One of the elements that makes "Seinfeld" so enjoyable to watch is huge amount of hilarious running gags. For this list, we’ll be looking at the best running gags from the nine seasons of “Seinfeld," whether they be recurring lines, actions, or personality quirks.
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00:00 Who cares about your pants size?
00:01 I don't want to be a 32.
00:03 I'd kill to be a 32.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 funniest Seinfeld running gags.
00:12 So, uh, how come you didn't call Jerry about all this?
00:15 Jerry? I can't talk to Jerry anymore.
00:17 Ever since he moved into that apartment, he's too much...
00:20 like you.
00:22 That's a shame.
00:24 For this list, we're looking at the best running gags from the nine seasons of Seinfeld.
00:29 These can be recurring lines, actions, or personality quirks.
00:33 What's your favorite running gag? Let us know in the comments.
00:36 Hey, Mojoholics! For a chance to win cash prizes,
00:40 play our live daily trivia challenges every day at 3pm and 8pm Eastern,
00:45 only at WatchMojo.com/play.
00:48 No one moves quite like Elaine on the dance floor, and that's probably for the better.
00:58 When throwing a company party, she decides to get things started on the dance floor,
01:02 much to everyone's excitement.
01:04 Who's dancing? Come on, who's dancing?
01:07 You want me to get it started? I'll get it started.
01:09 Yeah, I'll do it.
01:10 That, of course, changes once she breaks out those little kicks.
01:14 No one can quite believe what they're seeing.
01:17 When George tells Jerry about what happened,
01:19 Jerry reveals that he's known about her abilities for some time.
01:23 What, you mean you know about this?
01:24 For some time.
01:25 It was about five years ago.
01:27 [Music]
01:33 This isn't the only time Elaine has busted a move.
01:36 In another instance, while folding laundry and blasting music, she moves her body.
01:40 [Music]
01:47 It's incredibly awkward and cringe-inducing to watch,
01:50 but that's what makes it so memorable.
01:55 It is well known that Jerry Seinfeld is a fan of The Last Son of Krypton,
01:59 and the character is present in one form or another throughout most of the show's episodes.
02:04 References to The Man of Steel brought some hilarious moments.
02:08 In season one, George and Jerry discuss whether or not Superman has a sense of humor.
02:13 I've never heard him say anything really funny.
02:15 But it's common sense.
02:16 He's got super strength, super speed.
02:19 I'm sure he's got super humor.
02:21 I didn't think that, but you know, either you're born with a sense of humor or you're not.
02:25 Ideas from the comics, such as Bizarro World, are further incorporated into the series
02:30 when Elaine encounters opposites of Jerry, George, and Kramer.
02:33 Unlike our main trio, the Bizarro versions are kind and considerate.
02:38 You know, I may not say this enough, but you two are about the best friends a guy could have.
02:43 [Laughs]
02:46 I'd be so happy.
02:48 You want to cry.
02:50 Perhaps the most notable nod to Supes is when Jerry dates a girl named Lois
02:54 and is goaded into racing his arch rival.
02:57 Of course, the Superman theme plays and Jerry is triumphant.
03:01 [Music]
03:07 Maybe one day the pirate look will be in vogue,
03:13 but Jerry wasn't having it when he had to wear a puffy shirt.
03:16 The whole fashion faux pas was the result of Jerry agreeing to wear a shirt
03:20 designed by Kramer's girlfriend Leslie on the Today Show.
03:23 [Laughter]
03:28 The problem is she's a low talker, so Jerry didn't realize what he was agreeing to wear.
03:33 Kramer proclaims Jerry's going to be the first pirate, and he hilariously responds with,
03:38 "But I don't want to be a pirate!"
03:40 His petulant response would come back in other episodes,
03:43 such as when he didn't want to be a cowboy, or when he didn't want to be Switzerland
03:47 for Kramer's and Newman's game of Risk.
03:49 We have to put the board in a neutral place where no one will tamper with it.
03:54 So that's here?
03:55 Yes, yes, you're like Switzerland.
03:57 [Laughter]
03:58 I don't want to be Switzerland.
04:00 Number 17, Bob Saccamano.
04:03 For an unseen character, he certainly has had an impact on the show,
04:07 resulting in hilarious consequences for our main gang.
04:10 We're not quite sure what to make of Bob Saccamano,
04:12 but what we do know is he's apparently Kramer's friend,
04:15 and he leads a bizarre and interesting life.
