Why The Seinfeld Cast & Crew Refused To Shoot One Episode

Television Comedy Shows

When "Seinfeld" got controversial, it didn't do so in a socially conscious way á la Norman Lear's "All in the Family," nor did it go in for barbed political satire (which may be one reason why its infamous "The Puerto Rican Day" episode landed with such a thud in 1998). Generally, the series crossed lines alongside its hilariously self-absorbed and frequently petty characters, who might get caught up in a competition over who can abstain from pleasuring themselves the longest or worked into a panic over being erroneously outed as gay in a major publication. (Some of these episodes really haven't aged well.)

For the most part, the cast and crew knew what show they'd signed up to appear in or work on, so everyone had a sense as to what subjects might be taboo. There was one time, however, when everyone wasn't on the same page, which resulted in an edgy "Seinfeld" episode actually getting scrapped. What was the topic that prominent members of the "Seinfeld" brain trust simply didn't find amusing? The answer, unsurprisingly, is guns.

The Seinfeld collective didn't find guns funny

"Seinfeld" was still something of a cult favorite in its second season when writer Larry Charles (who would go on to direct the first "Borat" movie and "Brüno," to give you an idea of how far he's willing to go) hit upon an idea for a future episode. As he told Screen Crush's Mike Ryan in 2014, "I think it was as simple as me wondering, 'What if Elaine bought a gun?'"

Exploring the ups and downs of being a gun owner via Julia Louis-Dreyfus's Elaine certainly had biting comedic potential, but it was a B plot wedged into a deeply silly episode about Jerry and George entering a bet over Kramer's story about having sex with a flight attendant on a plane headed back from Puerto Rico. As I wrote previously on /Film, Elaine's speculated-upon ownership (she doesn't actually buy the weapon) leads to a disturbing bit of banter over how she'd like to shoot Jerry in the head.

"Guns aren't funny," said director Tom Cherones. Louis-Dreyfus agreed, and that was enough to get the episode kiboshed. Though it was never shot, the script, titled "The Bet," still exists and has been circulated online thanks to the person who paid an undisclosed sum to Jason Alexander for the actor's copy. Now you can decide for yourself if this was an instance of "Seinfeld" pushing a tad too far.