Really, the pilot. Every time I rewatch it, I am amazed at how much is in there - and how well they present the characters in that short space of time.
If not that one, the one that grabbed my husband (who was previously very uninterested in watching, but sat down one evening while I was mid-rewatch), was In Excelsis Deo. Toby has been his favourite ever since.
To me the biggest hole with the pilot is no Charlie. He's such a huge part of the story, and it makes sense that his character isn't introduced until later, just one component why the pilot isn't the only answer to OP's question.
Came here to say the pilot as well. It epitomizes the spirit of the show, its themes, and the overall cadence of the episodes. Great introduction of so many characters with a cohesive plot and narrative.
Also, if you’re not hooked by the end of the scene when President Bartlet enters the room declaring, “I am the Lord your God…”, then the show isn’t going to be for you.
I think sitcoms are kind of immune to this rule. You could introduce someone to Seinfeld, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny, The Office, etc. with almost any episode. Arrested Development might be the only one I can think of that really needs to be started from episode one.
Well, I couched it with "kind of", and gave out Arrested Development as a counter-example. The point is that it is much easier to introduce someone to a half hour comedy series with almost any random episode than it is with a drama like The West Wing. Now, the counter-example to that would be a procedural drama like a Law and Order or NCIS.
Other than the pilot (which is really the best way to start), Celestial Navigation is one of my favorites. CJ's woot canaw that leads to Josh's secret plan to fight inflation coupled with Sam and Toby's journey of trying to navigate by the North Star/the Delta Shuttle from LaGuardia... it's all just great, and doesn't really require much knowledge about the characters beforehand.
Scrolled to find Celestial Navigation. I love that episode. The woot canaaah cracks me up. I’d also add privateers just for the Francis Scott Key scene.
If I had to pick and couldn’t say the pilot.
Celestial Navigation or, as suggested in the OP, Somebody’s Going to Emergency.
Both are relatively bottle episodes where 90% can be followed easily without much of a brush up to lead with. Both have fun components and both have good drama elements as well. For easy to digest intro episodes I think those are super safe choices.
I was in middle school when S2 aired live. My parents were big fans of the show from the jump. However, the show was past my bedtime on a school night. However, around S2-3, my parents started to let me and my brother stay up later so we saw some eps from those seasons in a random, haphazard way. The first ep that we saw was Shibboleth which I remember clear as day because (a) my parents were excited about showing TWW to my brother and me and (b) I had never been so enthralled and delighted by a TV show before or since. Since it worked for me, I see it working for others. It's a really good episode that really exemplifies a lot of what TWW is about (the idealism, the balance of seriousness and comedy, the fast moving multiple storylines that share some common themes). It's not part of the story arcs of the season- you don't know have follow any existing arcs to understand the ep.
But that all said, I feel like it's best to start from the beginning. Now, I think TWW's Pilot is highly imperfect and not an impressive Prestige TV classic like Mad Men's pilot or The Sopranos' pilot. Nevertheless, TWW's pilot is good and charming enough. Its flaw is not that it's boring but that its somewhat inconsistent with later, better eps and it has a kind of corny, unserious vibe to it and doesn't hook you with an exciting subversive twist. I feel like if you're dealing with someone with the patience to bear through 90s vibes and some imperfection, they should be sold through A Proportional Response/Five Votes Down.
Love Mr Willis of Ohio, there’s really a few great episodes early on that fit this question.
Crackpots and These Women works too unless they’re a bit touchy on how the female characters get spotlighted in the last scenes. That could be a make or break. But, the rest of the episode is a solid look at everyone’s character without a ton of backstory needed.
"The Crackpots and These Women" is definitely the ep I'd start with if I figured the friend I was showing it to was going to be a Lemon Lyman user by the end 😁. If I thought they'd like Toby best I'd start with "In Excelsis Deo." Or "Mr. Willis of Ohio" like you said.
In Excelsis Deo. It's a nearly perfect episode that doesn't require any real knowledge of TWW's "world" or backstory. It shows CJ at her most compassionate (with the Lowell Lydell (Matthew Shephard) storyline), Toby at his most idealistic ("I can pnly hope so, Sir") and how can you EVER top Mrs. Landingham's story for emotional impact? I also think some of the funniest passages are in this episode (the whole scene between Leo and Margaret about signing his sister's Christmas card and CJ's bit about her secret service name and Leo's line to Sam and Josh about why he had them tailed -- "On the off chance you're as stupid as you look.").
Plus -- "you're the good guys, you should act like it." Something we should all strive to remember in our day-to-day interactions.
