"The sea was angry that day, my friends!"
Thirty years ago this week, NBC aired what would become one of Seinfeld's most revered episodes — in a run chock-full of revered episodes: "The Marine Biologist."
On February 10, 1994, fans watched perpetual putz George Costanza (Jason Alexander) get trapped in a lie about having a career in the aquatic sciences — all so he could impress his old crush, Diane (Rosalind Allen). Yet it's not just the A-story that makes this episode so memorable, it's the way the script's narrative threads braid together and coalesce in one of the series' most satisfying climaxes — in which George delivers a melodramatic monologue about how he heroically sprang into action to save a beached whale. His tale builds and builds, ending with the perfectly timed reveal that the whale's blowhole was blocked by a golf ball that Kramer (Michael Richards) hit into the ocean earlier in the episode, to which Kramer responds: "Well, hole in one, huh?"
The scene is a delightful collection of set-ups and payoffs, all punctuated by a killer punchline that leaves viewers in stitches as the credits hit. So, in celebration of one of Seinfeld's tightest — and silliest — episodes, here's a numeric breakdown of the Emmy-winning NBC series over the course of its acclaimed run.
Number of seasons: 9
Number of episodes: 180
Number of Emmy nominations: 68
Number of Emmy wins: 10, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993
Number of times Jerry Seinfeld won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: 0
Number of seasons Seinfeld won at least one Emmy: 6
The show's first season to premiere in the fall: 3
Season 3's Nielsen ranking: 42nd
Highest Nielsen ranking during its run: 1st (1994-1995 and 1997-1998)
Most watched episode: "The Finale" (5/14/98) with 76 million viewers, per Nielsen
Cost of a 30-second ad spot during "The Finale": $2 million
Number of Jerry's girlfriends: 73
Appearances by George's Art Vandalay: 7
Appearances by the real Art Vandalay: 1
Number of (real) jobs held by George: 12
Number of celebrities who played themselves (not counting any New York Yankees): 19
Number of times Newman appears: 48
Number of discs in Seinfeld's DVD set: 33
Amount Netflix paid for the streaming rights: (at least) $500 million
Streaming services currently offering Seinfeld: 1