04:18 [Music]
04:19 Would you please just get on with the stupid Bob Saccamano story?
04:23 Well, I'm on the phone with Bob, and I realize right then and there
04:26 that I need to return this pair of pants, so I'm off to the store.
04:30 What happened to Bob Saccamano?
04:32 Well, nothing. His part of the story is done.
04:34 In one of his early mentions, Kramer receives a bunch of condoms from Saccamano
04:38 that turn out to be defective.
04:40 Unfortunately, George used one prior, resulting in a pregnancy scare.
04:45 Oh, by the way, George, you know those condoms I gave you?
04:47 They're defective. Don't use them.
04:49 [Laughter]
04:56 What? Defective?
04:58 Jerry befriends Saccamano when he and Kramer swap apartments.
05:01 Saccamano at one point sells fake Russian hats in Battery Park
05:05 that end up being poorly made, resulting in Elaine nearly getting fired
05:09 and a Kenny Rogers Roasters shutting down.
05:11 That's not gonna be good for business.
05:13 That's not gonna be good for anybody.
05:16 [Laughter]
05:18 [Music]
05:24 Number 16. Isn't Lupus?
05:27 It's fair to say that George is neurotic,
05:30 and one way this trait is displayed is that he's constantly worried about his health,
05:34 despite not being highly motivated to take care of himself.
05:38 One particular disease he's afraid of contracting is lupus,
05:41 something he's not very likely to get.
05:44 Lupus? Is it lupus?
05:45 In another instance, he thinks he's having a heart attack,
05:48 and he later goes to a healer only to turn purple as a result.
05:52 I'm an eggplant! I'm an eggplant!
05:55 When he's working on the pilot for Jerry,
05:57 he almost has a complete breakdown over a slight discoloration on his lip.
06:01 He loses it when he's told the results of the biopsy are negative,
06:05 despite that being a favorable diagnosis.
06:07 Oh, why, why, why, why?
06:11 What? They think it's good?
06:14 [Laughter]
06:16 Oh, oh, yes, of course. How stupid of me.
06:20 Thank you, thank you very much.
06:22 His overreactions to these situations leave us in stitches.
06:26 Number 15. We're living in a society.
06:29 In a landmark episode for the series,
06:31 Jerry, Elaine, and George find themselves waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant.
06:36 As they wait, George desperately needs to use the payphone to contact his girlfriend, Tatiana.
06:42 You know, it's a public phone. You're not supposed to just chit-chat.
06:45 Jerry, get menus so when we sit down, we'll be able to order right away.
06:49 Can't look at a menu now. I gotta be at the table.
06:52 He knows I'm waiting. He sees me. He just doesn't want to look.
06:55 After patiently waiting for the phone to free up,
06:58 a woman swoops in just before George can get to it.
07:01 His dejected proclamation of how people are supposed to act in society just kills us.
07:05 You know, we're living in a society.
07:08 We're supposed to act in a civilized way.
07:12 This isn't the only time George has hilariously been disillusioned with social order.
07:17 When picking up Jerry at the airport,
07:19 he asks a stranger for the time but is rebuffed,
07:22 causing him to again utter the phrase.
07:24 Let me see the watch.
07:25 Hey! What are you, some kind of nut?
07:29 You know, we're living in a society!
07:32 Number 14 - George's eating habits
07:35 We get it. We love food. But George is on another level.
07:39 We're talking about someone who successfully incorporated food into his lovemaking.
07:44 I see mustard.
07:46 Oh, you are hot tonight!
07:52 Oh, George!
07:54 Of course, that's just one extreme end of the spectrum.
07:57 The way he eats is ravenous and messy.
08:00 What's funny is that George is called out multiple times for his habits.
08:04 At a tennis match, he's caught on camera eating ice cream in the messiest way.
08:08 It's George!
08:10 Holy cow!
08:11 It's a scorcher.
08:12 In another instance, he's insulted by a co-worker for scarfing down shrimp at a meeting,
08:17 spurring him to find the ultimate comeback.
08:20 Hey, George! The ocean called. They're running out of shrimp.
08:24 He's also fine with taking food from the trash,
08:29 although we can't really blame him for not wanting food to go to waste.
08:32 Number 13 - That's a shame.
08:35 For his part, Jerry is pretty even-tempered.
