Season 4 of Seinfeld is my favorite season of any show ever. It serves as the transition between trendy cult fun and mainstream breakout sensation. Its where words and phrases such as moops, Delores, and they’re real and they’re spectacular originated.
It’s the first season of the series with an arc – perhaps the most meta in television history as Jerry and George (the characters) write a sitcom based on Jerry (the character) and his life and associates. It mimics the way Larry David and Jerry (the real guy) came up with the idea for A Show about Nothing.
The intricate writing and various character sub-plots are a night and day contrast to the simplicity of the earlier seasons. They know what’s funny, and how to fully exploit the individual fibers of each and every character without going too far.
There are still some less than perfect episodes found in Season 4. The season officially opens with Kramer in LA – a two-parter which is a continuation of the end of Season 3 and a pair of bottom feeder episodes. There are some other clunkers – The Old Man is mediocre. The Shoes is sorta meh. And I actually hate The Smelly Car. It’s a late run episode and feels better off in season 2 or 3.
The Jerry arc begins with The Pitch. We are introduced to new and integral characters including Susan Ross and Russell Dalrymple. We meet Crazy Joe Davola. And thankfully, Newman is here to stay.
Season 4 reinforces the strength of the bench players. In The Wallet we see Jerry’s parents in a standalone scene – with Morty officially becoming my own father with his tirade in the doctor’s office. We also (finally) meet George’s parents, played flawlessly by Estelle Harris and the incomparable Jerry Stiller.
Episode 11 – The Contest – is widely regarded as the greatest episode of television of all time. It brought us the phrase Master of your Domain and touched on a taboo topic – not the first for the show.
We get our first chaos episodes where the gang is scattered about. The Movie brings fake film titles that are more popular than actual ones. And The Airport with one of my favorite quotes – Listen to the bell Grossbard it tolls for thee.
And so many classics.
The Bubble Boy, The Cheever Letters (which should be The Panty Remark), The opera, The Virgin, The Pick (another Christmas episode), and The Junior Mint. Babu returns in The Visa, and George delivers an amazing monologue detailing his depravity. The Outing was one of my first favorite episodes and remains that was to this day. The Implant features Terri Hatcher, Sal Bass, the double dipper, and a classic ending line.
Jerry Seinfeld celebrates his 69th birthday today. Happy birthday Jerry! What’s the deal with birthdays…
Seinfeld is available to stream on Netflix
