30 essential 'Seinfeld' episodes to watch

After finding remnants of an old set from The Merv Griffin Show in a dumpster, Kramer decides to stage his own talk show. Jerry, enamored by his girlfriend's classic toy collection, George, who has issues with alleged animal cruelty, and Elaine, dealing with a "sidler" are all guests — along with Newman. Impressively, noted animal expert Jim Fowler makes an appearance.

Perhaps the greatest part of Jerry Seinfeld's comedy is his ability to take everyday occurrences and turn them into a stellar half-hour of TV laughs — like the time he and the gang are waiting for a table at a crowded Chinese restaurant. The episode is dialogue-driven, but it's totally relatable because we've all probably been in this situation at some point.

It's another episode involving George's childhood friend and nemesis, Lloyd Braun. At this point, Lloyd has recovered from a nervous breakdown and is gaga over Chinese gum, which he later buys in bulk for a bespectacled Jerry. Kramer, meanwhile, is championing the restoration of a historic theater. George has trouble convincing another old friend he doesn't need psychiatric help.

While Jerry is trying to cater to an insecure faux tennis instructor who sold him an expensive racket, George is determined to zing a co-worker with what he thinks is the perfect comeback. After his retort backfires, George opts for a suggestion that Kramer offered, which hilariously makes matters worse. Elaine, meanwhile, has a thing for a video store employee with whom she shares the same taste in movies.

As Kramer and his friend, Mickey, can't decide between two women to date and Jerry is offended that suave dentist Tim Whatley has converted to Judaism for the jokes, George dates a woman (Suzanne Cryer) with a penchant for skipping over details to shorten stories by saying "yada, yada, yada." It starts becoming annoying to George, who wants the full story.

When a frightened Elaine cowardly promotes a slacker mailroom employee to a writer for the J. Peterman catalog, she catches flack from the other employees. She also doesn't feel his war-inspired words are proper for the catalog but gets creative with her editing. Kramer, meanwhile, gets George's father, Frank, to start cooking again after years away from the kitchen following some Korean War trauma.

After finding out her preferred choice for birth control is being discontinued, Elaine goes on a massive hunt to stock up. She's then frugal with her supply, ensuring her latest potential lover is "sponge worthy." The discontinuation of the Today Sponge is also a factor for George and Jerry. 

This episode marks the first appearance of David Puddy (Patrick Warburton), Jerry's mechanic and Elaine's dim-witted, on-again-off-again boyfriend. Jerry becomes upset when Puddy uses a maneuver in the bedroom on Elaine that he taught him. Kramer, who mistakenly receives the vanity license plates of a proctologist, makes a small likeness of Jerry out of fusilli pasta. which, eventually, becomes a problem for Frank Costanza.

This is our introduction to Festivus, a holiday concocted by Frank Costanza that features an aluminum pole, the "feats of strengths," and the "airing of grievances." The fake holiday has become part of sitcom lore and is celebrated by the show's die-hard fans. We're also introduced to "Denim Vest" and the Human Fund, and we learn that Kramer has been on strike for 12 years from his job in a bagel store.

While at the coffee shop, George, Jerry, and Elaine notice a woman at the next booth is eavesdropping. Elaine decides to have fun with her and talks about the boys being a closeted gay couple. As it turns out, the woman is an NYU journalist (Paula Marshall) scheduled to write a story about Jerry. The rest of the episode sees the pair trying to prove to the woman that they are not a gay couple ("not that there's anything wrong with that"), often struggling to do so but nonetheless funny.

Jerry is forced into a rematch of a school race in which he beat a boyhood nemesis Duncan Meyer, who believes Jerry got a head start — which was the case. As Jerry continues to state, "I choose not to race," the highlight of the episode comes when George pretends not to know Jerry in front of his challenger to disprove the head start theory. 

Kramer's dating a "low-talking" girlfriend who is a fashion designer, and that's where the hilarity begins. Unable to understand her soft voice during a dinner with the couple, Jerry inadvertently agrees to wear her "puffy shirt," like a pirate would sport, on The Today Show to promote a benefit. While Jerry doesn't "want to be a pirate," George finds himself a budding hand model. 

Abstaining from sex makes George smart, while Elaine's intelligence wanes when she goes through the same thing when trying to help her dim medical school boyfriend (Bob Odenkirk) study for his license. Kramer, meanwhile, looks for a place to light up a stogie. In the end, both George and Elaine mess up their situations.

George becomes obsessed with a cocky, pick-up basketball player named Jimmy, who sports plyometric shoes, talks about himself in the third person, and fancies Elaine. Elsewhere, dentist Tim Whatley offers some risque waiting room reading material, and Kramer finds himself the accidental guest of honor at a mentally disabled benefit following a brush-up with Jimmy. Also, we learn "George likes his chicken spicy."

When George is first introduced to Elaine's horrendous dance moves, it certainly leaves an impression. It also helps Jerry and Kramer get out of a bootleg gig with the unreasonable Brody. George takes a crack at being the "bad boy" until things go wrong when he tries his hand at the bootleg game. "Sweet Fancy Moses!"

