Jerry Seinfeld likes to talk about nothing. We know this. But by the time comedians in cars getting coffee season 3 rolled around in early 2014, the "nothing" started feeling like a very specific, high-stakes "something."
It’s weird to think about now, but back then, digital series were still mostly junk. People thought web shows were for teenagers in their bedrooms, not for the guy who turned down $5 million an episode to keep making a sitcom. Seinfeld didn't care. He just wanted to drive old cars and talk to his friends. Season 3 is where the show stopped being an experiment and became a heavyweight.
The Louis C.K. Boat Incident and Why It Mattered
If you ask fans about comedians in cars getting coffee season 3, they usually bring up the episode "Comedy, Car and Cosmic Voyages." Louis C.K. was at the absolute peak of his powers here. Before the controversies that would later sideline his career, he was the guy Seinfeld respected most as a pure craftsman.
They weren't just in a car. They ended up on a boat.
The 1959 Fiat 600 Jolly that Jerry picked out was ridiculous. It had wicker seats. Wicker! In a car! It’s essentially a golf cart for the Italian Riviera, and seeing two grown men navigate New York traffic in a motorized basket was peak Seinfeldian absurdity. But the magic happened when Louis told the story of his own boat. He talked about getting stuck in the mud in Harlem with his kids.
It was harrowing. It was hilarious. It was the moment the show realized it didn't actually need the "car" part of the title to stay in the car. The conversation was the engine. Seinfeld’s genius in this season was letting the guest dictate the rhythm, something he struggled with slightly in the first few episodes of the series.
The Weirdness of the 1970 Plymouth Superbird
Then you had the Patton Oswalt episode. Jerry picked a 1970 Plymouth Superbird in Petty Blue. This car is an aerodynamic nightmare of 1970s ambition, featuring a rear wing so high you could hang laundry on it.
Honestly, Patton looked like he was being swallowed by the upholstery.
They went to Handsome Coffee Roasters. They talked about the "black vacuum" of being a comedian. It’s this specific brand of shop talk that makes comedians in cars getting coffee season 3 so rewatchable. You aren't hearing a press junket interview. You're hearing two guys who have spent 30 years in dimly lit basements trying to make strangers laugh, discussing why a specific joke about a "check-out girl" failed in 1994.
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Howard Stern and the Battle of Egos
The season finale featured Howard Stern. This was a massive get for Crackle (the platform most of us forgot existed until Jerry showed up there).
Stern is used to being the one asking the questions. He’s the inquisitor. Putting him in the passenger seat of a 1969 Pontiac GTO was a power move. Howard is huge—he’s a giant of a man—and seeing him folded into a muscle car like a piece of human origami was a visual gag in itself.
They fought. Sorta.
They argued about who had a harder career path. Howard insisted he was the "king of all media" because of the sheer volume of hours he put in. Jerry, ever the minimalist, argued that distilling a thought into a two-minute bit is the harder craft. It was a fascinating clash of philosophies: the maximalist vs. the minimalist.
The Unsung Hero: The 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL
Jay Leno appeared in this season, too. Of course he did. You can't have a show about cars and comedy without the guy who owns a literal warehouse of them.
Jerry drove a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL. It was "W108" for the nerds out there. It’s a tank. It’s elegant. It’s basically the automotive version of a perfectly tailored tuxedo.
What’s interesting about this episode isn't the car, though. It’s the way Jay and Jerry talk about the "Tonight Show" transition. Remember, this was shortly after the second Tonight Show debacle. Leno was surprisingly candid. Or as candid as Jay Leno gets, which is to say, he talked about it through the lens of work ethic. He just likes to work. He’s a comedy shark; if he stops moving, he dies.
The Tina Fey "Feces" Factor
"The Last Supper" with Tina Fey is arguably the most "New York" the show has ever felt. They drove a 1967 Volvo 1800S. It’s a beautiful, understated car that actually holds the world record for the highest mileage on a personal vehicle.
Tina Fey is sharp. She doesn't give Jerry an inch.