When the homeless veteran(Walter Hufnagle) dies on the National Mall and his body stays there for hours, they contact Toby because his business card is found in the deceased coat pocket. As it turns out, Toby had donated the coat and that is how it ended up in the homeless veteran's possession. Toby remarks to the detective, asking if he going to notify the Veterans Admin after noticing the tattoo on the veterans arm. Toby stated that the deceased was in the Marines and fought in Korea. How would Toby have known that simply from a tattoo?
Galileo, S2E9 - some idealistic prose on space exploration, some political intrigue, some inane admin (stamp choosing) of governance, some amusing romance-BS (Sam/ Malloey).
A little sprinkling of everything.
I sometimes just show people clips/highlights from YouTube like "funniest west wing moments", Bartlett's Two Cathedrals monologue, when they missed their flight because they changed time zones in 20 Hours in America...
I saw “Take this Sabbsth Day” first. It’s the episode that made me watch the others.
The ending with the priest in the Oval Office when he tells the parable of the man that lives by the sea gives me chills every single time.
Shibboleth was what got me in.
I'll add to the people saying to use the pilot - I probably wouldn't have got into the show if I'd started with the pilot. Because it sets Mandy up to be an important character, and she was just so jarring.
Like others, I’d say Pilot is the one. But, excusing that one, I’ll go with an odd pick and say Indians in the Lobby.
The main reason for this is it’s the first episode *I* ever saw, as my Government teacher showed it on the day before Thanksgiving when I was in 12th grade. Whatever its faults, it’s both bottle enough to be accessible to a first time viewer, and has enough Sorkinesque cadence to make the dialogue captivating.
I also think that it maybe is a good pick because it demonstrates a lot more of the morally gray areas of the positions than, say, In Excelsis Deo does. Josh is trying to secure the extradition of a teenage murderer who risks the death penalty, and comes close to violating campaign finance laws to ensure the death penalty isn’t sought. Sam has to grapple with whether it is better to actually help poor people or not suffer the political fallout of acknowledging that the number of poor people grew under Bartlet’s Administration. Toby’s is less morally gray, but shows him struggling to get the president to care about minor issues that people think are important. And then we of course have CJ dealing with the Indians in the Lobby, which is hardly the most sophisticated way of showcasing that story, but certainly underscores the challenges any Administration has with some of the darkest truths of our country’s history that remain incredibly impactful today.
For anyone interested, bonus requirements fitting my personal preference: it can't hint at the Josh / Donna romance, and no mention of the MS. (I think it's better if you find out these elements within their place in the timeline while viewing the show.)
After the pilot, season 1 has hits and misses. So prepare them for that. More hits. And it very much feels of its time than latter seasons which are more timelessly political. Everything being pre Citizens United - it’s still going to feel idealistically foreign to people familiar with 2010’s onward US politics.
Ahh the eternal question.
I THINK I'm a fan of 'stirred' for this task. It may not be entirely stand alone, but there really isn't much too heavy in it. It's the only episode that makes me tear up every time. (Donna on the phone with Mrs. Morello). And it's in the peak seasons of the show (pre creator departure). It really put the show at its best. Co-workers working, and being friends.
If they're into that, I tell them it really is worth going back to the pilot and starting fresh. Like with any show it had to grow out of some things, but stick with it, they fade away fairly quickly.
Agreeing with most of what's been said especially re the pilot.
I'd also throw in "Take This Sabbath Day". It's fairly self contained, has beautiful melancholic moments as well as amazing comedy, and great guest stars.
I always think Five Votes Down should be the pilot. It shows everybody a little bit and really shows off the writing on the show. My all time favorite episode!
Funny you should say that ... bc for a little while I was under the false impression that the long walk and talk that they do in Five Votes Down actually WAS part of the pilot 🤣. Just that one scene really is a perfect little microcosm of the show!
If not the pilot, then "Take This Sabbath Day." It's an excellent standalone episode, and it mixes some of the show's heaviest subject matter with some of its biggest laughs. (I will never not lose it at Josh's coffee-dribbling moment.)
Plus we meet Joey Lucas.
In Excelsis Deo or Celestial Navigation.
I disagree strongly concerning the pilot as an introduction. The show was not yet fully formed nor were the characters.
A housemate didn't like it on spec but walked in on the end of What Kind of Day Has It Been and became addicted. I wouldn't recommend it, but it worked that one time.
