15 Seinfeld Episodes To Skip On A Rewatch

More than two decades after its series finale aired, “Seinfeld” still reigns as one of the best comedy shows of all time. Running for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998, the series chronicled the fictional adventures of stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, often from his home in Manhattan. Despite ostensibly being a show about nothing, the series put Jerry and his friends in plenty of compromising and awkward social situations to hilarious effect. And while most “Seinfeld” episodes still hold up today, there are certainly some that don’t measure up to the classics.

For those looking to revisit “Seinfeld” (or get into it for the first time), there are definitely a handful of episodes that can be skipped. Here are 15 “Seinfeld” episodes to skip on a rewatch that even completionists should consider leaving out.

Given the show’s shaky start, it’s a miracle “Seinfeld” was renewed, let alone survived long enough to become such a tremendous success. Under the show’s originally pitched title, “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” the series pilot has Jerry unsure if a visiting acquaintance, Laura (Pamela Brull), is romantically interested in him. Jerry and his best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), overthink the signs that Laura intends for an amorous reunion. Jerry also gets advice from his neighbor Kessler, played by Michael Richards, before the character was renamed Cosmo Kramer.

Test audiences reportedly hated the pilot, and looking back at “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” it’s easy to see why. Not only is the episode completely unrecognizable from the rest of the series that would follow, but it’s also just not very funny. Jerry and George’s observational repartee is present, but the whole thing just feels off, right down to the overall aesthetics of the show. Given how much of a departure the episode is, just stick with starting with the series’ second episode instead.

Though still tonally uneven, by the end of its shortened first season, “Seinfeld” had started to take shape as the show we know today. That said, its fourth episode, “Male Unbonding,” is the weakest since the series premiere and another installment that can be skipped. The episode has Jerry try to separate from a childhood friend, Joel Horneck (Kevin Dunn), who has since become annoying and clingy. When his initial separation attempt is received poorly, Jerry finds himself running out of excuses to continually avoid hanging out with Joel.

While it’s nice to see the beginnings of Kramer’s usual get-rich-quick schemes and George’s growing relationship neuroses, “Male Bonding” falls flat overall. Jerry’s attempts to end his friendship with Joel are more painfully awkward than humorous and drawn out for the entire episode. The show also hasn’t yet figured out how to incorporate Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), though this would be rectified by Season 2. An episode that sticks out like a sore thumb for not even getting its episode-naming trend down, “Male Unbonding” is another early misfire for the series.

The gang has never been noble when it comes to securing romantic interests. However, the Season 3 episode “The Suicide” reaches a new low. After Jerry’s intimidating neighbor, Martin (C.E. Grimes), is dumped by his girlfriend, Gina (Gina Gallego), he attempts suicide and falls into a coma. Gina immediately expresses her romantic attraction to Jerry, who is uncomfortable with dating someone whose former partner is still in a precarious medical condition. Separately, George begins consulting a psychic (Mimi Lieber), increasingly convinced that he is facing an imminent catastrophe.

To its credit, “The Suicide” does introduce Wayne Knight as Seinfeld’s conniving neighbor Newman, who would become a recurring character throughout the series. But apart from this fan-favorite character’s debut, the episode just rings hollow across both its main plot lines. George may always be paranoid, but becoming obsessed with psychic readings feels a step too removed from his character. And though Jerry’s trepidation in dating Gina is understandable, the entire setup feels overly forced right from the start.

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Jerry and George both find themselves caught up in particularly miserable romantic scenarios in Season 3’s “The Good Samaritan.” Jerry confronts a hit-and-run driver (Melinda McGraw), only to drop the moral high ground and begin dating her when he discovers that she’s an attractive woman named Angela. This is paralleled by George stumbling into an adulterous affair by blessing a married woman, Robin (Ann Talman), when she sneezes. As Jerry realizes just how misanthropic Angela is, Elaine leaks George’s illicit affair with Robin to the latter’s husband.

There is a subtly misogynistic undercurrent throughout “The Good Samaritan,” with a theme suggesting women cannot be trusted. Angela quickly proves to be an emasculating, hostile force, Robin seduces a hapless George, and even Elaine can’t keep a secret by the episode’s ending. While this might be overthinking things, it doesn’t help that the episode itself isn’t all that funny to begin with. Coupled with a transparently forced catchphrase that receives the muted response it deserves, “The Good Samaritan” is an awkwardly conceived Season 3 entry.

So much of the recurring humor for Kramer is how much he misses common social cues, including repeatedly barging into Jerry’s apartment unannounced. This reaches a breaking point in the third season finale “The Keys,” with Jerry finally demanding that Kramer relinquish the keys to his apartment. The rupture in trust and privilege puts Kramer into an existential tailspin, prompting him to abruptly relocate to Los Angeles to live out his dream of becoming an actor. Kramer’s absence is acutely felt, especially by Jerry, who realizes how much he took his friend and neighbor for granted.

