Jerry Seinfeld once said that the show was basically about nothing, but anyone who watched Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 7 knows that’s a total lie. It’s about everything. It’s about the way a 1971 Ferrari Daytona 365 GTB/4 sounds when it’s struggling to breathe in the damp New York air. It’s about why Steve Martin doesn't do stand-up anymore. Honestly, it’s about the specific way Jerry sips a caffeine-heavy brew while staring at a comedy legend like he’s trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube.
This particular season, which aired back in early 2016, felt different. It was the moment the "web series" label started to feel a bit too small for what Seinfeld was actually accomplishing.
The President, the Mustang, and the South Lawn
Look, we have to talk about the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Or rather, the Commander-in-Chief in the 1963 Corvette Stingray. The premiere of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 7 featured Barack Obama. It was a massive flex. Jerry didn't go to some sterile studio in D.C. He rolled up to the White House gates, honked the horn, and eventually ended up eating apples in the basement dining room with the leader of the free world.
It wasn't a political interview. That’s why it worked.
They talked about the sheer weirdness of living in a "bubble." Obama joked about how many of his suits were exactly the same. Jerry asked him about his morning routine. It was humanizing in a way that traditional media just can’t replicate because the car acts as a truth serum. When you're strapped into a vintage bucket seat, you can't really lean on your talking points. You’re just a guy in a car.
What’s wild is that this episode almost didn't happen the way we saw it. Jerry originally wanted to take the President off-campus, but the Secret Service—rightfully—wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of a 60s sports car screaming down Pennsylvania Avenue with the President in the passenger seat. So, they stayed on the grounds. It didn't matter. Watching them try to get the car out of the garage was more entertaining than most late-night talk show segments.
Why the Guest List for Season 7 Was Unbeatable
If you look at the roster for this stretch of episodes, it’s basically a Hall of Fame induction ceremony. You had Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, Garry Shandling, Kathleen Madigan, and Sebastian Maniscalco.
The Steve Martin episode is a masterclass in nostalgia.
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Martin is notoriously private, kinda shy, and deeply intellectual. Putting him in a 1954 Siata 200CS was a stroke of genius. The car is beautiful but temperamental. It mirrors the conversation. They went to a nondescript diner—as is the law of the show—and deconstructed the "agony" of the early years in comedy. Martin admitted that he doesn't really miss the stage. That’s a huge admission for a guy who was once the biggest rockstar in stand-up history.
Then you have Garry Shandling.
Looking back, the "It's Great That Garry Shandling Is Still Alive" episode is heartbreaking. It aired just weeks before Shandling passed away from a pulmonary embolism. In the episode, they talk about health, mortality, and the "material" of life. It’s eerie. It’s beautiful. It’s Jerry and Garry being two old friends who have seen it all. Shandling’s neurotic energy was the perfect foil to Jerry’s clinical observation. They visited CBS Studio Center, and the chemistry was just... pure. No scripts. Just two giants of the 90s sitcom era realizing they were the elder statesmen now.
The Cars Are Actually the Main Characters
A lot of people think the cars are just props. They aren't.
In Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 7, the vehicle selection was incredibly deliberate. For Will Ferrell, Jerry picked a 1970 Plymouth Superbird in Petty Blue. It’s a ridiculous car. It has a wing on the back that’s tall enough to serve as a clothesline. It’s loud, it’s obnoxious, and it makes people stare. It is, in automotive form, Will Ferrell.
Ferrell, being Ferrell, spent a good chunk of the episode talking about how much he loves a good cat nap and his bizarrely normal life in contrast to his insane screen persona.
Compare that to the 1970 Dodge Challenger used for the Kathleen Madigan episode. That car is pure American muscle, gritty and reliable, much like Madigan’s comedy style. They drove around the Valley, grabbed some coffee, and discussed the road-warrior lifestyle of a touring comic. It's the "blue-collar" episode of the season, and it provides a necessary balance to the high-society vibes of the Obama or Martin segments.
