If you clicked on this article, I’m going to assume that you’re as big of a Seinfeld fan as I am. I’ve watched the show for 15 years, have seen every episode at least 20 times, and own the entire DVD set. I drop everything I’m doing when Seinfeld is on television, and I have pretty much memorized every line from every episode.
I can’t exactly explain why the show has consumed the lives of so many people or why it seems to continue to do so well today even though the comedy is a bit outdated in today’s world. The show is literally about nothing. There’s no plot. There’s no storyline. In fact, there’s really no connection from one episode in the series to the next besides the couple to be continued episodes.
Nevertheless, it’s my favorite sitcom of all time. That seems to be the case for millions of people in the world, so I thought I would throw together a list of what I believe to be the 10 greatest episodes in the history of the series and see what our readers have to say.
10. “The Serenity Now”
If you’ve never shouted “Serenity Now!” in a time of stress, you’re not a true Seinfeld fan. Frank Costanza is ordered by his doctor to shout the phrase whenever he’s beginning to feel stressed as a sort of relief. George and Lloyd Braun compete to sell computers while Elaine learns she has “Shiksa-appeal” after Mr. Lippman’s son french kisses her at his bar mitzvah.
9. “The Outing”
This is the episode that gave us the line “not that there’s anything wrong with that.” While at Monk’s, Elaine realizes that a woman at another table is eavesdropping on their conversation, so she makes George and Jerry out to be a gay couple. The woman listening happens to be Sharon, a reporter from NYU who is set to interview Jerry. After visiting Jerry’s apartment, Sharon is steadfast in her belief that Jerry and George are lovers, but the two deny the accusations then add “not that there’s anything wrong with that” to the end in order to avoid offending the gay community.
8. “The Bizarro Jerry”
Elaine ends up finding a new group of friends to hang with as Jerry explains to Elaine that her new friend Kevin is “Bizarro Jerry” just like in the comic book Bizarro World . This is also the episode that gave us the saying “man hands.” Jerry dates an attractive woman, but is turned off because she had “man hands.” George uses a picture of “man hands” to get into a secret club that turns into a meat packing plant.
7. “The Hamptons”
The four friends travel to the Hamptons to see their friend’s baby, who turns out to be ugly. Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine see George’s girlfriend sunbathing topless, which leads to George to try and sneak a peek at Jerry’s girlfriend changing. After the failed attempt, Jerry’s girlfriend goes to the wrong room to see the baby and walks in on George changing which causes her to chuckle. The scene causes George to shout, “I was in the pool! I was in the pool!”
6. “The Comeback”
“One of my first tastes of America was Seinfeld…” in “‘The Jerk Store’: Visiting the Famous Seinfeld Diner in NYC” https://t.co/FDsm8AFDd1
— Waddle (@letswaddle) May 27, 2016
After having a meeting catered, one of George’s New York Yankees colleagues calls him out for stuffing his face with shrimp. “Hey George, the ocean called; they’re running out of shrimp,” Reilly says. George is unable to form a comeback immediately but comes up with one later, which isn’t as well received. “Well, the jerk store called, and they’re running out of you.” While it may not have been well received by the actors, it ended up being one of the most synonymous lines in Seinfeld history.
5. “The Merv Griffin Show”
Kramer finds the set of The Merv Griffin Show in a dumpster and decides to turn his apartment into the set, even pretending that he’s hosting the show. Jerry finds out that his girlfriend has a classic toy collection like none other and uses a combination of turkey and red wine to put her to sleep so he can play with the collection. Elaine has an issue with a co-worker who sidles and gives him Tic-Tacs to carry around so she can hear him coming before the move backfires. George drives over some pigeons in his car then later swerves to avoid more pigeons but hits a squirrel. His girlfriend forces him to pay for the surgery to keep the squirrel alive. It leads George to tell the pigeons, “Laugh it up. I’m getting in my car now and the last thing I heard… we have NO DEAL!”
4. “The Yada Yada”
George’s girlfriend uses the term “yada yada yada” to shorten stories, but George becomes concerned when she tells him that her ex-boyfriend came over the night before, “and yada yada yada, I’m really tired today.” George is concerned that she may have “yada yada’d” over intimacy. Jerry isn’t a fan of his dentist Tim Whatley telling Jewish jokes so shortly after converting to Judaism. Jerry and Elaine help to break up the marriage of their friends Arnie and Beth, with Beth eventually accompanying Jerry to Mickey’s wedding.
3. “The Boyfriend Part 1”
Jerry meets former New York Mets baseball player Keith Hernandez, and the two become friends. Hernandez ends up asking for Elaine’s number and the two begin dating, which results in a bit of a tussle between Jerry and Elaine for Hernandez’s attention. George is nearing the end of his unemployment benefits but tells the unemployment office that he’s close to a job with Vandelay Industries that makes latex products and gives the woman Jerry’s phone number for the fake company. He tells Jerry to answer the phone “Vandelay Industries,” but while George is in the bathroom, Kramer answers the phone and ruins the ruse. George comes running out of the bathroom yelling at Kramer, but it’s too late. When Jerry opens the door, George is laying on the floor in his boxers and Jerry ad-libs, “And you want to be my latex salesman.” That line is easily top-five in the greatest quotes in Seinfeld history.
2. “The Strike”
Kramer decides to head back to work after receiving a call that a 12-year strike at H&H Bagels has ended. Jerry meets a woman at Tim Whatley’s Hanukkah party that he refers to as a “two-face” because she looks different depending on the lighting. George creates the Human Fund as a fake charity that he pretended to donate money to as a Christmas gift for his co-workers. Kramer, George, and the Costanzas celebrate Festivus which gained its fame from this very episode. Who can forget the “Festivus Pole,” “Airing of Grievances,” and the “Feats of Strength?”
1. “The Soup Nazi”
#Seinfeld The Soup Nazi.???? pic.twitter.com/IggGBg6k7K
— Francisco Orduño (@franores) February 1, 2016
A new soup stand moves into town and it takes the entire city by storm. The “Soup Nazi” has an interesting set of rules that if patrons didn’t abide by, they would be refused service and he would yell, “No soup for you!” Elaine refuses to adhere to the rules and gets banned from the shop, but later gets her revenge when the “Soup Nazi” gifts an antique armoire to Kramer that he doesn’t know is actually for Elaine. Jerry and Elaine find the “Soup Nazi’s” recipes in the drawers and Elaine returns to the kitchen and proclaims, “You’re through Soup Nazi. Pack it up. No more soup for you. Next!” Easily the most iconic Seinfeld episode of all time.
I’m always open to other opinions on the show, so feel free to let me know what your favorite episode is in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images]