It’s impossible to watch an episode of Seinfeld and not do two things: 1) laugh uncontrollably and 2) think, “This is totally me.” The sitcom, which ran from 1989 until 1998 on NBC, has definitely aged pretty well. Sure, there are bad hairdos and super dated clothing, but that’s par for the course for any show in the ’90s, so we can ignore — or even appreciate — those fashion faux-pas.
Even though it’s 2017 and we’ve got a ton of things that didn’t exist back in the world of Jerry and his BFFs, like Uber, Tinder, and avocados (okay, avocados existed but no one obsessed over them), we don’t care. We can relate 100 percent and we’ll always love this amazing show. Check out the gallery to find out 16 times that Seinfeld was our life.
1. Every time Elaine dumped a guy for a silly reason
We probably think that we’re the worst when it comes to finding tiny things that a guy says or does that are total deal breakers. Or maybe we think that way about our best friend. Elaine was the MVP of ridiculous reasons to dump guys. In the season five episode “The Sniffing Accountant,” Elaine was super surprised to learn that her current beau wrote down a phone message without an exclamation point. Yup, we’ve all done things like that. Our friends think we’re crazy and they don’t get why we can’t see beyond it and keep seeing the guy, but to us, it’s too late.
2. Every time George felt like a loser
George is one of the best TV characters ever because he’s basically a big mess. He’s self-deprecating (in the most hilarious way), he’s insecure, and he doesn’t know how to talk to women, let alone be in a serious relationship. He pretty much feels like a loser on a regular basis… and while we might not always admit it to our closest friends, we sometimes go down that road as well. The most relatable moment is when he says to Jerry in the season two episode “The Apartment” that he is “Lord of the idiots.” We’ve all thought that at least once before in our lives (if not more than that).
3. When George and Jerry have long conversations about dating
Whether we’re single or in a relationship, we definitely talk to our friends about our love lives. It’s hard not to. We want their advice or just want to share something super adorable that the object of our affection has done. George and Jerry also talk about dating… and, boy, do they talk. They could spend hours sitting in the infamous diner, chatting about how they should approach the woman that they’ve got a thing for or when the right time is to break up with someone. That’s totally us, every single time, although we might not be quite as funny as those two are.
4. When Elaine and Jerry were at the most boring party ever
One of the greatest Seinfeld episodes is “The Stranded” from season three. Jerry and Elaine go to the worst party in the world and can’t wait to leave. They create a secret code so the other one knows when they’re ready to head out of there.
How many times has this been us? While we might not have physically stood in the middle of a party and tugged on our ear to signal to our friend that we’re super bored, we’ve gone to lots of dull events and carefully planned signals to depart at the right time.
5. When Elaine and Jerry decide to date since they’re good friends
Some Seinfeld fans probably ship Jerry and Elaine to this day, whereas others think that hooking up was a huge mistake for them. It makes sense that they figure they should try to date since they had been good friends for such a long time.
It’s a classic question, made popular by the Nora Ephron classic When Harry Met Sally: can a girl and a guy ever be friends? We’ve probably had a crush on a guy friend at least once before.
6. When the gang has the worst luck ever
Remember when Jerry and his pals forgot where they parked their car at the mall in season three’s “The Parking Garage”? Or when Jerry is stuck listening to an annoying comic’s jokes in season four’s “The Movies”? Jerry and his friends have the worst luck and something bad happens to them in pretty much every single episode. We know all too well that those Murphy’s Law moments where everything that can go wrong does happen all too frequently. Thankfully, we have Seinfeld to get us through and make us feel less alone.
7. When the characters can’t let anything go, no matter how small and insignificant
Call Jerry and George and Elaine petty. Call them neurotic. Or call them super stubborn. It’s probably a mix of all three… and that’s exactly why we love them so much. The best example is the sixth season episode “The Big Salad” about – you guessed it – a super large salad. Even though George buys Elaine “the big salad” from their go-to restaurant, Monk’s, his current love interest Julie physically gives Elaine the food. Elaine says thanks and George freaks out, totally annoyed that he wasn’t being thanked for being the one who actually bought the salad. Yup, it’s petty AF, and it’s a super small thing. But George just can’t let it go. We’ve done that a million times before and our friends have just shaken their heads at us, wondering why we can’t just move on.
8. When they had to wait forever to get a table at a restaurant
Oh, “The Chinese Restaurant.” This season two episode is a classic and literally involves the gang waiting… and waiting… and waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant. It’s the best example of why this is a “show about nothing” and why it’s still one of the most hilarious and smartest shows ever. Who hasn’t been starving AF and yet still had to wait for a table? The 2017 equivalent would probably be waiting in line at the best brunch restaurant in town. We know that we won’t get seated for like, five hours, but hey, we’re optimists and the food is just that good.
