"Seinfeld"
The Checks (1996)

Director:

Andy Ackerman

Writers:

Larry David (co-creator)
Tom Gammill (writer)

TV Series:

"Seinfeld" (1990)

Original Air Date:

7 November 1996 (Season 8, Episode 7)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jerry gets hundreds of royalty checks, worth 12 cents each, for appearing on a Japanese TV program and gets writer's cramp. George and Jerry pitch their pilot to Japanese TV executives.

Plot Keywords:

New York City | Neurotic | Actor Shares Last Name With Character | Neighbor | Stand Up Comedian

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Aug. 5

5:30 PM

TBS

The Checks

#8.7

Cast

Jerry Seinfeld	...	Jerry Seinfeld
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Elaine Benes
Michael Richards	...	Cosmo Kramer
Jason Alexander	...	George Costanza
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Bowman	...	Teddy
Cherie Hankal	...	Nurse
Richard Herd	...	Wilhelm
Goh Misawa	...	Mr. Yamaguchi
Akane Nelson	...	Executive
Jack Plotnick	...	Sunshine Carpets - Crew Leader
Sab Shimono	...	Executive #1
James Patrick Stuart	...	Brett
Toshi Toda	...	Mr. Tanaka
Tony V.	...	Clicky
George Wallace	...	Doctor
Gedde Watanabe	...	Mr. Oh

Country:

USA

Color:

Color

Great show...

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

One of my all-time favourite episodes of this great show. Unlike a lot of Seinfeld fans I really love the 8th and 9th seasons of this show after Larry David's departure. I don't know...the more zany slapstick stuff in these later episodes and just the general chaotic weirdness of every episode really got me laughing in fits, and seem to stand up better to repeated viewings than the earlier ones, which have dated quite poorly not just in the wardrobe...but the humour itself. Whereas, good old slapstick is timelessly hilarious! In this episode, Kramer befriends the Japanese tourists, Elaine dates the "Desperado" guy, and Jerry and George try to sell the "Jerry" pilot to Japanese TV.

This episode has scenes that, to this day, still make me p*ss myself laughing...like the bit where Brett and Karl Farbman pull up in the ferrari to find Jerry caught in the rain...this is one of the most brilliant collection of comedy lines I've ever seen in a sitcom...it's great. The fact that Jerry Seinfeld doesn't mind poking fun at himself is a constant source of laughs in this show, and put to excellent effect in this exchange. Brett is great...as the weird guy obsessed with Karl Farbman's furniture designs and hopelessly obsessed with the song, "Desperado". This episode also has a great Kramer moment (there are many, I'll just pick one!) where he comes to get cereal for his Japanese boarders..."Rice Krispies...East meets West, Jerry!"