Unlocking Nostalgia: How ‘Seinfeld’ Hilariously Predicted the Rise and Fall of Outdated Tech
Remember Seinfeld? That legendary “show about nothing” that somehow managed to be about everything? Well, fast forward to 2025, and it almost feels like a quirky time capsule of the ’90s—think video rentals, fumbling for payphones, and those endless answering machine messages that nobody ever wanted to hear. It’s wild how Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer’s everyday catastrophes were powered by tech we’ve long since shelved. Ever wondered how many modern mishaps would just turn into a quick Google search today? Or how stealing cable back then turned into something far more dramatic than sneaking onto your buddy’s streaming account now? Let’s dive into the 10 all-time classic episodes where obsolete gadgets sparked chaos and comedy, reminding us just how far we’ve come—or maybe how much we miss those simpler tech headaches. LEARN MORE
In its time (1989-1998), Seinfeld famously touted itself as a “show about nothing,” when in fact it was a show about everything. In 2025, though, it feels more like a show about everything ‘90s. Video rentals, in-store shopping, and not being able to get in touch with your friends at a moment’s notice are some of the main causes of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer’s plight, and propel some of the most famous storylines in television history.
Many of these scenarios are still totally possible (for example, sporting event outings that result in national embarrassment—hello, Coldplay concert couple!). But nearly four decades later, it’s striking how much of the action revolves specifically around technology we don’t really use anymore: payphones, over-the-air television, and answering machines (so many answering machines).
Here are the 10 most iconic episodes where the chaos is driven by oh-so-‘90s devices and the dilemmas they cause.
“The Baby Shower,” Season 2
A B-plot to a larger story about Elaine hosting a baby shower for a friend who once went on a disastrous date with George, Kramer convinces Jerry to steal cable after his TV antenna goes on the fritz.
Today, the closest equivalent would be mooching off your friend’s HBO Max account—frowned upon by streaming companies, but still possible with a little cloak-and-dagger. However, that carries far less harsh punishment than Jerry meets when the feds show up at his apartment and gun him down (OK, it was in a dream, but still).
“The Phone Message,” Season 2
George leaves an angry message on his date’s answering machine that he later regrets, resulting in a complicated caper to steal the cassette (remember those?) from her apartment when she gets home from the Hamptons, where she, it’s specifically noted, doesn’t have her beeper (remember those, too?). George and Jerry are successful in switching out the tape for a blank one, but nowadays this scenario wouldn’t prompt such sneaking around—George would just have to brace for the blowback.
“The Smelly Car,” Season 4
Jerry’s malodorous car interior, sullied by a BO-ridden valet, is the well-known centerpiece of this episode, but while that’s happening, George finds out his ex-girlfriend Susan is now dating a woman. That’s not the ‘90s part, though: he finds this out in a video store, an institution largely wiped from the landscape in a post-streaming world.
Later, with Susan present, he gets hit with a hefty charge for losing a videotape—a smutty foreign film that he’d now be able to watch in the privacy of his own home. He’d be spared the shame and the $98.
“The Pool Guy,” Season 7
Kramer gets a new number that’s just one digit off from 555-FILM—the number for Moviefone, a movie listing service, and decides to pose as the Moviefone voice rather than change it. (For all you young’ns that somehow ended up here: back in the day, the only way to find out when movies were playing was by looking in a real, actual newspaper, going to the theater itself, or calling up Moviefone so a recorded voice could read you your options.)
On first watch, this one seems like the biggest relic of the ‘90s—except that Moviefone still exists, now as a searchable website acquired in 2018 by the owner of the ill-fated MoviePass. MoviePass died, but Moviefone lives on, perhaps in part because of this legendary episode.
“The Muffin Tops,” Season 8
While toting a paper map around town, George gets a girlfriend out of a representative from the tourism board because she thinks he’s a hapless tourist. This could easily happen today, too: he would just be staring at his phone instead. (He’s more likely to get robbed that way, though.)
“The Millennium,” Season 8
After finding out he’s number 7 on his girlfriend’s speed dial—a function of some landline phones, where you could pre-program a person’s number to a single button instead of typing each digit individually—Jerry tries to get into even better graces with her to make it to number one.
Speed dial is basically the default now, with modern smartphones containing searchable contact lists, no ranking system necessary. (Honorable mention goes to this episode’s main plot, which is about Kramer and Newman’s plans for competing Y2K New Year’s Eve parties.)
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