The Ranking System

For years, Keith, me, and our friends have been trying to subjectively rank Seinfeld episodes. Each of us has an unofficial top 10 (Keith and I will post our before we get into episode rankings) but it seems as if that top 10 is probably more of a top 17 (that we call a top 10) and it seems as though it is always in flux. This is why coming up with a numerical scoring system to rank the episodes is important for our project. It isn’t perfect, as it still relies on human subjectiveness; it just does so in a more organized, categorized manner. Without further ado, an explanation of our scoring system:

1. Category 1: Subplots (40 pts; 10 per main character) – This is the most substantive portion of the ranking. Each episode of the show follow the four main characters through their daily lives, and each episode has a mini-theme for each character. Therefore, each main character’s subplot will be scored on a scale from 0-10 and these scores will be added to form a score out of 40. The subplot will be scored on the general enjoyment, cleverness, and memorable nature of it.
2. Category 2: Pop Culture Relevance (15 pts) – On a scale of 0-15 we will rank the episode on where it made its mark on the cultural zeitgeist. There are many aspects of the show that have made it into mainstream pop culture’s regular rotation; examples include “yadda yadda yadda” and “not that there’s anything wrong with it”. The degree to which this appears in the given episode will be judged here.
3. Category 3: Secondary/tertiary characters (15 pts) – The lifeblood of any good show is a cast of secondary characters who make memorable appearances throughout the season. Seinfeld has a plethora of these, which is one of the things that make it so good. Examples here are Newman, Puddy, Mr. and Mrs. Costanza, and Uncle Leo. Tertiary characters appear a few times, maybe only once or twice. One of Seinfeld’s major contributions to television, I think, was that it had so many good tertiary characters. Examples include the Soup Nazi, the Virgin, and Franklin Delano Romanowski. The episode will be graded on which secondary/tertiary characters appear and what they do.
4. Category 4: Quotability (15 pts) – If you are nerds like us, you apply Seinfeld quotes to everyday situations, or else you just randomly mention funny lines from the show. A personal favorite: “…I’m just drivin ‘round in Jon Voight’s car!” The grade here will be given on the degree to which one quotes the episode.
5. Category 5: Inner-connectivity (10 pts) – Seinfeld has a way of wrapping each show up so that all of the subplots are tied together. Does the episode do this in a creative way? Then it will score high here!
6. Category 6: Overall Enjoyment/Miscellaneous (5 pts) – There are some things that can’t be explained. Those things will go here. It’s also a way to fudge up the numbers if a clunker of an episode like “The Dog” were somehow on pace to beat a better episode.
7. Bonus (up to 5 pts): Bonus can be assigned for any reason. One of the reasons I will assign bonus is because of the end credits vignette and how good/bad it is. We are free to assign up to 5 points of bonus for any reason here.

That is how we will rank the episodes. Since there are around 180 original episodes, there will inevitably be many ties. When two or more episodes have the same score, we can break the tie however we want! Next on the blog, Keith and I will post initial thoughts on personal top 10 episode lists and explain why we think they will rank so highly.