It’s always a bad idea whenever a sitcom takes two characters that are usually friendly and suddenly pits them against each other. That remains true for “The Keys,” even as Jerry and Kramer try to backpedal on the sharp change in their usual dynamic. What makes the narrative decision all the more puzzling is that it technically takes three episodes for this conundrum to be resolved. Representing an odd chapter in Jerry and Kramer’s ongoing friendship, “The Keys” ends Season 3 on an uncertain cliffhanger that isn’t as intriguing as it sets itself up to be.

The fourth season premiere, “The Trip,” was the first double-sized episode in “Seinfeld” history, later airing in two parts for subsequent broadcasts. Picking up from the preceding episode, “The Trip” follows Jerry and George as they travel to Los Angeles to find Kramer as his acting career begins to stall. The duo’s visit also comes as the City of Angels is terrorized by a serial killer, with Kramer inadvertently becoming the prime suspect. Shocked by this development, Jerry and George set out to prove Kramer’s innocence and reconcile with their missing friend.

“Seinfeld” is noticeably more hit-or-miss the longer it spends outside of New York City. “The Trip” underscores that distinction, along with the conspicuous absence of Elaine in the entire two-parter, with her presence sorely missed. More annoying is that Kramer returns to Manhattan like nothing happened at all, making the whole departure completely pointless. A change in scenery that proved “Seinfeld” can’t really work on the road, “The Trip” overstays its welcome.

By the fifth season, “Seinfeld” was really hitting its stride, but still had some notable misses moving forward. This includes “The Cigar Store Indian,” which revolves around Jerry buying a large wood-carved Native American figure for Elaine as a gift. This head-scratching development is compounded by Jerry’s obliviousness that his current girlfriend, Winona (Kimberly Norris), is Native American herself. Jerry does his best not to further offend Winona, which has him dancing around racially insensitive jokes and common phrases before failing hopelessly in the episode’s conclusion.

To put it mildly, “The Cigar Store Indian” is a “Seinfeld” episode that has aged poorly, though it also felt dead on arrival in 1993. The episode does introduce Kramer’s idea to write a coffee table book about coffee tables, but this gag doesn’t overcome the rest of the proceedings’ faults. Even the episode’s inciting premise, of Jerry gifting Elaine an insensitive figure and joking about it, just feels like a forced concept. There are moments when “Seinfeld” boldly pushed the comedic envelope on network television, but “The Cigar Store Indian” is not one of these occasions.

Another instance of “Seinfeld” trying and failing to build an episode around insensitive racial stereotypes is the Season 6 installment “The Chinese Woman.” Jerry goes on a blind date with a woman named Donna Chang (Angela Dohrmann), convinced she’s of Chinese descent because of her surname. To his surprise, Donna is not of East Asian descent at all, but rather a Caucasian woman whose family shortened their name to Chang when they immigrated to America. Despite this misunderstanding, Donna repeatedly demonstrates numerous Chinese cultural stereotypes, which only furthers people’s mistaken assumptions about her ethnicity.

“Seinfeld” could never quite get its concerted efforts at racial humor to work, lacking the sophistication to outmaneuver the associated insensitivities. “The Chinese Woman” is another clear example of this, stumbling on its one-note joke throughout the episode. Kramer’s subplot, regarding his decision to forgo wearing underpants to avoid infertility, is the much more effective storyline.

The very first “Seinfeld” episode not to begin with a stand-up routine is the sixth season two-parter “The Highlights of 100.” Originally broadcast as a double-sized airing, this installment commemorates the series reaching 100 episodes by editing together highlights from preceding episodes. Jerry briefly introduces the clip show in a new scene, with the second part in subsequent broadcasts also containing its own introductory scene. The sequences of clips are grouped thematically, including memorable catchphrases and the core group’s failed attempts at romance.

While it may seem like a no-brainer to skip a clip show from “Seinfeld” rewatches, the episode is included in most home video and broadcast syndication packages. “The Highlights of 100” isn’t poorly constructed, but it does feel wholly superfluous, especially for those revisiting the series already. The episode isn’t even the best clip show that “Seinfeld” assembled, with that particular entry coming later on this list. An extended and unnecessary trip down memory lane, “The Highlights of 100” lacks the wider episodic context that made these noteworthy moments endure so well.

Some of the most memorable “Seinfeld” episodes were when the show leaned into the particularly bizarre, usually through Kramer’s hare-brained schemes. Not every wacky deviation worked out, unfortunately, including the titular premise behind the Season 8 episode “The Van Buren Boys.” The episode has a street gang inspired by the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, prowling the streets of Manhattan. As Kramer and George each have their own separate run-ins with the gang, Elaine ghostwrites the memoir of her boss, J. Peterman (John O’Hurley).

