The Seinfeld Episode That Broke The Rules Of Comedy, According To Jerry Seinfeld

Watching popular sitcoms from different eras of television can be tricky. It's always important to track the progression of what was once considered funny in the pop culture landscape the series arrived in. A lot of shows, naturally, feature outdated comedic sensibilities with jokes that land with a thud, while others prove to be surprisingly ahead of their time. That's just how it happens as certain tastes evolve and change from decade to decade. In most cases, however, a really sharp comedic ensemble can transcend beyond its lowest points and offer some potent laughs in a contemporary context, as is the case with "Seinfeld."

The hit NBC sitcom wasn't just one of the funniest shows on the air at the time (and of all time), it was a full-blown phenomenon. Each season progressively pulled in more viewers to the point that the "Seinfeld" crew were able to secure an elephant for a hilariously expensive blink-and-you-miss-it sight gag in its ninth season. With a talented writer's room guiding the ship, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander) and Kramer (Michael Richards) flourished as television troublemakers. They hardly ever learned any sort of lessons by the end of an episode, often reverting back to their old habits sooner or later. That mantra pretty much went against the traditional nature of sitcoms, which only made these characters even more fun to follow. The cast of "Seinfeld" were jokes (some of which in real life too) and we loved them for it. But for as funny as they all were, a large reason why the chaotic sitcom stayed in people's minds was because it rejected the nature of conventional comedic structure.

"Seinfeld" wasn't afraid to play outside the box. The bottle episode format of "The Chinese Restaurant" was baffling to NBC executives because, in their words, "nothing happens." That couldn't be farther from the truth, as it allowed us to know how these ridiculous characters act in public when things don't go their way, and now it's considered one of the series' best episodes. "The Contest," otherwise known as the most infamous episode of "Seinfeld," almost didn't happen because series co-creator Larry David wasn't sure the pitch was going to be accepted. Not only did it win a well-deserved Emmy and the integration of "master of your own domain" into the pop culture lexicon, but it launched the series to even greater heights as water cooler television. All eyes were on the NBC sitcom that could, so how do you even follow up a zeitgeist-defining episode like that? According to Jerry, you continue playing with the rules of comedy, even if it feels wrong at first.

In the season 4 episode "The Airport," we get to see every member of the "Seinfeld" crew embody the role of airport travel to a ludicrous extent. George and Kramer act as the pick up crew, yet find themselves getting into fights on another plane, as well as antagonizing a dangerous prisoner. In the A plot, however, Jerry and Elaine try to make their flight on time, with the latter ending up in one awful predicament after the other back in coach. Jerry, meanwhile, ends up with a first class ticket, along with all of its amenities attached to it.

In a DVD featurette, Jerry Seinfeld talks about he was initially concerned that everything coming up his way would go against the nature of comedy, yet quickly discovered it fit within the confines of who his character would be:

"The Airport episode, I think, was when we were starting to realize that, comedically, it was okay for me to be a character for whom things worked out, which kind of goes against standard comedic law. I mean, if you watch Laurel & Hardy or Charlie Chaplain or the Marx Brothers, things aren't supposed to really work out. They're supposed to completely implode. That episode I remember that it was obvious to us that we were gonna do it that way from the beginning and I think that's when we started to figure out my character would be a guy for whom things worked out."

Boy does it ever work out for him. Keeping with the class inequality aboard most commercial flights, Jerry's first class experience results in champagne, complimentary slippers, flowers in the bathroom, fancy dinners and delicious ice cream sundaes. The cherry on top is his seatmate being Tia Van Camp (Jennifer Campbell), a blonde fashion model who takes to the goofy comedian almost immediately. She even becomes a minor recurring character in a few episodes throughout the rest of the fourth season.

It would be one thing if "The Airport" was simply Jerry securing one win after the other, but it's funny because of everyone else's stress getting the better of them. Every hurdle Elaine has to overcome, whether it be a rude seat neighbor carrying all of his luggage or a foul-smelling bathroom, is offset by the luxuries of First Class. Jerry is never humbled by his obscene wealth of good luck, while everyone around him suffers, and for this show, that makes for great comedy.

Every episode of "Seinfeld" is currently streaming on Netflix.