08:39 He can sometimes get excited,
08:41 but he frequently has a nonchalant response to some of the unfortunate situations his friends find themselves in.
08:47 Hey, what is with the Yankees? They look like they're having trouble running. They can't move.
08:52 It's their uniforms. They're too tight. They've shrunk.
08:54 They're running like penguins. Forget this game.
08:57 Oh my God, Mattingly just split his pants.
09:00 That's a shame.
09:03 In one instance, George reveals that his plan to find out if his girlfriend has an eating disorder goes awry,
09:08 and when he tells Jerry, his response is,
09:11 Ah, that's a shame.
09:12 It really highlights Jerry's indifference as a character,
09:15 but also the show's ethos of not displaying any emotional growth or learning moments.
09:20 Even funnier is that this gag extends to other characters who also display the same dismissive behavior.
09:26 What's the deal with decaf? How do they get the caffeine out of there? And then where does it go?
09:31 That's a shame.
09:37 A robust vocabulary is advantageous to have,
09:44 but characters on the show often either misuse or mispronounce words.
09:49 He's like a Svenjali.
09:51 Sven-gali.
09:55 What did I say?
09:56 Svenjali.
09:57 Svenjali? I did not say Svenjali.
10:01 George.
10:02 Svenjali.
10:03 This ends up creating some pretty funny scenarios due to misunderstandings.
10:07 When talking to Jerry, Kramer brings up the term "statue of limitations."
10:11 Jerry corrects him, but he defers to Elaine who's trying to write an IQ test for George.
10:16 Elaine, now you're smart. Is it statue or statute of limitations?
10:21 Statute.
10:23 Oh, I really think you're wrong.
10:25 Perhaps the most iconic moment is George playing trivial pursuit against the Bubble Boy.
10:30 When asked who invaded Spain in the 8th century,
10:33 the Bubble Boy replies "the Moors," but the card reads "moops."
10:37 It doesn't matter. It's Moors. There's no moops.
10:41 It's moops.
10:43 Moors.
10:44 Moops.
10:47 Moors!
10:48 George's insistence that the card is correct leads to escalating conflict,
10:52 and makes the situation even more absurd and has us laughing even harder.
10:57 Truthfully, there's probably no one more dishonest than George Costanza on Seinfeld.
11:06 We don't condone lying, but his neuroticism, deep-seated need to be liked,
11:10 and wanting to control how he's viewed creates some pretty funny situations.
11:15 Have you seen the new addition to the Guggenheim?
11:18 You did that?
11:19 Yep, yep. It didn't take very long either.
11:22 The best example of this is George's constant claim that he's an architect.
11:26 Sometimes it makes sense that he fibs,
11:28 like when he's threatened by the Van Buren boys and says he's a former member to get out of the confrontation.
11:33 It's not the sign.
11:38 It was when I was banging!
11:39 The one thing we'll say is that George is committed to his lies.
11:43 When he tells the Rosses he has a place in the Hamptons when he doesn't,
11:47 he drives them to the end of Long Island when they ask to see it.
11:51 There's no house!
11:53 It's a lie!
11:55 There's no solarium, there's no prickly paint, there's no other solarium.
12:00 We know.
12:02 It's a lie.
12:05 Now that's dedication.
12:07 Jerry! Jerry, my hair's dry, I ruined the picture,
12:12 I know I need another one and I can't get back into the Forbidden City!
12:15 Who is this?
12:17 Jerry!
12:18 Simple yet effective is perhaps the best way to describe this classic running gag
12:22 from everyone's favorite show about nothing.
12:25 The joke worked like this.
12:26 A member of the gang, usually George, would call Jerry in a frenzy,
12:31 making an urgent and highly specific request that only Jerry would understand.
12:35 And he'd reply by asking in a nonchalant manner, "Who is this?"
12:39 Jerry, I'm trapped under my desk. Steinbrenner's in the room, you've got to help me.
12:43 Who is this?
12:45 Jerry!
12:46 The gag works because of the juxtaposition between George's desperate,
12:50 often hysterical behavior and Jerry's cool, calm and collected way of responding to it.
12:56 Of course, sometimes Jerry himself fell prey to the joke,
12:59 but it always worked best when it was George on the other end of the line.
13:02 Yeah, Jerry! The Japanese guys had sake in the hot tub!
13:05 You've got to get them out of the drawers and get them down here
13:07 or I don't have a focus group to sell to pilot the Japanese TV!
