Is 'The Contest' the greatest sitcom episode of all time?

[Cherry Brigand]

Seinfeld season 4 ep. 11

'Jerry challenges George, Kramer and Elaine to pool their money in a contest of self-denial. Meanwhile, an excited Elaine looks forward to her date with hunky John Kennedy, Jr, and a guilt-ridden George gets an eyeful when he visits his whining mother in the hospital.'


It's early enough in the series before 'glamorous elaine' and Kramer became a caricature of himself.

Live audience also enhances the best moments.
Just magnificent.

 

[Boomb]

I don't know if it's the greatest (I maybe prefer "The Opposite" s5e22), but one of the best for sure. Only Larry could pull off something like that. He made an entire episode about masturbation and not once did they mention anything sexual at all. Amazing.

 

[Sonny Qc]

Never watched Seinfeld...
Or Friends...

 

[Pliny Pete]

Its not even the greatest episode of Seinfeld

 

[Tone C]

Tried to watch Seinfeld numerous times and given up.

 

[I Am Legion]

So many just from his show, but that was a top 10 for sure. MAn just off the top of my head--The Jerk Store, The Chinese Restaurant, The Hamptoms--Shrinkage, Kenny Rogers Chicken, Fussili Jerry, Soup Nazi, The Garage, Marine Biologist, Kramerica, Top of The Muffin, so many...

 

[TheNinja]

Tried to watch Seinfeld numerous times and given up.

You are dead to me........

 

[ipowerslapmywife]

King of queens is the best sitcom of all time

 

[moreorless87]

 

[Boomb]

 

[HereticBD]

It's good, and was very clever how they managed to get an episode about jerking off on the air. To do that tastefully enough to appease the censors is quite a feat. Don't think it's best episode of Seinfeld, let alone all sitcoms, though.

 

[DaleBoca]

Tried to watch Seinfeld numerous times and given up.

Yeah, I know what you mean. The clips and whatnot are kinda funny but overall? A whole lot of meh.

 

[Sweater of AV]

It's near impossible to choose a best Seinfeld episode. There are so many great ones that are fairly different in style and writing. I'd put The Contest in the top 10 though.

 

[Tone C]

You are dead to me........

That's all it took ? Darn , if only I found out earlier...

 

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

The greatest in context of it's importance, likely. Greatest as in funniest, no. It was a great episode though.

The context though, apparently, ratings at the point weren't all that great and they were apparently considering pulling the plug on Seinfeld (according to a special I watched about it) and that single episode hit ratings they never hit before, and it was all up from that day forward as the top rated comedy in that era.

 

[Madmick]

"Scott Tenorman Must Die" is a worthy candidate.

 

[moreorless87]

Maybe not a sitcom but the X-files Badd Blood.

 

[Goon Dog]

The story goes that Larry and Jerry wrote that scene at 2am the morning before taping before a live audience. They took it in, handed it to Jason Alexander and told him he had 15 minutes to learn and memorize it. Alexander nodded, took the script and fifteen minutes later killed it in one take. My favorite scene in sitcom history.

 

[Boomb]

The story goes that Larry and Jerry wrote that scene at 2am the morning before taping before a live audience. They took it in, handed it to Jason Alexander and told him he had 15 minutes to learn and memorize it. Alexander nodded, took the script and fifteen minutes later killed it in one take. My favorite scene in sitcom history.

The goat scene indeed. Apparently they didn’t get a laugh big enough from the live audience, that’s why they wrote this scene (almost) at the go.
Jason Alexander really is an incredibly underrated actor.

 

[therealdope]

So many just from his show, but that was a top 10 for sure. MAn just off the top of my head--The Jerk Store, The Chinese Restaurant, The Hamptoms--Shrinkage, Kenny Rogers Chicken, Fussili Jerry, Soup Nazi, The Garage, Marine Biologist, Kramerica, Top of The Muffin, so many...

Festivus.