9. When they eat a ton of so-called healthy food but gain weight
It was pretty amazing when Elaine and the gang eat their weight in frozen yogurt, thinking that because it’s fat-free, they aren’t going to see any negative effects. But then… Elaine puts on several pounds in a super short amount of time and the jig is up. Turns out, fat-free doesn’t mean you won’t get fat from it. Oops.
We’ve definitely eaten more than our fair share of so-called healthy foods — like avocado and almond butter and gluten-free products just to realize that they’re higher in calories and therefore, still pose a risk to our physiques.
10. When they go to a brunch someone is hosting to watch people run a marathon
Because we wouldn’t sign up to run a marathon, nor would we risk the earthly elements by standing on the side of the road to watch contestants participate in said-marathon. So going to someone’s brunch just to get a view of the street seems like a perfectly respectable reason to leave the house on a lazy Sunday.
11. When George is too embarrassed to ask if he’s actually been hired and goes to work anyway
Job interviews are stressful AF. It’s tough to know what to say and if we’re acting super stupid. So it’s no wonder that when George has a job interview in the fifth season episode “The Barber,” he doesn’t actually have a clue if he’s been hired or not. What’s a guy to do? He literally goes to work as if he’s their newest employee. He’s way too mortified to ask the truth. Been there, right? It’s sometimes hardest to ask the simplest questions, like whether we’ve got the job or got invited to a party or not. So crashing is the only option.
12. When George gets set up by Jerry and Elaine because he’s given up on dating
Calling all the single ladies: dating is a lot, isn’t it? It’s tiring, it’s weird, and it’s confusing. We can relate to George when he feels like he should just give up on dating already on the season three episode, “The Fix-Up.” Jerry and Elaine decide to try their hand at matchmaking and set him up with a woman named Cynthia. Of course, set-ups are notoriously horrible, and this one is no different. George probably figures that all was good because they hooked up, but Cynthia isn’t thrilled with the experience, and she thinks of him as a slob in the end. We all have one bad blind date story (or more, honestly), don’t we?
13. When Jerry hates that George is engaged and feels left out
Arguably the funniest Seinfeld episode is the season seven opener, “The Engagement,” when Jerry tells George that they’re “kids, not men” and they should get their acts together and settle down. George takes the conversation literally and gets engaged to Susan. Jerry is shocked and also pretty sad. It totally changes the dynamics of their friendship, at least for the course of the episode, and it’s just not a good scene. We’ve all had at least one friend get engaged, or find herself in a serious relationship, leaving us wondering why we don’t have someone special that we’ve decided to share our lives with. Ah, jealousy, It’s just a part of life, isn’t it?
14. Every time Elaine, Jerry, and George are super neurotic
It’s hard to think of an episode when these characters are the most neurotic. The truth is that they’re like this pretty much every time they’re on our TV screens. Whether they’re annoyed with something that is super small and doesn’t matter at all or talking a subject to death, they’re the definition of difficult. We love it since, let’s face it, we can be a bit neurotic at times, too. We’re just going to keep telling ourselves that people love us for it and that they wouldn’t want us to be any other way.
15. When Elaine and George find it awkward to hang out without Jerry
For a while, we always saw Elaine, George, and Jerry together, whether they were hanging at the diner or in Jerry’s apartment. They’re a trio and that’s all there is to it. So when Elaine and George try to hang out one-on-one — without Jerry — they have nothing to say to each other and it’s awkward AF. We all have a friend who is really more of a friend-of-a-friend than someone we’re close to. While we may genuinely enjoy their company, it’s just really strange if we ever find ourselves hanging out with them without the glue that holds the group together. One time is enough and then we know to avoid these situations at all costs.
16. Every time George is self-deprecating
George is the most self-deprecating character on Seinfeld even though, of course, everyone on the show gets that way in different situations. Whether he’s calling himself an idiot or wondering why any woman would ever like him, he doesn’t seem to have very high self-esteem. Self-deprecation is a defense mechanism that we all pull out when we need it the most. George basically needs it 24/7 (the poor guy) and for some of us — that feeling is TOO real.
Whenever we’re feeling down, at least we can think about George and realize that everyone gets insecure sometimes. And then we can curl up on the couch and watch George, Jerry, and Elaine make mistakes and lament how crazy life can be any time that we want.