5 Things In Seinfeld That Don't Make Sense (& 5 Fan Theories That Do)

Summary Beautiful women dated George and Jerry on Seinfeld, despite their unrealistic qualities & immature behavior.

Elaine, the most reasonable, hangs out with self-absorbed male friends, despite her disdain for them.

Fan theories offer intriguing perspectives on Seinfeld, explaining inconsistencies and mysteries within the show.

Despite the fact that it is famously referred to as the show about nothing, there are many Seinfeld theories that have popped up over the years just as there are aspects of the show that simply don't make sense. Seinfeld revolutionized sitcoms when it became a hit in the 1990s as it showed that these series didn't have to have lovable and kind characters nor did they have to have moments of characters learning life lessons. Instead, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David simply approached Seinfeld with the sole rule that it needed to be funny all the time.

The unique approach worked well for making this one of the best TV shows in history but it also brought some strange concepts. Some of these ideas were funny on the surface but fell apart logically upon further investigation. Other aspects of the show inspired fans to come up with their own ideas, resulting in some clever and plausible theories. When it comes to love lives, careers, and living situations of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer, there were some things that made no sense at all and some things that could be explained through some of these interesting theories.

Related 7 Ways Curb Your Enthusiasm's Finale Parallels Seinfeld's Last Episode From a cameo-studded trial to a first-episode callback, Curb Your Enthusiasm's series finale borrowed a lot from Seinfeld's notorious ending.

Things That Make No Sense

George And Jerry's Attractive Girlfriends

As with most sitcoms, relationships were big on Seinfeld and responsible for much of the comedy. Jerry and George seemed to be dating a new girl each week only to break up by the end of the episode due to Jerry and George's own weird reservations or because the women caught onto their immaturity and dumped them. While it made for some great moments in awkward dating, there was no reason Jerry and George should have been able to convince these beautiful women to date them in the first place.

By George’s own admission he was a “short, stocky bald man with no job and who lives with his parents,” while Jerry had zero idea about what chivalry is. Neither man treated any girl with real respect and didn't contribute much to any prospective love interests. However, George and Jerry had no problems somehow meeting beautiful women and managing to get them to date them.

Elaine Being Friends With The Guys

Seinfeld's main characters are all deeply flawed people, but Elaine is seen as the most reasonable one by far. She can be angry and aggressive at times, but she is also a lot more responsible and open-minded. She seems to realize this too as she constantly shows frustration and disappointment in the behavior of her male friends. It begs the question as to why Elaine continues to hang out with these people she disdains.

In the episode "The Bizarro Jerry", Elaine meets a man and his friends who are the exact opposite of Jerry, George, and Kramer. They are kind, supportive, and giving, which makes her immediately choose to start hanging out with them instead of her old friends. She even tells Jerry that she cannot stand continuing to come over to his apartment and discuss inane moments in their day. While things don't work out with the bizarro friends, there is no reason Elaine just could go out and make new friends rather than return to Jerry's apartment.

Things Evening Out For Jerry Inconsistently

Seinfeld season 5’s finale explained an interesting concept about Jerry's life: that everything always evens out for him. When one of his standup gigs gets canceled, he immediately gets a call for a new one. When Elaine throws a $20 bill out the window, he finds another in his pocket. He even points out that, when George's life starts getting better, Elaine's gets worse to balance things out.

It is a funny idea to introduce, but Jerry could have easily pointed to many examples of times he did end up on the losing side and didn’t have anything to redeem himself. For instance, he bombed onstage numerous times but fans never saw huge success the way the real Jerry Seinfeld did. Jerry also went to jail in the last episode and there was nothing to suggest he got anything big out of that situation. If the “even” theory is to work, then Jerry should’ve bounced back instantly from these problems.

George Stopping With The Opposite Theory

Just as Jerry discovered that his life would stay even no matter what, George figured out his own life hack that brought him a lot of success. Upon realizing that all of his instincts in life have led him astray, he decides to start embracing the opposite of everything he would normally do. The results were instantaneous as well, as George ends up with multiple girlfriends, lands a job with the New York Yankees, and finally leaves his parents’ place for his own.

However, the following season, George was back to calling himself a loser and struggling in his career and love life. When the previous season ended, there was no indication that George's new method was not working anymore and there is no explanation given for why he stopped. While George is obviously a lot more entertaining when things are going wrong for him, the show just ignores that he cracked the code to his own happiness.

