Seinfeld: Memorable, hilarious and influential

Daily Dirt for Friday, April 4, 2025

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that” … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,248 of The Daily Dirt

1. “Seinfeld” is generally regarded as one of the greatest — and most influential — television programs ever.

Absolutely no argument here on either of those claims. In fact, I think the argument could be made it might be considered THE best show of all time, but that’s another subject for another day.

“Seinfeld” provided us with some of TV’s most memorable — and hilarious — moments and lines during a nine-year run that ended in 1998. Many of its storylines and specific moments have become a part of our everyday culture.

So what were the best individual episodes of that Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer provided us? 

I’m glad you asked. 

Today and Friday we’ll unveil The Daily Dirt’s 10 favorite episodes. Let’s get started with Nos. 10 through 6:

10. “The Yada Yada” (Season 3, Episode 5):This episode introduced the public to the phrase “yada yada,” which numerous characters used to gloss over and hide key, but inconvenient details in their stories. Season 3 was when “Seinfeld” began reaching “must-see TV” status, and this episode, with its clever dialogue, was an integral part of the the program’s viewer friendly equation. 

9. “The Outing” (Season 4, Episode 17):It’s easy to point to “No soup for you!” being the show’s single most famous line, but this episode delivered one of the most-quoted phrases in the show’s history. When a rumor spreads that Jerry and George are a couple, the pair repeatedly attempts to clarify the nature their relationship while constantly affirming, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” What makes this episode so memorable is its clever approach to exploring a sensitive topic during a time when few sitcoms were willing to do so.

8. “The Little Kicks” (Season 8, Episode 4): This was the episode when we learned Elaine could not dance. It was hard to even watch her try. Elaine’s awkward dance moves were dubbed a “full body dry heave set to music,” and became instantly iconic and widely imitated. As usual, the episode balances multiple storylines, but the standout was Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She delivered one of the best physical comedy performances of her career.

7. “The Library” (Season 3, Episode 5):Jerry receives a notice for an overdue book — from 1971, leading him to confront a terrifying library cop named Lt. Joe Bookman, portrayed brilliantly by Phillip Baker Hall. Bookman’s rapid-fire monologue about public libraries is one of the show’s most memorable guest appearances.

6. “The Junior Mint” (Season 4, Episode 20): One critic said this episode was able to “blend slapstick and absurdity with sharp dialogue and classic misunderstandings”. Didn’t every episode? One of the show’s funniest-ever scenes saw Jerry and Kramer, while observing Elaine’s ex-boyfriend undergo surgery, accidentally drop a Junior Mint into the open body cavity, providing one of the most famous visuals in the show’s history.

Tomorrow: The top five.

2. Did you know (Part 323)

• That when “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was being filmed in Germany, dwarves from other countries had to be used for the roles of the Oompa Loompas because the Nazis had killed most of the German dwarfs during World War II.
• That the following rock stars are still alive: Chubby Checker (83 years old), Neil Sedaka (86), Frankie Valli (90), Frankie Avalon (84), Pat Boone (90), Dion (85), Fabian (82) and Cat Stevens (76).
• That Jalapeno Ranch and Sweet Chili are the newest sauces available at Sonic.
• That Dunkin’ has added a cotton candy-filled doughnut. Yikes.
• That the character of Ashley Wilkes in “Gone With the Wind” was based on author Margaret Mitchell’s cousin — Doc Holliday.
• That Baskin-Robbins’ flavor of the month is Paloma Paradise.

3. For all you baseball lovers out there …

When Milwaukee beat Cincinnati 1-0 on Thursday night, that marked the third straight 1-0 game the Reds had lost. Only twice since the advent of the “live ball era” in MLB (that’s since 1920) has that happened. Ouch.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Speaking of “Seinfeld” in general, and George in particular, my all-time favorite Costanza quote might be the following: “I’m a great quitter. It’s one of the few things I do well. I come from a long line of quitters. My father was a quitter, my grandfather was a quitter… “

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He hates Nazis, as we all should.