13:10 Uncle Leo?
13:12 Jerry!
13:14 Right, alright, I'll wake 'em up.
13:17 You don't want it to be someone you know, and you don't want it to be someone better than you.
13:24 Now, even though the latter's obviously impossible, the former still applies.
13:29 David Putty, often referred to simply as Putty,
13:32 was Elaine's on-again, off-again boyfriend who first popped up in the season six episode
13:36 "The Fusilli Jerry".
13:38 The running gag between these two was that they broke up and got back together so often,
13:42 it became totally meaningless to both of them.
13:45 Of course, they were never really meant to be,
13:47 not with Putty's odd character traits,
13:49 the face-painting anyone,
13:51 or his laissez-faire attitude towards their relationship,
13:53 and Elaine's seemingly never-ending list of turn-offs.
13:56 You sit down, you're disturbing everybody. Sit down!
13:59 Oh yeah, because you're an arranger's fan and you know I'm messing with their heads.
14:02 The highlight of the gag came in season nine,
14:05 when Elaine and Putty broke up, got back together,
14:08 and then broke up again, all on a single flight.
14:11 I mean, look at this, nothing has changed.
14:14 We've been back together two hours, we're having the same problems we had twelve hours ago.
14:18 Oh, tell me about it, I don't know why I ever took you back.
14:21 Hire this man.
14:25 Seinfeld had a knack for incorporating caricatures of real people into the show
14:31 to great comedic effect,
14:33 and fake George Steinbrenner was the crowning achievement.
14:36 Larry David provided Steinbrenner's voice,
14:38 while actors Mitch Mitchell and Lee Baer acted as his physical stand-in,
14:42 though his face was always obscured.
14:44 Oh, that smell. I know that smell.
14:47 It's in the building. Costanza is in the building!
14:50 And he's not in his office!
14:52 He's got the calzone! Costanza!
14:54 The character made his first appearance in season five,
14:57 and had a recurring role until George was traded from the Yankees to Tyler Chicken.
15:02 Fake Steinbrenner was prone to outbursts of emotion,
15:05 bad baseball decisions,
15:07 and for flailing his arms in a ridiculous manner.
15:09 The real George Steinbrenner was a fan of the show,
15:12 and even had a cameo in season seven,
15:15 though it ended up being cut.
15:17 Oh, you know, it was a good prospect, no question about it.
15:19 But my baseball people love Ken Phelps back.
15:21 They kept saying, "Ken Phelps! Ken Phelps!"
15:24 George talking about himself in the third person.
15:27 George is getting upset!
15:29 Such is the way George Costanza spoke at various points throughout Seinfeld.
15:34 He picked up the habit after meeting Jimmy,
15:36 a peculiar man who always referred to himself in the third person.
15:40 Ha ha! Great game!
15:42 Oh, yeah. Jimmy played pretty good.
15:45 George being George decided to try it out for himself.
15:50 George would never do anything like that.
15:52 The gag just works, plain and simple.
15:54 It's easily quotable, and a whole lot of fun to try out on your friends.
15:58 Just don't do it too much,
16:00 'cause nobody likes a guy who only talks about himself.
16:03 It's the Kung Pao. George likes his chicken spicy.
16:06 I can't believe you put your money in that Zentrex.
16:12 You could have invested in my roll-out tie dispenser.
16:15 The physical comedic force that was Cosmo Kramer
16:18 was nothing if not a lovable goof.
16:20 Of course, when he wasn't bursting through doors
16:22 or talking about his many seemingly non-existent friends,
16:26 he was drumming up new and increasingly bizarre business ideas.
16:30 I'm telling you, this pizza idea is really gonna happen.
16:33 From a pizza restaurant where you get to make your own pie
16:36 to the infamous Peterman reality tour,
16:38 Kramer had an ostensibly never-ending list of ways to make money.
16:42 The real Peterman reality bus tour.
16:46 I'm confused.
16:47 Oh, and let's not forget his coffee table book about coffee tables,
16:51 which he almost pulled off in season 5.
16:53 Of course, it did not end well.
16:56 But he's adorable.
16:57 Yeah, he is. He's a nice-looking guy.
16:59 Tell you, Jerry, at that moment,
17:07 I was a marine biologist.
17:09 Throughout Seinfeld, George held numerous jobs,
17:13 this time as a hand model to his years working with the Yankees.
