Aired Thursday, November 6, 1997 · 30 min
George runs over a flock of pigeons. Jerry's new girlfriend has a toy collection. A new co-worker is freaking Elaine out. Kramer rebuilds the set of the Merv Griffin Show in his apartment.
Posts per day after the first airing
Fans sharply divide on The Merv Griffin Show episode, with the opening poster finding it embarrassing and abysmal while replies praise it as hilarious and one of the best episodes ever.
Fans debate whether Merv Griffin Show set pieces would realistically be available in a 1997 New York trash bin, with some defending the show's accuracy and others questioning the logistics.
Posters debate whether Elaine's character and storylines have become weak and unfunny, with some defending her while others critique the writing and character development in recent episodes.
Fans criticize the episode for forcing catchphrases and packing too many disconnected storylines, arguing the show has declined in humor and abandoned grounded reality for absurdist plots.
Viewers discuss whether the actor playing Elaine's boyfriend Brett in this episode previously appeared on the soap opera All My Children, with debate about whether Seinfeld fans watch soaps.
Fans discuss their favorite lines from the episode, with mentions of Kramer being called a "sidler" and a reference to "prosthetic squirrel hips."
Fans help identify the episode title as "The Merv Griffin Show" after the original poster missed it.
Fans identify the actor who played Kramer's lawyer in the episode as Phil Morris, son of Mission Impossible's Greg Morris.
Fans debate whether to express opinions as facts and argue about the show's quality and ratings versus other programs like ER.
Poster relates to the sidler character trait from the episode and admits to unintentionally being one, while a reply discusses how the show changed their behavior regarding low talking.
A poster questions why everything is empty, receiving a sarcastic reply about their head being empty.
“Jerry turning into Pee-Wee Herman around those toys?”
“Kramer wouldn't make a mistake like that, would he?”
“George's was strong as well, with him running over a few pigeons and a squirrel.”
“"if the truth will set you free and knowledge is power, what the hell am I doing watching so much TV?"”
“"if the truth will set you free and knowledge is power, what the hell am I doing watching so much TV?"”
“Have some of us in this newsgroup become such critics that they need not watch the show first in order to blast it?”
Fans react negatively to "The Merv Griffin Show" episode, criticizing its implausibility and lack of humor, though some defenders argue the absurdist premise fits Kramer's character.
Spam post about studio sets available for purchase generates replies, with discussion of the Merv Griffin Show set and jokes about understanding the reference.
Fans discuss trivia from "The Merv Griffin Show" episode, noting Kramer's claim about raising Jim Fowler's children and Fowler appearing as a guest on Kramer's imaginary talk show.
Posters joke about the alt.tv.seinfeld newsgroup resembling the old Merv Griffin Show set and reference the episode's plot about George running over pigeons and Jerry's girlfriend's toy collection.
Fans praise The Merv Griffin Show episode, highlighting Kramer's apartment talk show bit, George hitting animals with his car, and Jerry wanting to play with his girlfriend's toys.
Fans discuss why Seinfeld uses generic product labels like a fake cola can instead of real brand names, noting the show typically features actual products like Diet Coke and Snapple.
Viewers ask whether Jerry's reference to Kane and Abel in "The Merv Griffin Show" is a biblical story, and discuss Kramer's confusion with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Fans celebrate "The Merv Griffin Show" as one of the best episodes, with particular praise for Kramer's comedic break scene where he stops to eat while others watch in disbelief.
Fans discuss a line from The Merv Griffin Show episode about Kramer spending a month in El Paso one night, with one viewer adding a trivia question about another Kramer quote from The Pilot.
Viewers debate whether Jerry would sit in chairs Kramer retrieved from the garbage, discussing whether Kramer cleaned them and what Newman said about their smell.
Fans share a humorous parody of the Merv Griffin set episode, imagining Kramer doing a Howard Stern-style interview instead, with mixed reactions on whether Stern's comedy style fits the show.
Fans discuss their love for "The Merv Griffin Show" episode, praising Kramer's talk show fantasy sequences, the pigeon incident with George, and Jerry's girlfriend's toy collection storyline.
Fan asks about the real Merv Griffin Show that the episode references, and another poster explains it was a 1970s talk show and that Griffin created Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
Fans identify the actress who played Celia in the episode as Julia Pennington with no other Seinfeld appearances.