The 25 Best Seinfeld Episodes

Seinfeld is the more revolutionary show in modern television history, challenging established formulas and popularizing new ones. Famously referred to as the show about nothing, show runners Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld crafted an absurd comedy with larger than life characters that stills remains tied down to reality. The show finds a basis in Seinfeld’s famous observational stand-up acts, which bookend each episode, the real genius is how they string these little jokes into engaging plotlines.

But above even the great writing are the perfectly balanced characters of the central four: Kramer is Jerry’s bonkers unemployed neighbor who always has crazy schemes, Elaine is Jerry’s shallow, self-righteous ex-girlfriend, George is Jerry’s neurotic, shameless old friend and Jerry is the self-absorbed comedian holding them all together. Although it seems like these characters would be completely unlikable, together they are one of the funniest television ensembles ever. Throw in a hilarious troupe of supporting players, brilliant jokes and clever stories, Seinfeld is one of the funniest, consistent shows in TV history. Although the entire series is worth watching, below are my 25 favorite and great jumping off points if you’re new to the show.

25. The Ticket (Season 4, Episode 4)

The Ticket is a hilarious episode that sets in motion a lot of the plotlines in season four. Jerry and George continue to struggle getting a deal with NBC. Kramer, having recently been assaulted by Crazy Joe Divola, suffers a concussion and is even more out of it than usual. This becomes problematic when Newman needs him to lie in court to evade a speeding ticket.

24. The Cadillac (Season 7, Episode 14)

It’s always funny when Jerry visits his parents in their retirement community in Florida. This time, after Jerry has a very high paying gig, he buys his father Morty a Cadillac. This causes some others to think Morty, the condo board president, is stealing funds setting in motion an impeachment process. Meanwhile George is trying to get a date with Marisa Tomei without telling his fiance and Kramer gets in a cat-and-mouse game with the cable guy.

23. The Caddy (Season 7, Episode 12)

Elaine’s is annoyed at her old acquaintance Sue Ellen Mischkie, heiress to the O-Henry candybar fortune. She spitefully buys her a bra for her birthday because she never wears one. Kramer sees her wearing only the bra as a top while driving George’s car and causes his to crash and hurt his arm, ending his gold aspirations. He once again hires lawyer Jackie Chiles to represent him, only to again undermine his case accidentally.

22. The Dealership (Season 9, Episode 11)

The gang visits the car dealership where Elaine’s boyfriend David Puddy works because Jerry is looking to buy a new car. Things go south when the couple gets in a fight. Kramer goes on a test drive with a salesman that goes longer than normal. George gets into a candy-related argument with a mechanic.

21. The Parking Garage (Season 3, Episode 6)

One of the great minimalist episodes that made Seinfeld so iconic, the entirety of this episode takes place in a mall parking lot. The problem is they can’t remember where the car is parked. Things get desperate when Jerry has to use the bathroom, George frets about missing his dinner plans and Elaine worries about her new goldfish, still in the bag. Kramer carries around a bulky air conditioner the whole time.

20. The Boyfriend (Season 3, Episode 17)

Jerry meets baseball player Keith Hernandez and they start a friendship which leads to him dating Elaine. Kramer and Newman reveal they have a vendetta against Hernandez who supposedly spit on them at a ballgame. Meanwhile, George needs the group to cover up a lie he told in order to keep his unemployment benefits.

19. The Invitations (Season 7, Episode 22)

This masterpiece in dark humor centers around George getting cold feet before the wedding. He tries to get Susan to break it off by smoking cigarettes and asking for a prenup but it doesn’t work, until an unexpected side effect from cheap wedding invitations comes to his rescue. Jerry starts dating a woman exactly like himself and also gets engaged.

18. The Fusili Jerry (Season 6, Episode 20)

Kramer starts making pasta sculptures and gets somebody else’s custom license plate by mistake. Jerry’s mechanic is dating Elaine, and Jerry finds out he is stealing his moves. George tries to use the move as well but is less successful. George’s dad Frank gets involved when he as an unfortunate accident with the pasta.

17. The Limo (Season 3, Episode 18)

George and Jerry get in a limo pretending to be the name on the driver’s card. The driver informs them that they are going to Madison Square Garden, and they think they’re going to a basketball game. It’s only when they are joined by two bodyguards that they start to piece together how unsavory is the man they are impersonating. Instead of enjoying a free ride they are soon fearing for their safety.

16. The Pen (Season 3, Episode 3)

A terrific episode, despite being the only one without George or Kramer, The Pen follows Jerry and Elaine as they visit Jerry’s parents in Florida. Morty’s obnoxious neighbor Jack Klompus shows Jerry his astronaut pen which Jerry thinks is cool. When Jack offers it to him forcefully so Jerry accepts, which apparently is very rude, setting about a gossip storm in the elderly Floridian community. Elaine can’t enjoy any of it because she’s hurt her back sleeping on a cheap sofa bed.

15. The Contest (Season 4, Episode 11)

George’s mother falls and is hospitalized after walking in on him masturbating. This causes the four to go into a bet for who could last the longest as “the master of their domain.” They are all tempted by different attractions: Kramer by a topless woman they can see from the window, Elaine by JFK Jr. in her aerobics class, George by the nurses in his mother’s hospital and Jerry, frustrated by his virgin girlfriend.