The concept of a presidentially inspired street gang terrorizing Manhattan feels like it belongs on a completely different show. Seeing how petty George can get with the handling of the Susan Ross Foundation is funny, but it’s abruptly derailed by the episode’s titular gang. Similarly, while O’Hurley is always a scene-stealing delight as Peterman, there just isn’t a lot for him to do this time around. An all-around strange departure for “Seinfeld,” “The Van Buren Boys” feels like it could’ve used a solid rewrite.

Though Jerry Seinfeld was offered $5 million for more “Seinfeld” beyond its ninth season, it’s clear the show was running out of creative juice. The show’s final season was one of its weakest, and episodes like “The Blood” exemplify that diminished quality. The episode has Kramer storing deposits of his own blood after the blood bank begins increasing its storage fees. This comes in handy when Jerry needs an emergency blood transfusion after a gruesome accident, but it leads to changes in Jerry’s relationship dynamics with Kramer after his life is saved.

Kramer may have always been a weird guy, but the idea of him storing pints of his own blood in his apartment refrigerator seems especially odd, even for him. The episode’s subplot of George deciding to mix eating while engaging in sexual intercourse is similarly grosser than his usual antics. The episode does mark the final television appearance of Lloyd Bridges as elderly fitness fanatic Izzy Mandelbaum, but even that feels forced. “Seinfeld” Season 9 would have some definite highlights, but “The Blood” is not one of them.

In looking for a way to keep things creatively fresh nine seasons in, “Seinfeld” changed up its usual storytelling structure for the episode “The Betrayal.” Every scene in the episode is sequenced in reverse chronological order, gradually revealing a multi-layered betrayal between Jerry and his friends. Bringing the group together is a wedding in India for Elaine’s longtime rival, Sue Ellen (Brenda Strong), where tensions and shocking revelations come to a head. This is paralleled by Kramer trying to undo being on the receiving end of a malicious birthday wish, doing whatever he can to give himself good luck.

While it’s always refreshing to see a long-running show take some chances, “The Betrayal” just doesn’t click in its execution. Even if the episode was played in its proper chronological order, the story would be one of the series’ more forgettable installments. The only standout scene in the whole episode is a brief moment where Kramer’s original pilot name is cleverly retconned.

After Jerry’s parents, Morty (Barney Martin) and Helen (Liz Sheridan), relocated to the Florida retirement community of Del Boca Vista, the gang semi-regularly visited them. The last such visit is also the worst, in the Season 9 episode “The Wizard,” with Kramer attempting to move into the community. Morty tries to manipulate Kramer into running for president of the condo association so he can lead the community from the shadows. Back in New York, Elaine is unsure about the ethnicity of her new boyfriend, Darryl (Samuel Bliss Cooper), leading to awkward assumptions and misunderstandings.

To belabor a previously established point, “Seinfeld” was consistently clumsy in how it handled racial jokes, and that remains the case here. To its credit, the Elaine/Darryl storyline tries to subvert this expectation with another layer of mistaken assumption by the ending, but still doesn’t quite stick the landing. Meanwhile, the main story regarding Kramer’s electoral campaign to lead a senior citizen community isn’t ever as funny as the attention that’s lauded on it suggests. Another late-series dud, “The Wizard” never fully coalesces like it should, especially with Kramer’s interactions with Morty and his neighbors.

The last fully scripted episode before the series finale, “The Puerto Rican Day” is one of the worst “Seinfeld” episodes ever. The episode revolves around Jerry and the gang trying to make it back to his apartment in Manhattan after leaving a Mets game early. After getting caught up in traffic linked to a Puerto Rican parade in the city, the four separate to find their own way back. This includes Kramer accidentally setting a Puerto Rican flag on fire, which understandably incurs the wrath of the parade.

After its initial broadcast, “The Puerto Rican Day” proved so controversial that NBC banned it from airing again. The sight of Kramer burning a Puerto Rican flag for a cheap gag spurred enough backlash that it overshadowed the rest of the episode. The rest of this particular outing is relatively unspectacular, with even its largely outdoor setting failing to stand out from the rest of the season. “The Puerto Rican Day” is a sour note toward the tail end of the series, best omitted just like it was from subsequent television reruns.

As regrettable as the “Seinfeld” series finale turned out, the two-part penultimate episode, “The Chronicle,” can also be skipped. Apart from brief wraparounds of Jerry breaking the fourth wall to address the audience and reflect on nine seasons of television, the episode is another clip show. Originally broadcast as a double-sized installment, the montage also includes a quick gag reel and behind-the-scenes imagery.

“The Chronicle” is admittedly much better than “The Highlights of 100,” if only because it feels more earned, and there’s the memorable inclusion of Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” to offer a sentimental recap. You could do a lot worse as far as clip shows go, but “The Chronicle” still never feels like a must-watch.