By Tessa Boyce.
Throughout the ’90s, banter between Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer played throughout millions of homes worldwide. The show ran for nine seasons on NBC, and in 2002, TV Guide ranked “Seinfeld” as the greatest TV show of all time.
Creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were exceptionally successful at finding the humor in mundane things. Activities like napping, riding the subway, or even eating a mango turned into hilarious events that were discussed in-depth at Monk’s Restaurant or Jerry’s apartment. Even 16 years after the final season aired, fans still enjoy watching “Seinfeld” reruns.
There are 180 episodes of “Seinfeld,” and the experts at PrettyFamous wanted to find the top 50. We ranked each episode based on its IMDb rating (as of April 11, 2016) and in the case of a tie, the episode with more IMDb votes ranked higher. “Seinfeld” episodes are very highly rated — even number 50 has an 8.8/10 rating, and the top “Seinfeld” episode was ranked as one of the best TV episodes ever by TV Guide.
So, yada yada yada, here are the 50 best “Seinfeld” episodes of all time.
#50. The Summer of George
IMDb Rating: 8.8
George gets laid off by the Yankees, but he is happy with three months of severance and announces, “I proclaim this, the summer of George!” His plan to get in shape fails miserably. Raquel Welch and Amanda Peet guest star in this episode from season eight.
#49. The Voice
IMDb Rating: 8.8
Cosmo Kramer is tired of his business ideas getting snatched up by corporations, so he decides to start one of his own, Kramerica Industries. “Kramerica Industries: It’s business as usual at Kramerica.” Meanwhile, Jerry is plagued by visions of his girlfriend’s bellybutton taunting him.
#48. The Pitch; The Ticket
IMDb Rating: 8.8
This episode is based on Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David’s actual experiences and challenges they faced developing the “Seinfeld” series. According to IMDb, “Jason Alexander was initially disappointed in the storyline and considered it ‘self-aggrandized.’”
#47. The Mango
IMDb Rating: 8.8
Originally titled “The Orgasm,” this episode was nominated for a prime-time Emmy for outstanding individual achievement in writing in a comedy series. Jerry learns something most men would rather not know about his relationship with Elaine, and George discovers the erotic qualities of the mango.
#46. The Pick
IMDb Rating: 8.8
The character Newman, played by Wayne Knight,
appears in this episode for a brief 13 seconds in which he confirms with Jerry that Elaine had an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction on her holiday card.
#45. The Tape
IMDb Rating: 8.8
Elaine makes a sexy voice recording meant only for Jerry, but it’s heard by the wrong crowd — George and Kramer. Shortly after, George develops feelings for Elaine, and in the midst of this expected crush, searches for a fast way to cure his baldness.
According to IMDb, creator Larry David actually tried this baldness cure in real life. It resulted in nasty scabs on his scalp, photos of which were used in the episode.
#44. The Nap
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Haven’t we all wanted to find a place to nap at work? In this episode, George learns that he can take leisurely naps under his desk. Through a series of mishaps, including Jerry calling in a bomb threat to get George’s boss out of his office, George finds himself face-to-face with his boss, George Steinbrenner. What’s worse, Steinbrenner finds candy and a Playboy magazine under the desk. His response? “Just empty calories and male curiosity, eh Georgie boy?”
#43. The Hot Tub
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Jeremiah Birkett guest stars in this episode as Jean Paul, a runner from Trinidad and Tobago staying with Elaine for a race. A series of unfortunate events unfolds, ending with Kramer spilling hot water all over him seconds before the finish line, causing Jean Paul to lose.
#42. The Bottle Deposit
IMDb Rating: 8.9
This two-part episode highlights the best of Kramer and Newman when they decide to make some extra money collecting bottles and cans in the city, then driving them to Michigan to sell. By coincidence, Newman and Kramer spot Jerry’s stolen car on their adventure. Kramer assures Jerry that he’s on top of things, saying “Yeah, don’t worry Jerry. We’re on this guy like stink on a monkey!”
#41. The Fusilli Jerry
IMDb Rating: 8.9
The audience is introduced to David Puddy, played by Patrick Warburton, for the first time in this episode. The title comes from Kramer’s new crafting activity, making his friends’ likenesses out of pasta. Of course, Jerry is made out of fusilli. “Why fusilli?” he asks. “Because you’re silly.”