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The Art of the Edit
Something people don't give Jerry enough credit for is the editing. He famously spends hundreds of hours in the edit suite for these short bursts of content.
The jump cuts. The close-ups of the espresso machine. The way the engine noise is leveled to sound like a symphony. In Season 7, the production value peaked. It moved away from the raw, slightly grainy look of the early Crackle years and started looking like high-end cinema.
You’ve got these macro shots of sugar being poured into a cup that look like they belong in a Scorsese film. It’s coffee porn, sure, but it’s also a way to pace the conversation. It gives the viewer a "breath" between the jokes.
The "Sebastian" Factor
Before Sebastian Maniscalco was selling out Madison Square Garden for four nights straight, he was the guy Jerry picked for the Season 7 finale. Jerry has always had an eye for talent, but his obsession with Sebastian’s physicality and "disgust" with modern society was palpable here.
They drove a 1949 DeSoto. A big, clunky, "grandfather" car.
It was the perfect vessel for a conversation about how much they both hate everything. They talked about people wearing pajamas on planes and the decline of common courtesy. It was a "get off my lawn" session that felt earned. Maniscalco’s rise to superstardom shortly after this season felt inevitable once you saw how much Jerry respected his craft.
What Season 7 Taught Us About Comedy
Ultimately, this season solidified the idea that comedy isn't just about the punchline. It’s about the "hang."
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We learned that:
- Even the President of the United States wants to know if he’s "cool" enough for a comedian.
- Steve Martin thinks the best part of his career was the beginning, not the peak.
- A 1954 Siata is a nightmare to keep running but worth the trouble for the aesthetics.
- Great comedians never really stop "working" a bit, even over eggs and toast.
The season didn't just entertain; it archived a specific era of American humor. It caught Shandling at the end, Obama at his most relaxed, and Maniscalco right before his explosion.
Actionable Insights for the Die-Hard Fan
If you're looking to revisit this season or dive in for the first time, don't just binge-watch it on a small phone screen. These episodes are shot in a way that rewards high-definition viewing.
- Watch the Shandling episode first. It’s the emotional core of the series. Pay attention to the way they talk about "the end." It’s a rare moment of vulnerability from Jerry.
- Track the car-to-guest correlation. Jerry picks the cars based on the guest's personality. Try to guess why he picked the 1970 Plymouth Superbird for Will Ferrell before they even start talking. Hint: It’s about the "absurdity of scale."
- Focus on the background. One of the best parts of the show is seeing the reactions of the people in the diners. Most of them have no idea they are sitting ten feet away from two of the wealthiest people in entertainment.
- Listen to the foley work. The sound design—the clinking of spoons, the hiss of the milk steamer—is intentional. It’s designed to trigger a sensory response that makes you feel like you’re sitting at the table with them.
The legacy of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 7 is that it proved you don't need a 22-minute runtime or a studio audience to create something iconic. You just need a fast car, a strong cup of coffee, and two people who aren't afraid to say what they actually think.
Go back and watch the Obama episode again. Look at the way the Secret Service agents are positioned in the background while Jerry is trying to show the President how to use a coffee pod machine. It’s a surreal slice of Americana that we probably won't see again anytime soon.
The show eventually moved to Netflix and changed its structure slightly, but this specific run on Crackle remains the high-water mark for the "minimalist" talk show. It’s lean, it’s focused, and it’s undeniably Jerry.
To get the most out of your rewatch, start with the "Just Tell Him You’re the President" episode and follow it immediately with "If You See This Car, Give Me a Ride." The contrast between the leader of the free world and the king of the "jerk-off" comedy style (Jerry's words for himself) is exactly why this show works. It levels the playing field. Everyone, no matter how famous, is just looking for a good laugh and a decent caffeine kick.
Check the technical specs of the cars on a secondary screen while you watch. Understanding that the 1963 Corvette Stingray has a split rear window—a one-year-only feature—makes the visual of Jerry and Obama inside the car even more significant to enthusiasts. It’s those layers of detail that keep the show relevant a decade later.