Top 20 Unscripted Seinfeld Moments

"The Race"

When George sees a communist newspaper called The Daily Worker at Elaine’s apartment, he discovers a personal ad from a woman named Natalie who’s looking for love. The best part? “Appearance not important.” When Natalie calls George while he’s at work at the Yankee Stadium, he does his best to persuade her that he’s a devoted communist. It turns out that Jason Alexander improvised his side of the conversation for this scene. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to see the other takes that didn’t make the final cut. Apparently, whatever George said on the phone was convincing enough for his boss to think that he could go to Cuba to scout new players for the Yankees.

“The Postponement”

For a character like Kramer, his eccentricities often shine through the most subtle actions. This was on full display when the show decided to put its own spin on the 1994 McDonald’s coffee lawsuit. Kramer accidentally spills an entire caffè latte down his pants when he tries to sneak a cup into the movie theater. When he settles with the company for a lifetime supply of coffee, the whole ordeal leads to plenty of repetition of the name of this hot beverage. Listen closely to the weird way that Kramer stresses the syllables in “caffè latte.” This was actually an improvisation by Michael Richards that turned out to be perfectly on brand for Kramer’s offbeat character.

“The Calzone”

In one storyline, George’s boss becomes obsessed with having calzones from Paisano’s for lunch. After George gets banned from the pizzeria, he has no choice but to ask the quirky Kramer to buy the calzones for him. This is predictably when things start to go south. Not only does Kramer ask to have his clothes heated up in the pizza oven, he also insists on paying for the food in loose change. As Kramer ends up in a shouting match with the owner of the pizzeria, Michael Richards launches into a rant in nonsensical, improvised Italian. It just goes to show that when you ask Kramer for a simple favor, something is bound to go wrong.

“The Sniffing Accountant”

“Here’s to feeling good all the time!” When Jerry suspects that his accountant might have a bad habit, Kramer is enlisted to investigate. As he scopes out the accountant at a bar, he tries to play it cool by ordering a beer and lighting a cigarette. No one is prepared for what comes next. Michael Richards manages to chug his entire glass while smoking out of the corner of his mouth. In the first take of this scene, Richards does this on the spot but accidentally lets out a loud burp with a puff of smoke. The audience’s reaction led to a second successful take that made it into the final version of the episode.

“The Bottle Deposit”

During this complex two part episode, Kramer and Newman devise a scheme to make a profit by collecting and depositing bottles. But while in pursuit of Jerry’s stolen car, Kramer ditches Newman at the side of the freeway. The mailman is welcomed into a farmer’s home and is warned to stay away from the daughter in the house. When Newman runs off after getting close with the daughter, the actress evidently forgets his name and accidentally shouts out “Goodbye Norman!” This funny error was embraced by the producers who opted to use the take rather than reshoot it.

“The Junior Mint”

Jerry once started seeing a woman whose name he can’t remember. All he was certain of was that it “rhymed with a part of the female anatomy.” During the live taping of the sitcom, the audience was asked to guess the name of Jerry’s date, and a woman shouted out “Dolores!” When Seinfeld heard about this, it was integrated into the scene on the spot. This was a welcome surprise because the writers had struggled to come up with a believable name for the girlfriend. In another taping with the original name, you can tell that “Chloris” doesn’t get that big of a laugh. Sometimes, the best idea can come from a fan!

“The Couch”

When Jerry gets a brand new couch, it doesn’t take long for something unfortunate to happen to it. In this episode, Kramer’s friend Poppie happens to take a seat on the sofa. Kramer happens to grab a water bottle out of the fridge just as the little accident Poppie left behind on the couch was seen. However, Jerry doesn’t seem to notice his neighbor’s beverage is open. So, he gets a face full of water when he grabs and shakes Kramer by the shoulders. The live audience erupts into laughter as Jerry continues the bit without missing a beat. We’re glad these two seasoned actors held it together so that this version of the scene could end up in the episode.

“The Parking Garage”

The parking garage episode yielded several iconic moments for the series. One of the best centered on heavy appliances. While each of the gang struggle in this race against time, Kramer’s battle with the air conditioner is a feat of physical comedy. Although It wasn’t specified in the script, Michael Richards insisted on carrying a real air conditioner throughout the shoot. In a blooper, Kramer accidentally slips and hits his face on the edge of the box as he drops it into the trunk of the car. You can see Julia Louis-Dreyfus turning her head to hide her laughter as Richards does his best to save the take by staying in character.

“The Little Kicks”

This iconic performance of physical comedy simply could not be communicated on paper! Elaine’s head shaking dance moves never fail to make us smile. Since “full body dry heave set to music” was not specified in the script, Julia Louis-Dreyfus had to come up with her own interpretation of the dance. According to the actress, she practiced a few awkward moves in front of the mirror before showing her mother and husband. They helped her settle on the “little kicks” we know so well. The scene even had to be shot without music because it was too tempting for Louis-Dreyfus to dance along to the rhythm.

“The Robbery”

From his hare-brained schemes to his love for fresh fruit, there’s so much to love about Kramer’s quirkier habits. However, you might be surprised to hear that his iconic entrance into Jerry’s apartment started out as an improvisation. Michael Richards almost missed his cue to enter the apartment in the third episode of the show. So, he accidentally slipped when he opened the door in a rush. When he noticed that it was well received by the audience, he decided to continue doing it. Ever since, viewers have looked forward to Kramer’s appearances in Jerry’s apartment.

