"Seinfeld" The Chinese Restaurant (1991)

Director:

Tom Cherones

Writers:

Larry David (creator) &
Jerry Seinfeld (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Seinfeld" (1990)

Original Air Date:

23 May 1991 (Season 2, Episode 11)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jerry, George and Elaine wait for a table at a Chinese restaurant. |

Plot Keywords:

Betting | Single Set Production | Classic Episode | Eccentric | Neurotic

Cast

Jerry Seinfeld	...	Jerry Seinfeld
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Elaine Benes
Michael Richards	...	Kramer (credit only)
Jason Alexander	...	George
James Hong	...	Bruce
David Tress	...	Mr. Cohen
Judy Kain	...	Lorraine
Kate Benton	...	Woman on Phone
Michael Mitz	...	Phone Guy
Kendall McCarthy	...	Man

Runtime:

23 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG (video rating)

Company:

Shapiro/West Productions

Trivia:

NBC felt that the episode was uninteresting and did not want to air it. Eventually the network agreed to air the episode, but it was relegated to the end of the season. The network's response was parodied in the season four episode "The Pitch", where Jerry suggests an episode very much like this one but the NBC executives are not impressed.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Bruce: Five, ten minutes.

Movie Connections:

References Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

A real-time treat

Ten years before 24 was created, Seinfeld experimented with the real-time format, facing negative reactions from NBC and an increasing risk of cancellation. However, the choice eventually paid off, and The Chinese Restaurant should qualify as one of the show's Top 10 episodes on the sole basis of sheer, groundbreaking creativity.

As already mentioned, this episode plays in real time. How is that possible? Easy: Jerry, George and Elaine are about to go to the movies and see Plan 9 From Outer Space (Jerry claims the worst movie ever produced deserves to be watched on a big screen) and enter a Chinese restaurant for a quick dinner. Unfortunately, they made no reservation, so they will have to wait for five, ten minutes, or at least that's what the owner of the place says. The result is 23 minutes of waiting, with Jerry and Elaine trying not to get bored and George desperately looking for a phone so that he can call his latest girlfriend. As for Kramer, he is nowhere to be seen.

What, no Kramer? Yes, but before the screaming starts, one should consider this: in a storyline that involves staticity and repetition (Bruce, the waiter, keeps saying:"Five, ten minutes..."), what use could there have been for the show's king of unpredictable physical comedy? Of course, he is an integral part of the series (and was never written out of an episode again, except for one time in Season 3), but in this case the sole presence of Jerry, George and Elaine is more than enough. That and the real-time gimmick, which gives the viewer the impression of really being there with the characters, struggling to get a meal (as Elaine wisely notes, restaurants should serve you based on who's the hungriest).

All in all, a great episode, from start to perfectly timed finish, and one of the finest treats Seinfeld's second year has to offer.