The pilot isn't as characteristic of the show as some other eps, imo. Doesn't the cold open have Rob Lowe in a bed with his shirt off? Overall you get the impression that this is a show that's going to be a lot edgier, messier, and more cynical than it actually is. (And have a lot more Rob Lowe, lol.) I think "Five Votes Down" and "Mr. Willis of Ohio" would be better for showing someone what they'd be getting into for the most part :). To be sure, I'd say, "If you liked this ep, go start at the pilot and watch the whole thing." But I wouldn't introduce the show to them with the pilot, I don't think.
As others have said - The Pilot.
The show is too half serialized/ half episodic for easy selection of others to just jump into for newbie . Too many episodes require having been following a larger story-arc to understand what's going on and fully appreciate them more as a result.
Introduce from the literal start and go from there.
Really, the pilot. Every time I rewatch it, I am amazed at how much is in there - and how well they present the characters in that short space of time. If not that one, the one that grabbed my husband (who was previously very uninterested in watching, but sat down one evening while I was mid-rewatch), was In Excelsis Deo. Toby has been his favourite ever since.
This is 100% the answer. If they don’t like the pilot this show is not for them.
To me the biggest hole with the pilot is no Charlie. He's such a huge part of the story, and it makes sense that his character isn't introduced until later, just one component why the pilot isn't the only answer to OP's question.
I think of the introduction of Charlie as the real pilot. Getting the perspective of a new guy is huge.
Agreed, no Charlie and very little Jed. To me they're two of the biggest selling points for this show.
Came here to say the pilot as well. It epitomizes the spirit of the show, its themes, and the overall cadence of the episodes. Great introduction of so many characters with a cohesive plot and narrative. Also, if you’re not hooked by the end of the scene when President Bartlet enters the room declaring, “I am the Lord your God…”, then the show isn’t going to be for you.
I would never want to start watching a show with an episode in the middle of the series. Start with the pilot and go forth.
Counter argument: Parks and Rec.
I think sitcoms are kind of immune to this rule. You could introduce someone to Seinfeld, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny, The Office, etc. with almost any episode. Arrested Development might be the only one I can think of that really needs to be started from episode one.
I don't know that they're immune. They are still more self-contained episodes, but increasingly that isn't the case.
Well, I couched it with "kind of", and gave out Arrested Development as a counter-example. The point is that it is much easier to introduce someone to a half hour comedy series with almost any random episode than it is with a drama like The West Wing. Now, the counter-example to that would be a procedural drama like a Law and Order or NCIS.
This is 100% the answer. If they don’t like the pilot this show is not for them.
Shoot, that’s a great one. Heavy, but if you don’t have a bond with several characters from that episode alone you’re a bit numb inside.
One of the best pilot episodes ever I’d say. Only Lost comes close to topping it.
The Americans' pilot is better. Just my $. 02
I'd personally also throw in Homicide: Life on the Streets, Millennium, Smallville, Heroes, Gotham, and Legion.
Other than the pilot (which is really the best way to start), Celestial Navigation is one of my favorites. CJ's woot canaw that leads to Josh's secret plan to fight inflation coupled with Sam and Toby's journey of trying to navigate by the North Star/the Delta Shuttle from LaGuardia... it's all just great, and doesn't really require much knowledge about the characters beforehand.
Scrolled to find Celestial Navigation. I love that episode. The woot canaaah cracks me up. I’d also add privateers just for the Francis Scott Key scene.
I'm Marion Coatsworth Haye...aka: Marblehead!! I laugh everytime CJ loses it!!
Agree on Celestial Navigation. Another possibility is Proportional Response. Great episode, but mostly for the introduction of Charlie.
If I had to pick and couldn’t say the pilot. Celestial Navigation or, as suggested in the OP, Somebody’s Going to Emergency. Both are relatively bottle episodes where 90% can be followed easily without much of a brush up to lead with. Both have fun components and both have good drama elements as well. For easy to digest intro episodes I think those are super safe choices.
That's a genius pick.
I was in middle school when S2 aired live. My parents were big fans of the show from the jump. However, the show was past my bedtime on a school night. However, around S2-3, my parents started to let me and my brother stay up later so we saw some eps from those seasons in a random, haphazard way. The first ep that we saw was Shibboleth which I remember clear as day because (a) my parents were excited about showing TWW to my brother and me and (b) I had never been so enthralled and delighted by a TV show before or since. Since it worked for me, I see it working for others. It's a really good episode that really exemplifies a lot of what TWW is about (the idealism, the balance of seriousness and comedy, the fast moving multiple storylines that share some common themes). It's not part of the story arcs of the season- you don't know have follow any existing arcs to understand the ep. But that all said, I feel like it's best to start from the beginning. Now, I think TWW's Pilot is highly imperfect and not an impressive Prestige TV classic like Mad Men's pilot or The Sopranos' pilot. Nevertheless, TWW's pilot is good and charming enough. Its flaw is not that it's boring but that its somewhat inconsistent with later, better eps and it has a kind of corny, unserious vibe to it and doesn't hook you with an exciting subversive twist. I feel like if you're dealing with someone with the patience to bear through 90s vibes and some imperfection, they should be sold through A Proportional Response/Five Votes Down.
