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(Redirected from The Contest (Seinfeld)) This article is about the Seinfeld episode. For the Australian game show, see The Con Test.

11th episode of the 4th season of Seinfeld

"The Contest"

Seinfeld episode

Episode no.

Season 4
Episode 11

Directed by

Tom Cherones

Written by

Larry David

Production code

411

Original air date

November 18, 1992 (1992-11-18)

Guest appearances

Episode chronology

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"The Contest" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American television sitcom Seinfeld, and the 51st episode overall. Written by Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones, the episode originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1992. In the episode, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer hold a contest to determine who can go for the longest time without masturbating.

As NBC executives felt that masturbation was not a topic suitable for prime time television, the word "masturbation" is never used in the episode, instead replaced by a number of comic euphemisms.

The term "master of my domain", describing someone who has resisted the urge to masturbate, has since become a popular catchphrase.

David won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode. In 2009, "The Contest" was ranked number 1 on TV Guide's list of the "100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time".

Plot

At Monk's Café, George tells Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer that his mother caught him masturbating while reading a Glamour magazine, resulting in her falling over in shock and going to the hospital. George claims that he is "never doing that again." When the others express skepticism over his ability to follow through, the four make a bet over who can go the longest without masturbating. The men put up $100 each but insist that Elaine put up $150, as they insist that masturbation is not part of a woman's "lifestyle".

Kramer fails almost immediately after seeing a naked woman in an apartment across the street from Jerry's; after returning to his apartment to masturbate, he walks back into Jerry's apartment and slams $100 on the kitchen counter, saying "I'm out!". The others meet various temptations of their own; George is distracted while visiting his mother in the hospital by an attractive nurse giving another woman a sponge bath behind a curtain, Elaine's fitness club is patronized by John F. Kennedy Jr., and Jerry is frustrated because his girlfriend Marla, a virgin, is hesitant to have sex with him. Jerry tries to quell his urges by watching Tiny Toon Adventures.

The remaining contestants become irascible and suffer insomnia. Kennedy asks Elaine to share a cab ride uptown, and she agrees even though she is going downtown. He arranges to see her again, and she gives in to the anticipation and drops out of the contest. While making out on the couch, Marla asks Jerry if they can have sex, claiming that she is ready. When Jerry mentions the contest in passing, Marla leaves in disgust; Jerry then resorts to looking at the naked woman. Elaine believes that Kennedy has stood her up, but George reveals that Kennedy missed her and went with Marla. The three then see Kramer with the naked woman across the street and wave awkwardly to them.

That night, everyone sleeps well, but it is not revealed whether Jerry or George won. Marla is in bed with Kennedy, having finally lost her virginity to him; enraptured, she tells him that it was "wonderful".

Production

"The Contest" was written by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. Kenny Kramer claimed that there actually was a contest which David and some friends of his held, although Kramer did not take part because he thought he could not win. David won the contest, which lasted three weeks. When David considered using the idea for an episode of Seinfeld, he did not talk about it with Jerry Seinfeld for a considerable time, because he thought the episode was impossible for him to pitch. However, Seinfeld thought it was not offensive.

The original script was not revealed until the night before the cast read-through. The first version written by David was not as clean as the one later broadcast. The note from the censor claimed that David should not use the word "masturbate". Seinfeld decided it would be better to remove any references to what George actually did. Seinfeld claimed that what was noteworthy about "The Contest" was the "dovetailing" of the stories. He claimed that it probably would have been possible to have used the word "masturbation" in the episode (in "The Ticket"—an earlier episode in the same season—George says "you must have a good story; otherwise, it's just masturbation") but that this would not have been as humorous. Part of the opening scene was originally written for "The Seinfeld Chronicles", the series' pilot episode.

"The Contest" is the first episode to feature Estelle Costanza, George's mother, as an on-screen character. Estelle Harris, who played the character, had not seen Seinfeld before she auditioned; her son told her about the audition. The cast and crew commented positively on the similarity in appearance between Harris and Jason Alexander, as it made it more believable that their characters could be related. Rachel Sweet has a cameo role in this episode as George's cousin Shelly.

There are two deleted scenes in "The Contest". One features Joyce—the teacher of Elaine's fitness class—in the opening scene talking to Elaine, Jerry, and Kramer. The second features George and Estelle Costanza in the hospital, where the female patient has been moved to the room next door after Estelle complained about her nakedness.

Reception

"The Contest" is considered one of the best Seinfeld episodes, winning several awards and positive reviews from critics. David won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode. He also won a Writers Guild of America Award for his work on the episode. Director Tom Cherones won a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for this episode. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. TV Guide ranked the episode #1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".