#40. The Invitations
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Season seven ends unexpectedly — with the quick death of George’s fiancé Susan. In 2005, this episode ranked eighth in TV Guide’s “Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in T.V. History.” Although some audience members were offended by the cast’s apathetic reaction to Susan’s death, Jason Alexander found it funny. In the DVD extras commentary, he says, “I think the coldest moment ever played on a television show was the reaction of George and his friends to the death of his fiancé. If it was funny, it was the ruler, and it was unquestionably funny. Wrong and rude and dangerous — but funny.”
#39. The Calzone
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Eating the Road ranked this episode eighth in the “Top 15 Seinfeld Food Episodes.” Once his boss discovers the deliciousness of the eggplant calzone, George is forced to go pick them up for him. This episode delves into the social formalities of tipping — if no one notices that you tipped them, does it count?
#38. The Wink
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Future “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage makes an appearance in this episode as the telephone voice of James, Elaine’s boyfriend. Meanwhile, George walks around New York with a permanent wink since Jerry squirted grapefruit juice in his eye.
#37. The Comeback
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Famous actor and former Republican speechwriter Ben Stein appears in this episode as Shellbach, a lawyer Kramer finds to help him write a will. George tries his hardest to come up with a good comeback after being humiliated by a coworker, but the best he can think of is “Well, the Jerk Store called, and they’re running out of you!”
#36. The Gum
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Creator Larry David makes a rare appearance in this episode as an uncredited newspaper stand owner. This episode also marks the first dialogue and credited appearance for Ruth Cohen, the waitress at Monk’s Diner. According to IMDb, Cohen appeared in 101 episodes of “Seinfeld.”
#35. The Stall
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Elaine is stuck in an unfortunate situation when she runs out of toilet paper in a public restroom and the woman next to her cannot even “spare a square.” We also learn what Jerry really thinks of Elaine’s boyfriend, Tony. “He’s a male bimbo. He’s a mimbo.”
#34. The Implant
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Actress Teri Hatcher, of “Desperate Housewives” fame, appears in this episode as Sidra, Jerry’s girlfriend — that is until Elaine convinces him to breakup with her, based on the fact that Elaine thinks Sidra has very obvious breast implants. When Elaine accidentally trips face-first into Sidra’s ample bosom in the sauna, she realizes she was sorely mistaken.
#33. The Fire
IMDb Rating: 8.9
George spoils his budding relationship with Robin by panicking at her son’s birthday party when a small fire breaks out. As everyone rushes from the house, George throws himself ahead of Robin, the kids and a disabled older woman.
The firefighters arrive and one asks George, “How do you live with yourself?”
“It’s not easy,” he responds.
#32. The Pilot
IMDb Rating: 8.9
In the finale of season four, the pilot for the show “Jerry” finally airs. “Jerry” is a show Jerry and George created, based on their lives. In “Jerry,” actor Jeremy Piven plays George and Larry Hankin plays Kramer. Larry Hankin reportedly auditioned for the original role of Kramer.
#31. The Strike
IMDb Rating: 8.9
In this episode, we learn of the celebrated holiday Festivus, a holiday invented by George’s father, Frank Costanza. He explains, “At the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year.”
#30. The Boyfriend (Part 2)
IMDb Rating: 8.9
The group investigates the possibility that Elaine’s current boyfriend, former Mets player Keith Hernandez, spit on Kramer and Newman. The “second spitter theory” arises, and Elaine second guesses her relationship with Keith.
#29. The Junior Mint
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Jerry has an unlucky brain fart and cannot seem to remember his current fling’s name … only that it rhymes with some kind of female anatomy. Is it Aretha? Celeste? Perhaps Mulva? Once he remembers, Dolores is long gone.
#28. The Subway
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer each have their own unusual experience riding the subway. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is carrying a present to conceal her real-life pregnancy throughout most of the episode.
#27. The Parking Garage
IMDb Rating: 8.9
The crew finds themselves stuck in a parking garage, searching identical floors for their lost car. According to IMDb,”the set for Jerry’s apartment and the studio audience seating had to be removed to make room for the parking garage set. Mirrors and different camera angles were used to create the illusion of a multi-level garage.”
#26. The Library
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Jerry discovers he has an overdue library book — from 1971. Actor Philip Baker Hall plays Lieutenant Bookman, the no-nonsense “Library Investigations Officer” assigned to Jerry’s case. Lieutenant Bookman gives Jerry some age-old wisdom, “I don’t judge a man by the length of his hair or the kind of music he listens to. Rock was never my bag. But you put on a pair of shoes when you walk into the New York Public Library, fella.”