A Kenny Rogers Roasters opens across from Jerry and Kramer's building, but the menacing red light from the store's sign becomes a nuisance to Kramer. He and Jerry switch apartments to help remedy the issue, but Jerry soon realizes Kramer's pad is not really fit for living and even takes on some of his eccentric friend's traits. Kramer, meanwhile, has secretly taken a liking to the chicken.   

On a trip upstate to George's girlfriend Susan's family cabin, Jerry, Elaine, George and Susan are set to make a stop at the house of the "Bubble Boy," an ill fan of Jerry. However, the gang is split up on the road, and George gets into it with the "Bubble Boy" over a game of Trivial Pursuit. Kramer, however, makes it to the cabin and finds himself in a "fiery" situation.

In the Season 5 finale, George decides to do the opposite of what would seem to be the appropriate decision on just about anything. It ultimately works, even landing George a lady and a job. Elaine, however, can't seem to get anything to go right for her, while Jerry goes through a run of breaking even within his life. As for Kramer, his appearance on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee to promote his coffee table book is comedy gold.

Jerry and the gang are obsessed with a new yogurt shop whose product seems to taste too good to be non-fat as advertised — or is it? It's the first time we are introduced to Lloyd Braun, an adviser for the mayor of NYC. The episode is known for bleeping out the "f-word" and the infamous "name-tag" fiasco.

David Puddy's defining moment in the series comes when Elaine learns her boyfriend is a die-hard New Jersey Devils fan who likes to paint his face. She's obviously concerned, but come on, you got to "support the team." Puddy's face-painting character continues to be a favorite Halloween costume, and actor Patrick Warburton even showed up at a real-life Devils game as his TV alter ego.

Two of TV's biggest stars, at the time and in the future, Teri Hatcher (Sidra) and Megan Mullally (Betsy), appear as the girlfriends of Jerry and George, respectively. Jerry's not sure if Sidra has been enhanced but later learns post-breakup, "they're real, and they're spectacular." Meanwhile, George accompanies Betsy to her aunt's funeral and gets caught double-dipping a chip. 

This is one of the more underrated episodes in the Seinfeld arsenal. While Jerry enjoys the comforts of first class on a flight back from St. Louis, Elaine is mired in a disastrous coach trip with only a kosher meal to eat. Waiting for them are Kramer and George, who are airport hopping. George comes face to face with a captured criminal, and Kramer eyes financial payback from a passenger believed to be an old roommate.  

George and Jerry need a ride home from the airport and decide to take the limousine waiting for someone named "O'Brien," who is delayed in Chicago. With George pretending to be O'Brien and Jerry his pal Dylan Murphy, the pair think they're headed to the Bulls-Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. That's far from the truth, and instead, they find themselves the focal point of a white supremacist rally.  

The gang visits the Hamptons to "see the baby" of friends, and the laughs rarely stop. Jerry's girlfriend sees George naked and notices some "shrinkage," which gets back to his date, who likes to walk around without a top while at the beach — unseen to George. Kramer poaches lobster, and Elaine is into a doctor who thinks she's "quite breathtaking."

In an episode where the laughs are consistent from the opening to the closing credits, Elaine becomes friends with a guy who is Jerry's complete opposite and has his own friends who are the exact opposites of George, Kramer, and even Newman. The real George, meanwhile, is using the death of fiancee Susan to pick up women. Kramer has become part of corporate life, and Jerry is dating a lady with "man hands." Bizarro? Yes. Brilliant? For sure.

Jerry's overdue copy of Tropic of Cancer from 1971 has library cop Mr. Bookman (Philip Baker Hall) hot on the case. Meanwhile, George runs into a bully P.E. teacher, now homeless and living outside a library branch, who tormented him in school. Kramer falls for a librarian who needs "a little Kramer" and will likely need "a little shot of penicillin." 

George has had a couple of fascinating pretend jobs, like an architect. However, the best is still his fake stint as a marine biologist, which Jerry told a college friend whom George started dating. Of course, George is eventually put on the spot to prove his expertise in the area, thanks to Kramer and his hobby of hitting golf balls into the ocean.

The so-called "Soup Nazi" (Larry Thomas) is easily one of the most memorable guest stars in television history. Though this soup stand owner demands as much perfection from his customers when ordering as he does from himself in making these soups, it's worth the hassle and potential of "no soup for you!" Of course, Elaine won't stand for his antics, which is equally entertaining.

This classic two-parter sees Jerry befriend former baseball great Keith Hernandez (playing himself), who likes Elaine. Jerry becomes jealous of Elaine for spending time with the former New York Met. We also learn Kramer and Newman have a history with Hernandez from the legendary "second-spitter" controversy. George, meanwhile, is trying to extend his unemployment but did have an interview with "Vandelay Industries."

Arguably, it's one of the funniest and most creative episodes in television sitcom history. George's mother hurts her back from falling after finding her son self-pleasuring himself to a Glamour magazine. That leads to the foursome setting up a bet to see who can go the longest without giving in to some self-gratification. A naked woman in a nearby apartment, a hospital sponge bath, Marla the virgin, and John F. Kennedy Jr. all temp the gang, leading to the question: Are you "master of your domain?"