"The Contest" received a Nielsen rating of 13/19, meaning that the episode was watched by an average of 13% of households and 19% of all televisions were tuned to the episode when it was broadcast. Approximately 18.5 million people watched the episode then. The first repeat of the episode gave Seinfeld its highest ratings up until that point, with a 20.1/30 Nielsen Rating. It also received only 31 complaints from viewers, despite the subject matter. There were worries from sponsors who did not want to advertise during the episode due to the topics that were being discussed. Most regular advertisers did not broadcast during the show, because the series did not have good ratings at the time.

The episode is considered by most reviewers as a success for being able to cover a controversial subject in an inoffensive manner. Jonathan Boudreaux for tvdvdreviews.com said: "The Emmy-winning script by Larry David introduced the brilliant euphemism 'master of my domain' to our lexicon and helped the series to truly become must-see TV. We know what the episode is about, but the script never explicitly says it. "The Contest" effortlessly takes a potentially incendiary subject and renders it utterly inoffensive yet hilarious." He also said that "The Contest" was "one of the series' most infamous" episodes. Donna Dorsett from audaud.com commented on the refusal to use the word "masturbation," saying: "If the word had been used, even once, the show would not have been nearly as hilarious. The episode was totally inoffensive."

James Plath from DVD Town said: "Estelle Harris, as George's mother, is hilarious."

Cultural references

This is the second Seinfeld episode to feature Elaine's fondness for the Kennedy family, the first being "The Baby Shower".

The original script featured Jerry watching the TV series Flipper. It was changed to Tiny Toon Adventures due to concerns over music rights. The episode of Tiny Toons that Jerry was watching included the song "The Wheels on the Bus". However, Tiny Toons never featured that song in any actual episode of the series. The joke was under the assumption that the show was aimed at preschoolers, but in reality it is not. Seinfeld himself claimed that he had never heard of the song "The Wheels on the Bus" before recording the episode.

References in other works

"The Contest" is referenced in other Seinfeld episodes, the first being "The Outing", in which Jerry and George are mistakenly outed as gay. During the episode, when George visits his mother, there is a male patient in the hospital, who receives daily sponge baths from a male nurse. Although the winner of the contest is not mentioned, it is implied in "The Puffy Shirt" that George was the winner. However, as the plane is going down in "The Finale", George says he cheated, and Jerry declares himself the true winner. When Jerry asks why he cheated, George simply replies, "Because I'm a cheater!"

In the "Shaq" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David and Shaquille O'Neal watch "The Contest" together. O'Neal referred to this episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm as his favorite.

"The Contest" is referenced in the Beavis and Butt-Head book This Book Sucks as an excuse to get out of finishing a homework assignment.

In the Family Guy episode "Jungle Love", Peter pays the people of a South American village to re-enact "The Contest" as one of them hums the Seinfeld scene-changing music. A shaman plays Elaine, but she says "You can't spare one square?", in reference to "The Stall".

In the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode "The Gang Does a Clip Show", the gang misremembers this episode as one of their schemes with Dennis and Mac both playing Jerry, Frank playing George, Charlie playing Kramer and Dee playing Elaine, in the scene where Kramer announces he's out.

In the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode riffing on The Beast of Hollow Mountain, Crow delivers a short summary of the episode. The following episode would feature a cameo appearance by Seinfeld.

"The Contest" was the main source of inspiration for Netflix's 2020 reality television dating show Too Hot to Handle, in which formerly promiscuous contestants are forced to abstain from sexual practices including masturbation as they try to form meaningful relationships with each other.

The season 5 premiere of Big Mouth, titled "No Nut November", directly parodies the episode. The main characters agree to abstain from masturbation in an animated version of Monk's Café.

