There are plenty of sitcoms from the ‘90s that were major pop culture phenomena during their time on the air and there are still a handful that remain popular and relevant to this day. It’s not easy to build a legacy and it’s always impossible to predict which sitcoms will be the ones that connect and last for years. There was nothing extraordinary about Seinfeld on its surface level and during its first two years the program seriously struggled to connect.
Thankfully the series was given the opportunity to grow and it went on to become an iconic piece of television. Seinfeld is still looked at with heavy reverence & as a master class in comedy. With such a dedicated fan base and hundreds of episodes to analyze, there have been a number of theories that dig deep into the series and push some wild ideas.
15 Kramer Was A Dealer
One of the greatest mysteries of Seinfeld is just how Kramer manages to stay afloat in a fancy Manhattan apartment when he seemingly has no job. Kramer seems to have money and he keeps unconventional hours, which could play into the fact that he makes his living as a drug dealer. It’s entirely possible that Bob Sacamano could even be Kramer’s supplier, which is why he’s always so frantic to make contact with him.
14 Elaine's Father Played A Role In The Assassination Of JFK
There’s a rather bonkers throwaway line that’s meant to be a weird joke, but actually hints at something much more sinister. Elaine is trying to get someone from a party to remember her, so she recalls a story that she told him where her father used to work at the book depository during Kennedy’s assassination. She even claims that Oswald worked there at the same time and gave her father a smug, flimsy alibi during the time Kennedy gets shot. If her father had said or done something, maybe history could have been changed.
13 Peterman's Breakdown Was Elaine's Fault
There’s a period in Seinfeld where Peterman goes off the deep end and winds up in Burma as the result of a mental breakdown. The reason for this is never made explicit, but it could be the result of Elaine and Peterman hooking up and her breaking things off with him. Peterman is definitely Elaine’s type in many ways and her previous relationships with Russell Dalrymple, Lloyd Braun, and Joe Davola all resulted in them eventually going through rough breakdowns, so it’s possible.
12 Seinfeld, Mad About You, And Friends All Exist In The Same Universe
There’s an episode of Mad About You where Paul Buchman returns to his old apartment, which turns out to be Kramer’s current apartment. Kramer even appears in the episode. However, Mad About You and Friends also exist in the same universe thanks to the character of Ursula. The connections start to fall apart when they’re really put under scrutiny, especially since the actors appear as other characters in these shows (and Mad About You is even mentioned in Seinfeld), but it's a fun thought.
11 Crazy Joe Davola Was "The Lopper"
Seinfeld takes some particularly crazy risks at times, one of which is the show’s treatment of “Crazy” Joe Davola. The character really gets puts through the wringer and the last he’s seen he’s trying to attack Jerry at the taping of his pilot. It’s entirely possible that Davola has become even more unstable and taken a turn for the worse. He might even hold a grudge against Jerry and want to take him out, hence the serial killer “Lopper” persona.
10 Everyone’s At Jerry’s Apartment Because He’s Always Away
Jerry Seinfeld is a reputable comedian both in real life and on his show, and because of this he’s often booked to perform gigs. Sometimes the series shows Jerry on the road or getting back from performances, but it’s also somewhat implied that when the series isn’t “on” he’s away on the road. As a result, his friends are always at his apartment because they’re eager to see him and have missed him since he’s been gone.
9 Susan Faked Her Death
One of the more surprising and tragic events to take place on Seinfeld involves the untimely passing of George's fiancee, Susan. Susan's death greatly changes George's future, but there's also the thought that Susan actually faked her death as a way to escape from a life with George. Susan's parents are very well insulated and could help her pull this scheme off. Additionally, using Susan's Foundation as a way to further punish George and take away any financial gain is the icing on the cake of this hypothetical revenge plan.
8 Jerry Isn't A Good Comedian
Jerry’s stand-up comedy that’s used at the start of episodes carries a certain quality to it, but when it comes to his sets that actually happen within the series, they’re portrayed in a much less flattering light. In fact, Jerry is often shown to bomb his sets or make egregious mistakes. There are also constant jokes about the quality of his material and how he's never coming up with new content and been doing the same jokes from the '80s.
7 Newman Could Have Saved Them From Jail
During Seinfeld’s series finale, Newman really wants to join Jerry and friends on their trip to Paris. The gang has room for him, but they refuse to bring him along and he even wishes bad luck upon them. However, if Newman were along for the ride then he would likely would have shown empathy towards the larger gentleman who gets mugged, thus keeping them from getting arrested in the first place.
6 Susan's Father Heads Down A Dark Path
Susan’s parents really endure a lot thanks to George’s negligence and Susan’s death. Susan’s father in particular takes this harshly and even though only a few glimpses of his behavioral shift are shown, they’re each rather grim. The series finale of Seinfeld even shows him buying a gun in what’s played as a very ominous moment. It’s implied that he might use it on George if he gets an innocent verdict. Maybe he takes George out when he's released for prison or maybe he takes a dark turn...
5 Kramer Could Be A Widower
Kramer has a very unusual life and while he appears to often come out on top, his strange habits & backstory are never really explored to great detail. One interesting idea is that Kramer used to be married, only his wife passed away. Seinfeld establishes that Kramer has a strange hold over women, so maybe he inherited money from his wife’s death and that’s how he has such a comfortable life. It could also explain Kramer’s detached, eccentric attitude and perspective on life.
4 George's Perspective On Life Consumes Itself
A major turning point for George’s character involves him deciding to live his life based on the opposite impulse of everything that comes naturally to him. This actually works, but he takes this concept too far, like he does everything. Soon, this opposite attitude becomes so natural to George that he begins to act the opposite of this new behavior, which turns him back into old George, and it’s why his life begins to settle in again.
3 George Had A Brother Who Died
There’s some shoddy continuity during the earlier seasons of Seinfeld. One such careless examples sees George reveal to a psychic that he has a brother who once impregnated a girl. Perhaps George got in touch with his brother afterwards and asks how things are, only for the brother to take it poorly and take his life out of shame. Or maybe he just goes off the grid or cuts George out of his life and that's why he's never brought up again.
2 Jerry Lies About The Frogger Machine To Test George
One of George’s more ridiculous conquests in the later seasons of Seinfeld involves him trying to preserve his high score on a Frogger machine. Jerry informs George that his high score will be erased if the arcade cabinet’s power goes off, but the show never proves that this is true. In fact, it probably isn’t since it seems unlikely that the power wouldn't be turned off in 15 years. Jerry might have just put all of this stress into motion for his own sick entertainment.
1 Each Character Has Been Pushed Past Their Limits
Everyone on Seinfeld is a rather interesting personality, but during the start of the series they were all relatively more grounded characters. It’s not unusual for character traits to become more extreme over the years, but in the case of Seinfeld it could be because they’ve all been beaten down by life enough times and learned that they don’t need to try so hard. Eventually they change over time.