#25. The Chinese Restaurant
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Jerry, George and Elaine wait anxiously to be seated at a Chinese restaurant, while it appears that other guests traipse in and sit down immediately. Kramer does not appear in this episode at all, and apparently actor Michael Richards was disappointed because he considered this episode to be one of the best.
#24. The Rye
IMDb Rating: 9.0
This episode revolves around a loaf of rye bread that George’s parents bring to dinner with Susan’s parents. They choose not to serve it, and chaos ensues when Frank Costanza decides to take the bread home after dinner.
#23. The Frogger
IMDb Rating: 9.0
George attempts to acquire an old Frogger video game machine when he sees that his high school score is still number one in an old pizza joint he used to frequent. Fun fact — according to the official Twin Galaxies’ world rankings, at the time George’s Frogger high score of 860,630 would have been the No. 1 score in the world.
#22. The Serenity Now
IMDb Rating: 9.0
George’s father Frank, played by Jerry Stiller, stars in this episode. To lower his blood pressure, Frank is supposed to calmly say “Serenity now” every time he gets stressed out. Frank and George have a hilarious interaction regarding Frank’s new treatment plan:
Frank Costanza: Doctor gave me a relaxation cassette. When my blood pressure gets too high, the man on the tape tells me to say, ‘SERENITY NOW!’
George Costanza: Are you supposed to yell it?
Frank Costanza: The man on the tape wasn’t specific.
#21. The Switch
IMDb Rating: 9.0
Cosmo Kramer’s first name is finally revealed in this episode from season six. Apparently, writers originally planned to name him “Conrad,” which would not encapsulate his goofy personality nearly as well as “Cosmo.”
#20. The Bubble Boy
IMDb Rating: 9.0
A boy confined to living in a bubble to escape germs seeks out Jerry’s company. Jerry doesn’t actually get to meet the infamous Bubble Boy in this episode, but his friends play an impassioned game of Trivial Pursuit in which we learn that Spain was invaded by “the Moops” in the eighth century.
#19. The Limo
IMDb Rating: 9.0
George and Jerry decide to fake their identities to ride a limo. They think the limo is prepped to take them to a New York Knicks basketball game, but it turns out the limo is headed to a Neo-Nazi meeting, and George — who the Nazis believe to be the reclusive author “O’Brien” — is expected to give the keynote speech. The upside? They meet a cute girl headed to the meeting, and George is interested:
George: Didja see the way she was looking at me?
Jerry: She’s a Nazi, George. A Nazi!
George: I know, I know. Kind of a cute Nazi though.
#18. The Abstinence
IMDb Rating: 9.1
George discovers his previously unknown intelligence when his girlfriend’s mono prevents them from having sex. Elaine is faced with an abstinent relationship as well, but she doesn’t experience the same brain boost.
#17. The Little Kicks
IMDb Rating: 9.1
The group learns that Elaine is beyond terrible at dancing. Or, as George describes it, “More like a full body dry heave set to music.” Meanwhile, Elaine’s plan to turn her coworker away from George goes awry.
#16. The Race
IMDb Rating: 9.1
Jerry’s current girlfriend, Lois, comes with some irritating baggage. Her boss is Duncan Meyer, Jerry’s high school rival. This episode has many references to Superman, including Jerry’s red and blue outfits throughout.
#15. The Airport
IMDb Rating: 9.1
When Jerry and Elaine are split up on a flight, Jerry experiences the luxury of first class with a blonde model, champagne and ice cream. Creator Larry David is the voice of the unruly coach passenger who refuses the kosher meal, thereby forcing it upon Elaine.
#14. The Yada Yada
IMDb Rating: 9.1
George’s girlfriend in this episode can’t help but say the phrase “yada yada” with every single story. This results in a classic miscommunication in which George cannot figure out if the “yada yada” is actually a cover up for an evening she spent with her ex.
George: Listen to this. Marcy comes over and she tells me that her ex-boyfriend was over late last night and ‘yada yada yada I’m really tired today.’ You don’t think she’d yada yada sex?”
Elaine: I’ve yada yada’d sex.
George: Really?
Elaine: Yeah. I met this lawyer, we went out to dinner, I had the lobster bisque, we went back to my place, yada yada yada, I never heard from him again.
Jerry: But you yada yada’d over the best part.
Elaine: No, I mentioned the bisque.