References

"Seinfeld Season 4 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
Kytasaari, Dennis (August 9, 2007). "Seinfeld (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)". epguides. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
"Fresh Air with Terry Gross, May 3, 2012: Interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus; Interview with Steven Moffat; Review of the film "The Avengers."". Fresh Air. May 3, 2012. OCLC 958462148. WHYY-FM.
Johnson, Jeff (June 5, 2006). "Master of My Domain". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
Marin, Rick (July 16, 2000). "The Great And Wonderful Wizard of Odds". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
^ Seinfeld Season 4: Inside Looks – "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. June 13, 2005.
^ Jerry Seinfeld (June 13, 2005). Seinfeld Season 4: "The Contest" – Yada Yada Yada (Audio Commentary) (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
^ Seinfeld Season 4: Notes about Nothing – "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. June 13, 2005.
Larry David (June 13, 2005). Seinfeld Season 4: The Breakthrough Season (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Seinfeld Season 4: In the Vault – "The Contest" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. June 13, 2005.
"1992–1993 Emmy Awards". Infoplease. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
1990's Directors Guild Awards official site Archived November 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine "dga.org." Retrieved on March 14, 2008
Emmy Awards official site Archived March 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Seinfeld 1992 – 1993 emmys.org. Retrieved on March 14, 2008
"TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" TV Guide; June 15, 2009; Pages 34–49
Robert Wright (June 13, 2005). Seinfeld Season 4: The Breakthrough Season (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Boudreaux, Jonathan (May 13, 2005). "Seinfeld: Season 4 DVD Review". tvdvdreviews.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
Boudreaux, Jonathan (November 27, 2005). "Seinfeld: Season 5 and Seinfeld: Season 6 DVD Review DVD Review". tvdvdreviews.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
Dorsett, Donna (June 3, 2005). "Seinfeld, Season 4 (1992–1993)". audaud.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
Plath, James (May 17, 2005). "Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian (The Complete 4th Season)". DVD Town. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
Traina, Jimmy (July 20, 2005). "Top 10 Athlete TV Cameos: From Seinfeld's Hernandez to The Jefferson's Reggie". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
White, Peter (April 16, 2020). "'Too Hot To Handle': Producers Dish The Dirt On Netflix Reality Show That Combines 'Seinfeld's 'The Contest' With 'Love Island'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2020.

External links

"The Contest" at IMDb

v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode

Awards for "The Contest"

Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series

1971–2000

John Rich for "All in the Family" (1971)
Gene Reynolds for "Pilot" (M*A*S*H) (1972)
Gene Reynolds for "Deal Me Out" (1973)
Hy Averback for "Alcoholics Unanimous" (1974)
Hy Averback for "Bombed" (1975)
Alan Alda for "Dear Sigmund" (1976)
Paul Bogart for "Edith's 50th Birthday" (1977)
Paul Bogart for "California, Here We Are" (1978)
Charles S. Dubin for "Period of Adjustment" (1979)
Noam Pitlik for "Fog" (1980)
Alan Alda for "The Life You Save" (1981)
Alan Alda for "Where There's a Will, There's a War" (1982)
James Burrows for "Showdown: Part II" (1983)
Jay Sandrich for "Pilot" (The Cosby Show) (1984)
Jay Sandrich for "Pilot" (The Golden Girls) (1985)
Terry Hughes for "Isn't It Romantic?" (1986)
Will Mackenzie for "A, My Name is Alex" (1987)
Steve Miner for "Pilot" (The Wonder Years) (1988)
Barnet Kellman for "Brown Like Me" (1989)
James Burrows for "Woody Interruptus" (1990)
Peter Bonerz for "Uh Oh: Part II" (1991)
Tom Cherones for "The Contest" (1992)
James Burrows for "The Good Son" (1993)
David Lee for "The Matchmaker" (1994)
Gordon Hunt for "The Alan Brady Show" (1995)
Andy Ackerman for "The Rye" (1996)
Andy Ackerman for "The Betrayal" (1997)
Thomas Schlamme for "Pilot" (Sports Night) (1998)
Thomas Schlamme for "Small Town" (1999)
James Burrows for "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" (2000)

2001–present

Todd Holland for "Bowling" (2001)
Bryan Gordon for "Special Section" (2002)
Tim Van Patten for "Boy Interrupted" (2003)
Tim Van Patten for "An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux" (2004)
Marc Buckland for "Pilot" (My Name Is Earl) (2005)
Richard Shepard for "Pilot" (Ugly Betty) (2006)
Barry Sonnenfeld for "Pie-lette" (2007)
Paul Feig for "Dinner Party" (2008)
Jason Winer for "Pilot" (Modern Family) (2009)
Michael Spiller for "Halloween" (2010)
Robert B. Weide for "Palestinian Chicken" (2011)
Lena Dunham for "Pilot" (Girls) (2012)
Beth McCarthy-Miller for "Hogcock!" / "Last Lunch" (2013)
Jill Soloway for "Best New Girl" (2014)
Chris Addison for "Election Night" (2015)
Becky Martin for "Inauguration" (2016)
Beth McCarthy-Miller for "Chicklet" (2017)
Bill Hader for "Chapter One: Make Your Mark" (2018)
Bill Hader for "ronny/lily" (2019)
Susanna Fogel for "In Case of Emergency" (2020)
Lucia Aniello for "There Is No Line" (2021)
Bill Hader for "710N" (2022)
Christopher Storer for "Fishes" (2023)

