Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David’s classic sitcom Seinfeld has often been termed a “show about nothing,” partly because it gave itself that label in the meta storyline in which Jerry and George pitched a TV show to NBC. But the show’s creators have often rejected the “show about nothing” label, saying that it was just a joke for that episode and that the opposite is true of the series itself. Some episodes really are about “nothing,” which is to say, the minutiae of daily life. But others have focused on bigger issues and themes. So, here are 5 Seinfeld Episodes About Nothing (& 5 Episodes That Actually Addressed Something Real).
About nothing: "The Chinese Restaurant"
Network executives desperately tried to pull the plug on the Season 2 episode “The Chinese Restaurant,” because they thought that viewers would tune out immediately. It was a whole episode of Jerry, Elaine, and George waiting for a table in a Chinese restaurant. It might be a mundane bottle episode on the surface, but that’s the genius of it. Every character has something going on: Jerry has recognized someone who will tell his family he lied about making plans; Elaine is at the end of a fast, so she’s starving; and George’s relationship is on the fritz and he’s waiting for a call from his girlfriend.
About something: "The Outing" (homophobia)
Jerry Seinfeld was unsure about Larry Charles’ idea for the episode “The Outing,” in which Jerry is mistakenly outed as gay by the media, because he thought it would be too risqué to be funny. But Charles kept using the phrase, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” when he was describing the plot to Seinfeld, and Seinfeld realized that if that phrase was peppered throughout the episode, it could work as an episode about political correctness. In “The Outing,” Jerry and George hilariously skirt around being alarmed that they’ve been reported in the news as gay and trying to be open-minded with regards to sexuality.
About nothing: "The Seven"
In the Season 7 episode “The Seven,” George makes up a baby name, Seven (inspired by his hero Mickey Mantle’s number), that his fiancée Susan doesn’t like. Meanwhile, Susan’s pregnant cousin decides that she does like the name and uses it for her own baby. In the B-plot, Jerry’s new girlfriend wears the same outfit every time he sees her, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. He and George discuss the logistics of laundry cycles at great length. It’s relatable, with enough funny ideas to remain compelling, but the central conflict is hardly a high-stakes situation.
About something: "The Wizard" (racism)
The writers of Seinfeld had long wanted to do an episode addressing racial issues, but as a predominantly white creative team, it didn’t seem like their place to comment. Then, they realized there was humor in white people’s uncomfortableness when discussing racial topics, and made that the subject of the episode “The Wizard.”
In the episode, Elaine starts dating a guy and she’s unsure if he’s black. The Caucasian characters of Seinfeld feel very awkward and out-of-their-depth when talking about race. Whenever Jerry, George, and Elaine start to feel guilty about a discussion of racial issues, they generously tip their African-American waitress to overcompensate.
About nothing: "The Dinner Party"
The setup of “The Dinner Party” is delightfully simplistic. The characters are attending a dinner party — Jerry and Elaine go to a bakery to buy a chocolate babka and George and Kramer go to a liquor store to get a bottle of wine — and they face so many complications along the way that by the time they have the cake and the wine, going to a dinner party is the last thing they want to do. Jerry and Elaine are a great duo, and the clash of worldviews in George and Kramer always leads to hysterical character moments between them.
About something: "The Pitch" (metafiction)
Ironically, the Season 4 episode “The Pitch,” the one that the “show about nothing” label came from, is one of the most meaningful episodes of the show. When Jerry and George, the TV mirror versions of series co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, pitched a sitcom to NBC that is more or less identical to the sitcom it was actually featured on, Seinfeld became a work of metafiction. It was a commentary on its own genre, its own reputation, and its own place in the media landscape. This paved the way for self-aware sitcoms like 30 Rock, It’s Always Sunny, and David’s own Curb Your Enthusiasm.
About nothing: "The Parking Space"
We all know the frustration of someone sniping a parking space at the last second. Like George, you’re about to back into a space, and then some flyboy swoops in and takes it. But it’s hardly a landmark event. As George and his competitor argued over a parking space, each half-parked in it, Seinfeld was proudly wearing its “show about nothing” badge. And that doesn’t necessarily have to be a derogatory thing. It’s great that the show focuses on minute details of everyday life. This tiny irritation from daily life was blown up into a half-hour storyline for brilliant comic effect.
About something: "The Couch" (abortion and women’s rights)
Elaine passionately inspired a city-wide pro-choice movement in the episode “The Couch.” She denounced Poppie’s restaurant when he expressed his pro-life views, and a few people in the restaurant who overheard the altercation joined her in storming out. Jerry tests Elaine’s refusal to associate with pro-lifers by wondering about her new boyfriend.
Elaine is annoyed to discover that the burly hunk she’s just hooked up with wants to overthrow Roe v. Wade. Naturally, she breaks up with him. In this episode, Elaine rigorously defends a woman’s right to choose, and a so-called “show about nothing” would never carry such an important message.
About nothing: "The Parking Garage"
For the whole half-hour runtime of “The Parking Garage,” Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer wander around the parking garage of a mall in New Jersey, looking for their car. At the end, they finally find the car, get in, and it won’t start. (This was unscripted — the car actually didn’t start when Michael Richards tried it, and the producers realized it was the perfect ending for the episode.) The episode has been read as a metaphor for hell, as the characters are stuck in this mind-numbingly mundane setting for eternity. There’s no escape. It’s pretty dark. But even with this reading, it’s an episode that’s essentially about nothing.
About something: "The Contest" (censorship)
Often named the best Seinfeld episode of all — and the greatest television episode ever made, by some publications — “The Contest” starts off with a surprisingly raunchy setup: the characters each put down some money to take part in a contest to see who can go the longest without masturbating. The brilliant thing about Larry David’s Emmy-winning script is that every single scene revolves around the subject of masturbation — and it’s as clear as day — but it only alludes to it with euphemisms and social behavior. The word “masturbation” and its derivatives are never actually used throughout the episode. Seinfeld boldly slipped “The Contest” past the censors.