Seinfeld: The 5 Most (& 5 Least) Realistic Storylines

While some sitcoms have totally wild premises, like aliens living as humans on 3rd Rock From The Sun, Seinfeld was always known for being logical and rooted in the mundane. It’s true that sometimes the characters would let tiny things make them miserable, but everyone gets down about that stuff, so it was always relatable.

It’s interesting to think about which actors would play the characters if the show was made in 2020, and it seems likely that if a modern Seinfeld was made, some plots would have been deemed too silly to air. Other storylines, however, seemed like they really could happen.

Most Realistic: The Gang Doesn’t Get A Table

The season 2 episode “The Chinese Restaurant” is iconic and it’s also a storyline that makes a lot of sense.

Not getting a table at a restaurant is something that could totally happen in real life. Many people have probably had a similar experience where they have stood in line for hours and the restaurant was so busy that there was nothing available. Or the restaurant was so chaotic and the staff just totally ignored their party, so they had to find another option. The joke at the end is perfect, as the gang’s table is ready as soon as they have already given up and walked out of the place.

Most Unrealistic: Jerry Can’t Recall The Name Of His Date

In the fourth season episode “The Junior Mint,” Jerry just can’t recall the name of his date. It turns out that they’ve been on enough dates that he’s past the accepted point of asking her what it is.

Jerry can be a terrible friend and he can have trouble committing, but it’s hard to believe that someone would actually forget the first name of someone they were seeing. It’s a bit more realistic to forget their last name (or not even know their last name for a little while), but it’s really weird and disrespectful to have no idea what they’re called.

Most Realistic: The Gang Gets Delayed And Is Super Late To A Party

The season 5 episode “The Dinner Party” is super realistic. When the characters are invited to a dinner party, they plan to buy some cake and alcohol before showing up. It seems easy enough: they’ll stop at a few places and then head over.

Of course, the best-laid plans don’t always work out, and the gang gets stuck in line. Things get worse for Kramer and George as for some reason, they can’t pay for the wine with anything but a $100 bill. More chaos ensues and the whole night becomes a disaster. Many people have had the experience of their day or evening getting away from them, as anything and everything seemed to go wrong at once.

Most Unrealistic: Kramer Puts Blood In Jerry’s Car

The ninth season episode “The Blood” has a really unrealistic storyline, as there’s a really strange and confusing storyline involving Jerry and blood.

Jerry cuts himself and loses some blood, and he ends up getting both Kramer and Newman’s blood at various times throughout the episode. This would be weird enough, but then Kramer puts blood in the radiator of the car. No one would actually do this.

Most Realistic: Jerry’s Jacket Gets Ruined

In the second season episode “The Jacket,” Jerry treats himself to a beautiful jacket. The only problem? It’s snowing… and he wants to wear it inside out so he doesn’t ruin the material.

Unfortunately, the lining is pink striped, and Elaine’s dad doesn’t think that he should do that. Jerry’s jacket ends up getting totally ruined and it’s very sad. This is realistic, as everyone has bought an item of clothing that they loved and then lost it, or maybe they put it in the dryer by accident and it became unwearable. It’s also realistic that Jerry would be influenced by someone else and not want to look silly.

Most Unrealistic: Kramer Uses Butter To Shave

While Kramer keeps fans laughing, he makes a silly choice in the season 9 opener “The Butter Shave.”

He actually uses butter to shave and it’s so weird to watch. He puts it everywhere and then essentially gets incredibly sunburned when he takes an accidental nap in the sun. It doesn’t seem like butter is a good idea to shave with, let alone use instead of sunscreen, so this was very unrealistic.

Most Realistic: Elaine Laughs At The Wrong Time

The third season episode “The Pez Dispenser” is incredibly relatable. Elaine and the gang attend a piano recital by George’s girlfriend Noel, and when Jerry has one of those candy dispensers, Elaine can’t help but laugh. It’s the exact wrong time and Noel messes up her performance as a result.

This is a moment when fans sympathize with Elaine as who hasn’t done something like this? Sometimes it’s impossible to stop giggling.

Most Unrealistic: The Gang Ending Up On Trial In The Finale

Not many Seinfeld fans love the series finale and it really doesn’t seem like something that could actually happen.

The gang ends up on trial for not following the “Good Samaritan Law” and for essentially being horrible people. Various characters show up and mention how the characters wronged them. This makes no sense and was not only a bad way to end the show, but it was a very confusing storyline overall.

Most Realistic: Elaine Hates Her Travel Experience

In the fourth season episode “The Airport,” Elaine has to fly in coach and Jerry gets to travel first class. The difference is stark as Elaine couldn’t possibly have a worse time.

Elaine’s character can be confusing but this is one of the times when she makes a lot of sense. Who hasn’t had a terrible experience while flying? Depending on how long the flight is and whether someone gets a window or aisle seat, the whole trip can be a disaster. Everyone can relate to Elaine here, as all she wants to do is get to her destination.

Most Unrealistic: Susan Dies By Licking An Envelope

It’s true that Susan wasn’t popular, and yet having her die via an envelope is a very unrealistic storyline.

If Susan was going to pass away, couldn’t she have died any other way? Instead of being hilarious, this hit a wrong and strange note. It doesn’t seem possible to actually die by doing this. Maybe she would have gotten sick or ended up at the hospital.