They went to the Dominique Ansel Bakery. They talked about the "Cronut" craze. But the real meat was when they discussed the "feces" of the job—the parts of showrunning and performing that just suck. Tina’s take on the exhaustion of 30 Rock vs. Jerry’s "I’m done" attitude toward Seinfeld highlighted the generational gap in how they viewed their own success.
Why Season 3 Still Matters Today
Look, there are 11 seasons of this show. You could watch the Obama episode or the Eddie Murphy one and get bigger stars. But comedians in cars getting coffee season 3 is where the DNA of the "talk show" was permanently altered.
Before this, talk shows were:
- Sit behind a desk.
- Laugh at a bandleader's bad joke.
- Plug a movie.
- Go to commercial.
Jerry threw that out. He realized that if you put two funny people in a confined space with good caffeine and a mechanical object that might break down at any moment, the "performance" drops. You get the actual person.
The Cars of Season 3 (A Quick Recap)
- 1959 Fiat 600 Jolly: (Louis C.K.) The "basket car." Completely impractical, 100% charming.
- 1970 Plymouth Superbird: (Patton Oswalt) A racing legend that looks like a cartoon character.
- 1967 Volvo 1800S: (Tina Fey) The thinking person’s sports car.
- 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL: (Jay Leno) German engineering at its peak.
- 1969 Pontiac GTO: (Howard Stern) The "Judge." Pure American muscle for a radio titan.
- 1952 Volkswagen Beetle: (Todd Barry) A simple car for a guy with a very dry, simple (on the surface) delivery.
The Todd Barry episode is actually a sleeper hit. They went to Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island. It’s incredibly low-stakes. It’s just two guys eating hot dogs and wondering why they do what they do.
Technical Brilliance in the Edit
We have to talk about the editing. Seinfeld is obsessed with the "beat."
The way Season 3 is cut—the close-ups of the espresso machine, the gear shifts, the engine roars—it creates a sensory experience that justifies the "Coffee" and "Cars" part of the title. It’s not just filler. The sound of the GTO’s engine is treated with as much respect as Howard Stern’s voice.
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By the time the season wrapped, it was clear this wasn't just a hobby for Jerry. He was building a library. A historical record of how funny people think.
If you're looking to dive back into the series, don't start at the beginning. Start here. Season 3 has the perfect balance of legendary status and raw, awkward energy. It’s before the show became a global Netflix phenomenon and while it still felt like a secret club you were being invited into.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Rewatch
To truly appreciate what Jerry was doing in comedians in cars getting coffee season 3, you need to look past the punchlines.
Watch the eyes. Notice how often the guest is looking out the window while they tell their most personal stories. There is something about not having to make eye contact—because you're both looking at the road—that makes people more honest.
Listen to the silence. Jerry is a master of the "pregnant pause." In the Leno episode, there are moments where they just sit with the sound of the Mercedes engine. It’s a level of comfort that most interviewers are too terrified to allow.
Track the coffee. Notice how the quality of the cafe usually reflects the personality of the guest. The high-end "Handsome Coffee" for Patton vs. the Coney Island boardwalk for Todd Barry isn't an accident. It's character work through caffeine.
For those wanting to dig deeper into the specific mechanics of these cars, checking out the Bring a Trailer archives for 1960s-70s muscle cars will give you a sense of why Seinfeld chose these specific specimens. Most of them are from his personal collection or sourced from high-end brokers like Spike Feresten, who is a frequent collaborator and car expert for the show.
Actionable Takeaways for Superfans
- Analyze the "Why": Next time you watch the Louis C.K. episode, ask why a Fiat Jolly was the right choice. Hint: It’s about vulnerability. You can’t look "cool" or "tough" in a car with a fringe top.
- Comparison Shop: Watch the Howard Stern episode of Comedians in Cars and then watch his interview on David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. The difference in Howard’s energy when he’s in a moving car versus a theater seat is staggering.
- Identify the "Bit": Every episode has a moment where Jerry tries to find the "nugget" of a joke. In the Tina Fey episode, it’s about the "Cronut." Try to spot the exact moment the conversation shifts from small talk to "writing a bit."
This season remains a masterclass in minimalist storytelling. It proved that you don't need a $200 million set to capture the attention of millions. You just need a 50-year-old engine, a double espresso, and two people who know how to tell a story.