v t e Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
1950s	James Allardice & Jack Douglas & Hal Kanter & Harry Winkler for The George Gobel Show (1955) Arnold M. Auerbach & Barry Blitzer & Vincent Bogert & Nat Hiken & Coleman Jacoby & Harvey Orkin & Arnold Rosen & Terry Ryan & Tony Webster for The Phil Silvers Show (1956) No Award (1957) Billy Friedberg & Nat Hiken & Coleman Jacoby & Arnold Rosen & A.J. Russell & Terry Ryan & Phil Sharp & Tony Webster & Sydney Zelinka for The Phil Silvers Show (1958) George Balzer & Hal Goldman & Al Gordon & Sam Perrin for The Jack Benny Show (1959)
1960s	George Balzer & Hal Goldman & Al Gordon & Sam Perrin for The Jack Benny Show (1960) Dave O'Brien & Martin Ragaway & Sherwood Schwartz & Al Schwartz & Red Skelton for The Red Skelton Show (1961) Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show (1962) Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show (1963) No Award (1964) No Award (1965) Sam Denoff & Bill Persky for "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" (1966) Buck Henry & Leonard B. Stern for "Ship of Spies: Parts 1 and 2" (1967) Allan Burns & Chris Hayward for "The Coming Out Party" (1968) No Award (1969)
1970s	No Award (1970) James L. Brooks & Allan Burns for "Support Your Local Mother" (1971) Burt Styler for "Edith's Problem" (1972) Lee Kalcheim & Michael Ross & Bernie West for "The Bunkers and the Swingers" (1973) Treva Silverman for "The Lou and Edie Story" (1974) Stan Daniels & Ed. Weinberger for "Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?" (1975) David Lloyd for "Chuckles Bites the Dust" (1976) James L. Brooks & Allan Burns & Stan Daniels & Bob Ellison & David Lloyd & Ed. Weinberger for "The Last Show" (1977) Harve Brosten & Barry Harman & Bob Schiller & Bob Weiskopf for "Cousin Liz" (1978) No Award (1979)
1980s	R.J. Colleary for "The Photographer" (1980) Michael J. Leeson for "Tony's Sister and Jim" (1981) Ken Estin for "Elegant Iggy" (1982) Glen Charles and Les Charles for "Give Me a Ring Sometime" (1983) David Angell for "Old Flames" (1984) Ed. Weinberger & Michael J. Leeson for "Pilot" (The Cosby Show) (1985) Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan for "A Little Romance" (1986) Gary David Goldberg & Alan Uger for "A, My Name is Alex" (1987) Hugh Wilson for "The Bridge" (1988) Diane English for "Pilot" (Murphy Brown) (1989)
1990s	Bob Brush for "Good-bye" (1990) Gary Dontzig & Steven Peterman for "Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way" (1991) Elaine Pope & Larry Charles for "The Fix-Up" (1992) Larry David for "The Contest" (1993) David Angell & Peter Casey & David Lee for "The Good Son" (1994) Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano for "An Affair to Forget" (1995) Joe Keenan & Christopher Lloyd & Rob Greenberg & Jack Burditt & Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano & Linda Morris & Vic Rauseo for "Moon Dance" (1996) Ellen DeGeneres & Mark Driscoll & Dava Savel & Tracy Newman & Jonathan Stark for "The Puppy Episode" (1997) Peter Tolan & Garry Shandling for "Flip" (1998) Jay Kogen for "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" (1999)
2000s	Linwood Boomer for "Pilot" (Malcolm in the Middle) (2000) Alex Reid for "Bowling" (2001) Larry Wilmore for "Pilot" (The Bernie Mac Show) (2002) Tucker Cawley for "Baggage" (2003) Mitchell Hurwitz for "Pilot" (Arrested Development) (2004) Mitchell Hurwitz & Jim Vallely for "Righteous Brothers" (2005) Greg Garcia for "Pilot" (My Name Is Earl) (2006) Greg Daniels for "Gay Witch Hunt" (2007) Tina Fey for "Cooter" (2008) Matt Hubbard for "Reunion" (2009)
2010s	Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd for "Pilot" (Modern Family) (2010) Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman for "Caught in the Act" (2011) Louis C.K. for "Pregnant" (2012) Tina Fey & Tracey Wigfield for "Last Lunch" (2013) Louis C.K. for "So Did the Fat Lady" (2014) Simon Blackwell & Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche for "Election Night" (2015) Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang for "Parents" (2016) Aziz Ansari & Lena Waithe for "Thanksgiving" (2017) Amy Sherman-Palladino for "Pilot" (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) (2018) Phoebe Waller-Bridge for "Episode 1" (2019)
2020s	Dan Levy for "Happy Ending" (2020) Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky for "There Is No Line" (2021) Quinta Brunson for "Pilot" (Abbott Elementary) (2022) Christopher Storer for "System" (2023) Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for "Bulletproof" (2024)

Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy

1960s

Dorothy Cooper for "Margaret's Old Flame" (1960)
Sam Bobrick & Bill Idelson for "The Shoplifters" / Martin Ragaway for "My Husband Is the Best One" (1964)
Carl Kleinschmitt & Dale McRaven for " Br-room, Br-room"(1965)
Jack Winter for "You Ought To Be In Pictures" (1966)
Marvin Marx & Gordon Rod Parker & Walter Stone for "Movies Are Better Than Ever" (1967)
Sam Bobrick & Bill Idelson for "Viva Smart" (1968)
Allan Burns for "Funny Boy" (1969)

1970s

Richard DeRoy for "The Valediction" (1970)
Martin Cohan for "Thoroughly Unmilitant Mary" (1971)
Larry Gelbart for "Chief Surgeon Who?" (1972)
Robert Schiller & Robert Weiskopf for "Walter's Problem" (1973)
Larry Gelbart & Laurence Marks for "O.R." (1974)
James Fritzell & Larry Gelbart & Everett Greenbaum for "Welcome to Korea" (1975)
Alan Alda for "Dear Sigmund" (1976)
Larry Rhine & Mel Tolkin for "Archie Gets the Business" (1977)
Gary David Goldberg for "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1978)
Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox for "Are You Now, Margaret?" / Ken Estin for "The Reluctant Fighter" (1979)

1980s

Dennis Koenig & Gene Reynolds for "Heal Thyself" (1980)
Nat Mauldin for "Stormy Weather" (1981)
Stephen Neigher & Tony Sheehan for "Hunger Strike" (1982)
David Isaacs & Ken Levine for "The Boys in the Bar" / Glen Charles and Les Charles for "Give Me a Ring Sometime" (1983)
Michael J. Weithorn for "Sumner's Return" (1984)
Glenn Gordon Caron for "Pilot" (Moonlighting) / Elias Davis & David Pollock for "Madison Avenue Madness" (1985)
Bob Randall for "Allie's Affair" (1986)
Jay Tarses for "Here's Why Cosmetics Should Come in Unbreakable Bottles" / Gary David Goldberg & Alan Uger for "A, My Name is Alex" / Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan for "'Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas" (1987)
Carol Black & Neal Marlens for "My Father's Office" (1988)
Todd W. Langen for "Coda" (1989)

1990s

Diane English for "Brown Like Me" (1990)
David Isaacs & Ken Levine for "Rat Girl" (1991)
Diane English & Korby Siamis for "Uh-Oh: Part II" (1992)
Larry David for "The Contest" (1993)
Larry David & Lawrence H. Levy for "The Mango" (1994)
Joe Keenan for "The Matchmaker" (1995)
David Mandel for "The Pool Guy" (1996)
Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin for "The Fatigues" (1997)
Rob Greenberg for "Frasier's Imaginary Friend" (1998)
Jay Kogen for "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" (1999)

2000s

Joe Keenan & Christopher Lloyd for "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue" (2000)
Philip Rosenthal for "Italy" (2001)
Bob Daily & Lori Kirkland & Dan O'Shannon for "Rooms with a View" (2002)
Bob Daily for "No Sex, Please, We're Skittish" (2003)
Mitchell Hurwitz & Jim Vallely for "Pier Pressure" / Neil Thompson for "Ida's Boyfriend" (2004)
Jenji Kohan for "You Can't Miss the Bear" (2005)
Steve Carell for "Casino Night" (2006)
Paul Lieberstein & Michael Schur for "The Job" (2007)
Andrew Guest & John Riggi for "Succession" (2008)
Robert Carlock for "Apollo, Apollo" / Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd for "Pilot" (2009)

2010s

Robert Carlock for "When It Rains, It Pours" (2010)
Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman for "Caught in the Act" (2011)
Elaine Ko for "Virgin Territory" (2012)
Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock for "Hogcock!" (2013)
Louis C.K. for "So Did the Fat Lady" (2014)
Clay Tarver for "Sand Hill Shuffle" (2015)
Robert Carlock for "Kimmy Goes on a Playdate!" (2016)
Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally for "Rosario's Quinceañera" (2017)
Alec Berg & Bill Hader for "Chapter One: Make Your Mark" (2018)
Liz Feldman for "Pilot" (Dead to Me) (2019)

2020s

Tony McNamara for "The Great" (2020)
Tony McNamara for "Alone at Last" (2021)
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for "The One, The Only" (2022)
Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman for "Escape from Shit Mountain" (2023)

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