#13. The Puffy Shirt
IMDb Rating: 9.1
Jerry finds himself modeling a shirt on “The Today Show,” while George becomes a special kind of model himself. Both gigs do not go as planned, and before Jerry has to model the shirt on television, he gives the infamous line, “But I don’t want to be a pirate!”
#12. The Boyfriend (Part 1)
IMDb Rating: 9.1
Former New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez stars in this two-part episode from season three. Jerry and Elaine vie for his attention, while George continues to think of ways to bamboozle the unemployment office. The famous line from this episode, “and you want to be my latex salesman,” was apparently ad-libbed by Jerry Seinfeld.
#11. The Merv Griffin Show
IMDb Rating: 9.1
This is one of the only episodes mostly filmed in Kramer’s apartment rather than Jerry’s. Kramer finds set pieces from “The Merv Griffin Show” in the dumpster, and decides to set them up in his apartment. Meanwhile, we learn that Elaine is dealing with a “sidler” in her office, someone who sneaks around silently behind people. George’s peculiar feeling about pigeons is revealed.
#10. The Chicken Roaster
IMDb Rating: 9.2
Jerry and Kramer trade apartments because Kramer cannot stand the red light radiating off of a giant neon chicken at the new Kenny Rogers Roasters across the street. Initially, Kenny Rogers Roasters was hesitant to allow the bit about Jerry finding rat fur his meal. However, the real Kenny Rogers decided it was excellent free publicity, and donated a dinner to the cast and crew (rat fur free, of course).
#9. The Jimmy
IMDb Rating: 9.2
The group makes a new friend, Jimmy, who speaks about himself in the third person. This leads to George giving it a try in front of his boss. Hilarity ensues since his boss is also named George.
#8. The Hamptons
IMDb Rating: 9.2
The group visits the Hamptons, and Jerry’s girlfriend Rachel inadvertently sees George naked. This leads to a hilarious discussion about shrinkage:
Jerry: Do women know about shrinkage?
Elaine: What do you mean like laundry?
Jerry: No, like when a man goes swimming … afterwards.
Elaine: It shrinks?
Jerry: Like a frightened turtle!
Elaine: Why does it shrink?
George: It just does.
Elaine: I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things.
#7. The Bizarro Jerry
IMDb Rating: 9.2
We’ve all dated someone who is great … except for that one thing. Jerry can’t get over the fact that smart, attractive Gillian has “man hands.” In reality, the actress who played Gillian, Kristin Bauer, probably had normal-sized hands. The “man hands” were actor James Rekart’s.
#6. The Betrayal
IMDb Rating: 9.2
This is also known as “the Backwards Episode” as the events are played in reverse. The line “you can stuff your sorries in a sack, mister!” is a reference to the show “The Odd Couple.”
#5. The Marine Biologist
IMDb Rating: 9.3
George begins dating a woman who believes he is a marine biologist, but his charade quickly goes swimming with the fishes. His monologue at the end of the episode is one of the best in the series. According to IMDb, “the audience response to the end of George’s story is regarded by many as one of the longest sustained laughs by the ‘Seinfeld’ studio audience in the show’s history.”
#4. The Outing
IMDb Rating: 9.4
Elaine plays a prank on Jerry and George, outing them as gay lovers, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.” George uses it as an excuse to break up with his girlfriend and tells her, “I’m gay. I’m a gay man. I’m very, very gay … Extraordinarily gay, steeped in gayness.”
#3. The Opposite
IMDb Rating: 9.5
George finds that acting completely opposite from how he usually would works very well for him. Elaine, however is struck with bad luck throughout the episode, leading her to conclude, “It’s true. I’m George! I’m George!”
#2. The Soup Nazi
IMDb Rating: 9.6
“No soup for you” is one of the most memorable lines from all of “Seinfeld.” Many people recall this episode in which the group deals with an angry soup kitchen worker. Apparently, Al Yeganeh, the real-life owner of Soup Kitchen International, believes that this episode ruined his reputation. If you enter a Soup Kitchen International — beware — any references to “Seinfeld” are forbidden.
#1. The Contest
IMDb Rating: 9.6
The group enters into an unusual contest, and thus the term “master of your domain” becomes a euphemism for masturbation. TV Guide ranked “The Contest” as the greatest TV episode of all time in their 2009 list, “Top 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.” “The Contest” also won an Emmy Award for outstanding individual achievement in writing in a comedy series.
