, with a bigger problem than she started with. Still, if you've ever had noisy neighbors, it's all fairly relatable.
"The sea was angry that day, my friends ... like an old man sending back soup in a deli." -- George
To say too much about this episode would rob those who haven't seen it of the most delightful comedic build-up that I've ever witnessed on TV. Suffice it to say that the apparently-disparate plot threads of Elaine's new electric organizer, Jerry's new girlfriend, George's fictional career as a marine biologist, and Kramer's current hobby all come together to bring two complex plot-threads into full-circle hilarity.
Relationships, pettiness, day-to-day annoyances ... for being a show about nothing, Seinfeld had a lot to say. But at its best, the show always brought its crazy, farcical, and entirely relatable stories back to their starting points. It made for a hilarious viewing experience -- and all-around great television.
VIDEO: "Top 100 Seinfeld Moments"
"They say, 'What's your show about?' I say, 'Nothing.'"
"Exactly."
"... I think you may have something here."
Super choices. I enjoy watching them all over and over. My favorite episode, however, is “The Jacket” from the 3rd season. Lawrence Tierney, an actor noted for playing tough guy roles, portrays Elaine’s father Alton, a very gruff war veteran. Jerry and George are going to dinner with Elaine and Alton but Elaine is held up and Jerry and George are stuck waiting for her with this tough customer. They are most uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteAnother great episode is “The Raincoats” from the 5th season. Jerry and Rachel go to see “Schindler’s List”. They make out in the back row of the theater because they haven’t been able to see each other in a long time. Newman spots them and tattles to Seinfeld’s visiting parents, who are horrified.
Martin H.