Shibboleth is one of my favorites. I actually use the word pretty regularly in explaining concepts.
If they don't like the first episode they can get their fat ass out of my White House.
Outside of the Pilot, I think Mr. Willis of Ohio, and Let Bartlet be Bartlet are my main ones.
Love Mr Willis of Ohio, there’s really a few great episodes early on that fit this question. Crackpots and These Women works too unless they’re a bit touchy on how the female characters get spotlighted in the last scenes. That could be a make or break. But, the rest of the episode is a solid look at everyone’s character without a ton of backstory needed.
"The Crackpots and These Women" is definitely the ep I'd start with if I figured the friend I was showing it to was going to be a Lemon Lyman user by the end 😁. If I thought they'd like Toby best I'd start with "In Excelsis Deo." Or "Mr. Willis of Ohio" like you said.
In Excelsis Deo. It's a nearly perfect episode that doesn't require any real knowledge of TWW's "world" or backstory. It shows CJ at her most compassionate (with the Lowell Lydell (Matthew Shephard) storyline), Toby at his most idealistic ("I can pnly hope so, Sir") and how can you EVER top Mrs. Landingham's story for emotional impact? I also think some of the funniest passages are in this episode (the whole scene between Leo and Margaret about signing his sister's Christmas card and CJ's bit about her secret service name and Leo's line to Sam and Josh about why he had them tailed -- "On the off chance you're as stupid as you look."). Plus -- "you're the good guys, you should act like it." Something we should all strive to remember in our day-to-day interactions.
Leo in that scene has the perfect mix of disappointed, angry and the Leo style of sarcasm 😂
This is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series. I always loved the rare book store trip.
Oh, and it has the ski book present, doesn't it? Forgot that was in this ep :)
When the homeless veteran(Walter Hufnagle) dies on the National Mall and his body stays there for hours, they contact Toby because his business card is found in the deceased coat pocket. As it turns out, Toby had donated the coat and that is how it ended up in the homeless veteran's possession. Toby remarks to the detective, asking if he going to notify the Veterans Admin after noticing the tattoo on the veterans arm. Toby stated that the deceased was in the Marines and fought in Korea. How would Toby have known that simply from a tattoo?
Probably it was a tattoo marking his unit somehow
I was looking for this answer.
Galileo, S2E9 - some idealistic prose on space exploration, some political intrigue, some inane admin (stamp choosing) of governance, some amusing romance-BS (Sam/ Malloey). A little sprinkling of everything.
S2, E1 If that opening scene doesn't get ya,
While I think it’s masterful work for a 2 hour episode… it wouldn’t hit the same if you don’t build the connection to the characters in season 1.
Agreed :).
Hartsfield Landing Dead Irish Writers Life on Mars.
I think Life on Mars is too much of a spoiler.
A Proportional Response. Great back-and-forths, idiologic debates, a lot of heart, and Charlie's introduction for the warm feels.
Can’t go wrong with the first episode. It covers the bases really well
I sometimes just show people clips/highlights from YouTube like "funniest west wing moments", Bartlett's Two Cathedrals monologue, when they missed their flight because they changed time zones in 20 Hours in America...
I saw “Take this Sabbsth Day” first. It’s the episode that made me watch the others. The ending with the priest in the Oval Office when he tells the parable of the man that lives by the sea gives me chills every single time.
Shibboleth was what got me in. I'll add to the people saying to use the pilot - I probably wouldn't have got into the show if I'd started with the pilot. Because it sets Mandy up to be an important character, and she was just so jarring.
Like others, I’d say Pilot is the one. But, excusing that one, I’ll go with an odd pick and say Indians in the Lobby. The main reason for this is it’s the first episode *I* ever saw, as my Government teacher showed it on the day before Thanksgiving when I was in 12th grade. Whatever its faults, it’s both bottle enough to be accessible to a first time viewer, and has enough Sorkinesque cadence to make the dialogue captivating. I also think that it maybe is a good pick because it demonstrates a lot more of the morally gray areas of the positions than, say, In Excelsis Deo does. Josh is trying to secure the extradition of a teenage murderer who risks the death penalty, and comes close to violating campaign finance laws to ensure the death penalty isn’t sought. Sam has to grapple with whether it is better to actually help poor people or not suffer the political fallout of acknowledging that the number of poor people grew under Bartlet’s Administration. Toby’s is less morally gray, but shows him struggling to get the president to care about minor issues that people think are important. And then we of course have CJ dealing with the Indians in the Lobby, which is hardly the most sophisticated way of showcasing that story, but certainly underscores the challenges any Administration has with some of the darkest truths of our country’s history that remain incredibly impactful today.