14. The Rye (Season 7, Episode 11)

George and his parents are to have dinner with Susan and her snooty parents which predictably goes awfully. Frank Costanza is so upset that he takes back the loaf of bread that he brought as a gift. George decides he needs to replace it without Susan’s parents noticing, leading to a hilarious sequence involving Kramer, who now drives a hansom cab. Elaine is angry at Jerry for ruining her relationship with a new boyfriend.

13. The Jimmy (Season 6, Episode 18)

This episode revolves around a man from the guys’ gym name Jimmy who refers to himself in the third person, causing much confusion. Elaine mistakenly asks him out on a date, George goes into the sneaker business with him and Kramer accidentally hurts him. Jerry is once again busy with rival Tim Whatley, who he believes is using novocaine on his patients for sexual purposes. Somehow this all ties together to a hilarious climax at a benefit for the mentally challenged featuring The Velvet Fog himself.

12. The Hamptons (Season 5, Episode 20)

The gang goes up to the Hamptons to visit their friends who recently had a baby. Jerry and George both come with their girlfriends Jane and Rachel. Plotlines involve Kramer finding lobster traps, Elaine flirting with a doctor, an ugly baby and, most notably, George’s shrinkage.

11. The Bottle Deposit (Season 7, Episode 20)

Kramer and Newman come up with a crackpot idea to drive their recycling to Michigan to sell at a higher price. Elaine bids on a set of JFK’s golf clubs for her boss, but they are stolen along with Jerry’s car by a crazed mechanic. George gets assigned an important work project but doesn’t know what it is.

10. The Raincoats (Season 5, Episode 18)

Jerry’s parents are staying with him causing him to have limited alone time with his new girlfriend. These pent up urges lead them to make out in a very controversial setting. George tries to weasel out of a Big Brother program but his lies end up backfiring. Morty and Kramer try to sell old raincoats. Elaine dates a close-talker.

9. The Pothole (Season 8, Episode 16)

Jerry accidentally drops his new girlfriend’s toothbrush in the toilet but doesn’t tell her. This leads to him being disgusted whenever they kiss. Kramer adopts a highway but his improvements are more harmful than helpful. Elaine tries to get some Chinese food but they don’t deliver to her building. George drops his keys in a pothole, but it gets filled in

8. The Junior Mint (Season 4, Episode 20)

Elaine goes to visit her ex-boyfriend, an artist, who is in the hospital needing difficult surgery. Jerry and Kramer get invited by the doctor to view in the operating theater. Kramer sneaks in Junior Mints as snacks and, by accident, one launched up and lands in the patient. Jerry thinks he’s killed the man, so George buys a lot of his paintings hoping the price goes up. As a sidepliot, Jerry dates a girl whose name rhymes with a woman’s body part.

7. The Chinese Restaurant (Season 2, Episode 11)

The first masterpiece of Seinfeld, The Chinese Restaurant represents how their could really be a show about nothing. The gang goes to a new Chinese restaurant before going to see a movie. Although they are told that it would only be a 15 minute wait, they are continually kept waiting in the lobby. Elaine is starving and resorts to drastic measures, Jerry runs into someone he can’t place and George has troubles with the pay phone.

6. The Fatigues (Season 8, Episode 6)

Elaine has a problem with an employee who is a disturbed veteran. Jerry is dating a woman whose mentor is dating Kenny Bania, causing a rift in the relationship. George is too lazy to write a report about risk management for work. Kramer volunteers to organize a Jewish singles event and hires Frank, an ex-army chef with cooking PTSD, to prepare the food. Stick around for the after credits scene.

5. The Bubble Boy (Season 4, Episode 7)

The gang plans a weekend trip to Susan’s parents’ cabin. Elaine and Jerry drive up and get lost, ending up at a diner. Susan and George drive up and stop to visit the bubble boy, which ends badly. Kramer and Jerry’s new girlfriend Naomi make it their first, which of course leads to disaster.

4. The Secret Code (Season 7, Episode 7)

George and Susan get in a fight because he won’t give her his bank code. Kramer gets a police scanner and tries to join the fire department. Jerry helps a local business but inadvertently insults the owner. George gets stuck in awkward situations with J. Peterman several times after Elaine ditches him. All these storylines come together in a hilarious conclusion.

3. The Dinner Party (Season 5, Episode 13)

The gang all reluctantly head to a dinner party. After debating what gifts to bring they split up: Jerry and Elaine go the bakery to get a babka cake while George and Kramer go to the liquor store to get wine. Needless to say, events for neither pair go smoothly.

2. The Puffy Shirt (Season 5, Episode 2)

Elaine gets Jerry to do an act in support for clothing the homeless. When talking to Kramer’s soft talking girlfriend Jerry cluelessly agrees to wear a puffy shirt that she designed on TV where he is promoting Elaine’s charity. George gets saved from his miserable life with his parents when he is discovered as a hand model, but this new profession is tragically brought to an early end

1. The Marine Biologist (Season 5, Episode 14)

Jerry is asked by an old college acquaintance about George and says that he is a marine biologist. This leads to George dating the woman while having to lie about his profession. Elaine makes a fool of herself with famous Russian author. Kramer goes to the coast and practices driving golf balls into the ocean.

Honorable Mentions: The Library (S3E5), The Subway (S3E13), The Opera (S4E5), The Opposite (S5E21), The Switch (S6E11), The Soup Nazi (S7E6), The Bizarro Jerry (S8E3), The Package (S8E5), The Chicken Roaster (S8E8), The Comeback (S8E13)

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