Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian (DVD)

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"Seinfeld" went self-referential in Season Four, putting a postmodern spin on a sitcom that was already a cult favorite, validating the critics in an ironic way by calling itself a "show about nothing." After a bizarre opening that gave fans their zany Kramer fix, the season plunged daringly into the looking glass, with the plots chronicling how Jerry ends up with his own sitcom on NBC . . . and how, true to comic form, he almost loses it.

"Seinfeld" was an in-crowd show from the very beginning, so instantly popular with intellectuals and the water cooler crowd that it's hard to believe it never cracked the Nielsen Top-30 shows until its "breakthrough" fourth season, 1992-93. After that, the show that TV Guide called the number one sitcom of all-time finished in the top three shows every year of its run.

The premise was simple: the show was about stand-up comic Jerry Seinfeld, who was seen doing segments from his nightclub act and also hanging out with a tight group of friends. That in itself wasn't new—after all, Jack Benny and George Burns did something similar in the early years of television. But the show fought off the formula that had settled on the contemporary sitcom like a straitjacket, and "Seinfeld" pioneered the short scene, quickly moving from snippet to snippet with jazz riffs to give it edge, then pulling everything together with a monologue. It also featured one of the all-time great ensemble casts, with Jerry Seinfeld playing himself, Julia Louise-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, Jerry's former girlfriend turned "gal pal," Jason Alexander as George Costanza, his worrywart best friend, and Michael Richards bringing to life Kramer, the eccentric and over-caffeinated neighbor.

The fourth season features several episodes that are considered classics. In "The Junior Mint," while Kramer is dropping a Junior Mint into the surgical cavity of Elaine's boyfriend during an operation, Jerry is dropping hints to try to find out his girlfriend's name, which he's embarrassingly forgotten. He's learned it rhymes with a female body part, and the water cooler crowd repeated every last guess the day after it aired. Another major classic telecast this season was "The Contest," which won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing—ironic, considering the "Seinfeld" gang thought it might not even get past the censors. You see, the contest was to establish who is "master of your domain," which is to say, to see who could go the longest without masturbating—and even Elaine was in on it. The Seinfeldians were on a sexual roll, because the third classic episode to come out of this season was "The Pick," which saw Elaine sending a bit more season's greetings than she intended—her nipple exposed on a Christmas card she mailed to everyone.

For all its irreverence and daring, "Seinfeld" earned an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series this season, while Richards won for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Here's a rundown on the 24 episodes (all 529 minutes), many of which are also hilarious in a quiet sort of way:

1) "The Trip," Part 1—Invited to appear on "The Tonight Show," Jerry takes George with him to L.A., where they learn that Kramer is the victim of mistaken identity.

2) "The Trip," Part 2—Kramer is suspected of being a serial killer the press has dubbed the "Smog Strangler."

3-4) "The Pitch/The Ticket" (One hour)—Here's where the postmodernism starts, with NBC execs approaching Jerry to come up with a sitcom pilot and George suggesting, finally, a show "about nothing." Newman (Wayne Knight) tries to use Kramer as a witness to get out of a speeding ticket.

5) "The Wallet"—As George tries to get out of the NBC pilot deal, Jerry's dad, Morty, thinks his wallet was stolen at the doctor's office, while Jerry has to explain what happened to the watch his parents gave him.

6) "The Watch"—Jerry tries to buy his watch back from Uncle Leo, while Elaine gets Kramer to help her with a break-up and George tries to mend NBC fences.

7) "The Bubble Boy"—Quintessential "Seinfeld" silliness as Jerry agrees to visit a bubble boy on his way up to a cabin retreat, but they get lost and George ends up fighting the bubble boy. Bill Murray's brother guest stars as the boy's father in this memorable episode.

8) "The Cheever Letters"—Another funny episode, where Jerry manages to offend Elaine's assistant with a remark about women's underclothing and a box of letters from writer John Cheever is the only thing left after the cabin burns down.

9) "The Opera"—Elaine learns her boyfriend is known as Crazy Joe Davola, and she, Jerry, and George have to survive an opera with clowns.

10) "The Virgin"—Jerry dates one, while Kramer drives Jerry and George crazy as they try to write their pilot.

11) "The Contest." Estelle Harris, as George's mother, is hilarious.

12) "The Airport"—It's first-class vs. coach as Jerry and Elaine fly while George and Kramer try to get to their flights.

13) "The Pick"—While Elaine's exposing herself on a Christmas card, Jerry's caught picking his nose by a girlfriend.

14) "The Visa"—No good deed goes unpunished, as Jerry's attempts to help his immigrant friend instead get him deported.

15) "The Movie"—They're supposed to meet, but Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer keep missing each other.