“The Jimmy”

Before “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Breaking Bad”, Bryan Cranston had a role on this sitcom as the eccentric dentist Tim Whatley. In the episode “The Jimmy,” Jerry is visibly alarmed when Dr. Whatley takes a huff of nitrous oxide before putting him to sleep. In a recent interview, Cranston told the story of how this hilarious and terrifying move was actually an improvised idea. The actor decided to throw it into a take after hearing a suggestion from a crew member on the show! It just goes to show that if something unscripted is funny enough to impress showrunners Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, it’s bound to make it into the final cut.

“The Implant”

The gang’s shallow obsessions usually get them into trouble. This fact is doubly true when it comes to their romantic interests. In one episode, Teri Hatcher guest stars as Sidra, who dates Jerry after meeting him at their health club. Elaine convinces him that Sidra has implants, which leads to some impolite and inappropriate comments. This built up to a big argument with an extremely memorable ending. According to Hatcher, Larry David would often give lines to the actors off the top of his head before they appeared in front of a live studio audience. When Sidra finally dumps Jerry, she reopens his door to deliver one iconic and impromptu line.

"The Junior Mint"

Usually, the end of a scene is the best time to throw in an extra line and hope for a laugh. In this episode, Elaine visits an ex-boyfriend who’s in the hospital for a splenectomy. This ultimately leads to the famous Junior Mint accident in the operating room. But before the operation, Kramer has to convince a reluctant Jerry to come watch the surgery. Seinfeld finally relents and confirms he’s going with a crude confirmation while he has a mouthful of food. We initially thought this hesitation before the line was scripted. In reality, Jerry’s final line was improvised during rehearsal and added in to put a great button on the scene.

"The Handicap Spot"

In this episode, George illegally parks in a spot for people with physical disabilities. This results in an angry mob surrounding his car while he makes a quick escape. When the gang returns to find George’s vehicle has been wrecked, Seinfeld breaks the silence. "You know? A lot of these scratches will buff right out" His attempt to lighten the mood was surprisingly a spur of the moment choice. A behind-the-scenes interview revealed that there were no lines scripted for the moment they saw the car. Seinfeld was extremely satisfied that the right joke came to him when he needed it.

"The English Patient"

George’s pettiness really knows no bounds. In the later seasons of “Seinfeld,” Jason Alexander often found ways to express the character’s spiteful nature without saying a single word. George demonstrated this perfectly in “The English Patient” episode. He’s dismayed when his new love interest decides against moving in with him and chooses to stay with her hospitalized boyfriend instead. The rival is all too happy to rub this fact in George’s face. As he silently exits the room, Alexander took the chance to add an unscripted action and disconnect the man’s IV line. This impromptu tug perfectly sums up how hilarious and terrible George can be!

“The Pick”

When Elaine decides to let Kramer take her photo for her Christmas cards, something was bound to go wrong. She sends them out to everyone she knows without realizing that a mis-buttoned shirt gave the recipients a little more than they bargained for. Instead of sympathizing with Elaine, George complains about how he didn’t receive a card. She then grabs his head and takes her frustration out on him. According to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the move was invented before anything was filmed in front of a live studio audience. The crowd’s reaction goes to show that this was a perfect addition to the scene.

"The Boyfriend"

George’s elaborate lies get him into trouble in “The Boyfriend” episode. He decides to use Jerry’s phone number as the contact for a fake latex company. Unfortunately, Kramer picks up the phone and immediately starts ruining the scheme. Although George runs from the bathroom in a desperate attempt to stop him, it’s too late. While this hilarious exit was scripted, Jerry’s final response wasn’t. Upon finding George on the floor the comedian says: "And you want to be my latex salesman". Just when you thought nothing could be funnier than seeing George run around with his pants around his ankles, Jerry stole the show.

"The Contest"

During this beloved episode about the gang’s willpower, everyone is thoroughly challenged to remain “masters of their domain”. When George visits his mother in the hospital, he becomes distracted by an attractive patient receiving a sponge bath behind the curtain. This makes him completely downplay his mother Estelle’s complaints about the food. In one unscripted and perfectly-timed toss, George offers a box of Tic Tacs as he continues to ignore her. This was actually Estelle Harris’ first appearance as George’s mother. So, the actress understandably got the giggles after Jason Alexander improvised this little action in the first attempt at this take.

“The Parking Garage”

We weren’t expecting so much hilarity from a story where the gang gets hopelessly lost in the parking garage of a New Jersey mall and can’t find their car. The complex stage set and the long hours of filming meant that a lot was riding on this episode to succeed. Luckily, the perfect ending to this adventure occurred completely by chance. In the original script, the gang is supposed to drive away after they finally find the car. When Michael Richards gets into the driver’s seat, the vehicle stalls when he attempts to start it. The other actors can even be seen laughing uncontrollably in the car. Their real reactions made for an accidental ending that was just too good to omit from the episode.

“The Apartment”

Who would have guessed that one of Elaine’s classic moves was originally unscripted? According to an old college classmate, the big push was something that Julia Louis-Dreyfus actually did in real life. The first time the actress pulled this move in the sitcom was in the episode “The Apartment”. When Jerry finds Elaine a cheap rental in his building, she expresses her excitement with her iconic shove. It prompted such a great reaction from the audience that it became a staple of her personality. It’s impossible to think of Elaine without picturing the shove now. This aggressive move is the perfect expression of her passion and impulsiveness!