Kramer's Name Being Unknown For Years

Much of a big deal was made when Cosmo Kramer’s first name was found late in the series by George, and Jerry mentioned that he’d never managed to know it despite being friends with Kramer for 10 years. It made for a funny ongoing joke in the series as Kramer was introduced only as Kramer in the beginning and the single name fit his quirky personality. While the mystery behind the name also seems like something Kramer would do, there are instances when his name would have certainly been revealed.

One of the wildest storylines of the series was when Kramer was suspected of being a serial killer while living in Los Angeles. Jerry and George find out about this when they see him broadcast on the news as a wanted man. While Seinfeld was willing to be absurd at times, suggesting the police would only ever know him as Kramer even after arresting him is too much of a stretch.

Theories That Make Sense

The Trial Was In The Afterlife

The Seinfeld series finale has been one of the most controversial TV endings of all time. The episode finds the four on trial for failing to do anything to help when a man was being mugged on the street. The trial sees many of the past characters of the series testifying against them with the final guilty verdict sentencing them to a year in prison. While a strange ending, a fan theory gives a different perspective on it.

This fan theory postulates that the reason why things seemed strange was because none of what was seen in court was in real life. The theory suggests that the main characters all died in the plane accident that happened earlier in the finale, and the trial was actually in the afterlife. Here, they were judged on whether they were good enough to enter heaven. All the people they wronged in life were paraded before them to point out their misdeeds and explain why they belonged in hell.

Jerry's Friends Only See Him On Occasion

One of the biggest aspects of the show is Jerry's friends barging into his apartment and unloading stories about their everyday lives. They do this constantly, complaining about their work, trying to work out a tricky new dating situation, or looking for support on their latest social faux pas. While it seems like these characters have nothing better to do with their lives, one theory suggests it has to do with Jerry's busy schedule.

While Jerry on the show is not nearly as successful of a comedian as the real-life Jerry Seinfeld, he is shown to constantly be working, getting guest spots on late-night shows, and going on tour. The theory suggests that Jerry is rarely at home as a result and the sitcom is showing the quick times in which he gets to catch up with his friends. That is why they always have so much to tell him as they have saved up so much since last they spoke.

The Characters' Narcissism Was The Result Of A Mental Breakdown

The fact that Seinfeld embraced the most unlikable aspects of its characters was always one of the best parts of the show and what made it feel like a bold sitcom. However, while the series was willing to show the uglier side of these characters from the beginning, they got much worse over time. Their mean-spirited and self-centered ways increased exponentially over the course of the series until it put them in prison.

A clever theory suggests that there was a reason for the characters getting worse, aside from the show just getting more comfortable portraying them that way. It suggests that the characters started out as normal people with morals and shame only for the many disappointments in their lives to gradually eat away at their human decency until it was all but gone.

Jerry Is A Loser As Well

As the main character of the series, it is not surprising that he is often portrayed in the best light out of the four main characters. As the others bounce around from one job to another, live with their parents, and complain about all the things that go wrong with their lives, Jerry has earned a solid living in his career as a comedian, lives in his own apartment, and judges his friends for their many failures.

However, a theory suggests that Jerry makes himself out to be a better comedian than he really is. In the episodes in which Jerry is shown performing standup, he is constantly being heckled, bumped for a more popular act, freezing on stage, or otherwise bombing. While it brings into question how he is able to make a living, the idea that Jerry is a hack comedian explains why he fits in with his other unaccomplished friends.

The Real Reason Why Newman Hates Jerry

One of the best recurring characters on Seinfeld was Newman. Serving as somewhat of a villain of the show, Jerry and Newman dislike each other. The running joke of them greeting each other with utter disdain is always funny even if it is never very clear why they hate each other so much. While there is clearly something between them that inspires this hostility, a fan theory gives a surprisingly charming reason for their hatred.

The theory is that Newman is jealous of Jerry being Kramer's best friend instead of him. Newman is seen to be a very good friend of Kramer, always joining him on his wild shenanigans that Jerry is too mature to partake in. While Kramer likes Newman, it is clear that Jerry is his best friend. There are even instances in which Kramer bluntly chooses Jerry over Kramer, such as abandoning their recycling scheme in order to pursue Jerry's stolen car.