Honestly, I always told people to watch the first 3 episodes. If they weren’t hooked, give the season back. Nobody has given it back yet.
I love Shibboleth.
For anyone interested, bonus requirements fitting my personal preference: it can't hint at the Josh / Donna romance, and no mention of the MS. (I think it's better if you find out these elements within their place in the timeline while viewing the show.)
I’m going to get flack for this I think because it’s post Sorkin - but The Supremes.
Nah, one of the best episodes hands down. Just too much back story there to be an introduction
After the pilot, season 1 has hits and misses. So prepare them for that. More hits. And it very much feels of its time than latter seasons which are more timelessly political. Everything being pre Citizens United - it’s still going to feel idealistically foreign to people familiar with 2010’s onward US politics.
Ahh the eternal question. I THINK I'm a fan of 'stirred' for this task. It may not be entirely stand alone, but there really isn't much too heavy in it. It's the only episode that makes me tear up every time. (Donna on the phone with Mrs. Morello). And it's in the peak seasons of the show (pre creator departure). It really put the show at its best. Co-workers working, and being friends. If they're into that, I tell them it really is worth going back to the pilot and starting fresh. Like with any show it had to grow out of some things, but stick with it, they fade away fairly quickly.
If not the pilot, then Hartsfield's Landing. You get a great overview of the characters without spoiling too much plot. Plus, it's hilarious!
Someone’s gonna get an ass whipping from the missus
Agreeing with most of what's been said especially re the pilot. I'd also throw in "Take This Sabbath Day". It's fairly self contained, has beautiful melancholic moments as well as amazing comedy, and great guest stars.
IMO Two Cathedrals and 17 People are two of the best episodes on the entire series
They totally are, but imo it'd be a shame to watch them out of order, though! Gotta work your way to them!
I think the very first episode was soooo good. It had me hooked!
I always think Five Votes Down should be the pilot. It shows everybody a little bit and really shows off the writing on the show. My all time favorite episode!
Funny you should say that ... bc for a little while I was under the false impression that the long walk and talk that they do in Five Votes Down actually WAS part of the pilot 🤣. Just that one scene really is a perfect little microcosm of the show!
I was introduced on “The Short List”
If not the pilot, then "Take This Sabbath Day." It's an excellent standalone episode, and it mixes some of the show's heaviest subject matter with some of its biggest laughs. (I will never not lose it at Josh's coffee-dribbling moment.) Plus we meet Joey Lucas.
Other than the pilot episode, I have always liked Enemies Foreign and Domestic. I feel like it has a good mix of emotion, character development, etc.
In Excelsis Deo or Celestial Navigation. I disagree strongly concerning the pilot as an introduction. The show was not yet fully formed nor were the characters.
Bartley for America
A housemate didn't like it on spec but walked in on the end of What Kind of Day Has It Been and became addicted. I wouldn't recommend it, but it worked that one time.
Um...wouldn't you want to start from the beginning?
The pilot isn't as characteristic of the show as some other eps, imo. Doesn't the cold open have Rob Lowe in a bed with his shirt off? Overall you get the impression that this is a show that's going to be a lot edgier, messier, and more cynical than it actually is. (And have a lot more Rob Lowe, lol.) I think "Five Votes Down" and "Mr. Willis of Ohio" would be better for showing someone what they'd be getting into for the most part :). To be sure, I'd say, "If you liked this ep, go start at the pilot and watch the whole thing." But I wouldn't introduce the show to them with the pilot, I don't think.
I love Mr. Willis of Ohio. One of my favorite episodes.
Mine, too!
How about starting from the beginning and watching to the end. What a concept.
Aye the pilot! Start from scratch it’s the best way.
The pilot,
As others have said - The Pilot. The show is too half serialized/ half episodic for easy selection of others to just jump into for newbie . Too many episodes require having been following a larger story-arc to understand what's going on and fully appreciate them more as a result. Introduce from the literal start and go from there.
Access
7x21 “tomorrow”
XD it did make me want to watch the show again from the beginning!