17:17 And yet it's the jobs that he claims to have held,
17:19 but never actually did, that stand out the most.
17:22 George, at various points throughout the series,
17:24 claimed to be an importer-exporter,
17:26 a marine biologist, a latex salesman,
17:29 and an architect.
17:31 Oftentimes, he would also assume the pseudonym Art Vandelez
17:34 when discussing his pretend jobs.
17:36 I don't know.
17:38 He's an importer.
17:39 Importer.
17:40 And exporter.
17:41 Of course, the only thing better than watching George
17:43 fumble through some half-assed line about a job he just made up
17:46 is watching him get fired from his real jobs,
17:48 which happened quite often.
17:50 You know, 'cause I've worked in a lot of offices,
17:53 and I tell you, people do that all the time.
17:56 You're fired.
17:59 No, no thanks. I'm just not hungry.
18:06 Well, then at least drink your beer.
18:08 Achoo!
18:09 Jerry dated a lot of women,
18:13 with the official number listed at 73.
18:16 And yet, he somehow managed to torpedo
18:18 every single relationship he was in.
18:21 This was mainly due to his compulsion for seeking out flaws
18:24 in the women he went out with,
18:25 regardless of how small they might have been.
18:27 Well, you know, we were having dinner the other night,
18:29 and she's got the strangest habit.
18:30 She eats her peas one at a time.
18:33 You've never seen anything like it.
18:35 It takes you like an hour to finish them.
18:37 Jerry broke up with a woman because she ate peas one at a time,
18:40 and broke up with another because she had man hands.
18:44 Neurotic, fickle, and emotionally detached,
18:47 Jerry was not exactly boyfriend material.
18:50 So, where were we?
18:52 I was just leaving.
18:53 Right, you were leaving.
18:55 The physical humor in Seinfeld was always top-notch.
19:01 And while most will point to Kramer
19:03 as the best physical comedian of the bunch,
19:05 it's Elaine's penchant for pushing people in a fit of excitement
19:08 that remains one of the show's most memorable gags.
19:11 What? Whose was it? Where'd you get it?
19:13 I'll tell you where I got it.
19:14 I got it from the guy you so callously refer to as the Soup Nazi.
19:17 Get out!
19:19 While the situations for when she doled out this peculiar push varied,
19:23 it was always followed by the exclamation, "Get out!"
19:27 Elaine was prone to moments of manic behavior,
19:29 but none more enduring than this one.
19:32 Get out!
19:35 Nobody was immune to her physicality,
19:38 as Elaine utilized the signature move on Jerry, Kramer, and George at one point or another.
19:43 George Costanza...
19:46 Yeah?
19:48 Is getting married!
19:51 Get out!
19:53 Number 2.
19:55 Hello, Newman.
19:57 Investigation?
19:59 Hello, Jerry.
20:01 Hello, Newman.
20:03 It had happened every couple of episodes.
20:06 Newman would bump into Jerry, and the two would share the following exchange.
20:10 Both men had their own way of saying hello,
20:12 but the one similarity is that they would both do it in a way
20:15 that expressed their deep-seated hatred for one another.
20:18 Even Jerry's mom addressed Newman with contempt.
20:21 Hello, Mr. Seinfeld.
20:24 Hello, Newman.
20:27 The reason behind their dislike of one another was never revealed,
20:30 but it hardly mattered.
20:33 Hello, Jerry.
20:35 Hello, Newman.
20:36 The pleasure of this gag came from its consistency
20:39 and the fact that Newman was such a dastardly little weasel,
20:42 and Jerry was so utterly offended by his presence.
20:46 And you thought you hated your neighbor.
20:48 Hello, Newman.
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21:05 Who'd have thought that the way Kramer entered Jerry's apartment
21:15 would become the most memorable gag?
21:17 Throughout the show's 180-episode run,
21:20 Kramer found increasingly bonkers ways to fly through his neighbor's door.
21:24 He slid in, he fell in, he came in with his hands full,
21:27 he came in bandages, he came in smoking cigars.
21:30 Hell, once he came through the door holding a still-ongoing game of Risk.
21:34 And every time he did, the audience went nuts.
21:38 You know you have one of the best jokes in sitcom history
21:41 when people are still laughing nine seasons later.
21:44 Just one last thing.
21:45 Did Jerry ever lock his door?
21:47 No, I don't want him.
21:50 I'll take it.
21:52 No, I'll take it. What is it?
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