The BEST Episodes of Just Shoot Me
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Mar 25, 2021
Network: NBC
The show follows the staff at the fictional fashion magazine Blush. The show originally centered on Maya Gallo, played by Laura San Giacomo, a feminist writer, who reluctantly takes a job at the glamour magazine, owned by her father, the Donald Trump-like Jack Gallo played by George Segal (who in the story has a rivalry with Donald Trump). The cast includes womanizing (and usually over-sensitive) photographer Elliot DiMauro (Enrico Colantoni), and the heavy drinking and sexually promiscuous ex-model Nina Van Horn (Wendie Malick).
#1 - The Assistant
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired Sep 30, 1997
Maya's new assistant Cindy is certainly eager, but also incompetent, and Maya's work suffers because of it. Jack wants to fire her, but Maya is determined to give her a chance. However, the more time that passes, the more Cindy screws up, and the more Maya's resolve is tested. Meanwhile, Finch and Elliott sabotage Nina's radio appearance by giving her a phony Word-a-Day calendar.
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#2 - The Walk
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired Feb 3, 1998
What starts out as a normal, everyday office meeting turns into a huge enigma when the easygoing Jack suddenly loses his temper for no apparent reason and refuses to talk about it. The gang takes it upon themselves to discover the reason for his outburst, but with every lead they follow, the mystery just gets deeper and deeper. While this is going on, Finch tries to attract a pretty coworker by following Elliott's advice and playing hard to get.
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#3 - La Cage
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired Nov 4, 1997
At first, Elliott's attempts to warn Finch about dating his ex-girlfriend, supermodel Nikki Elston, seem like just jealousy. However, there's more than a grain of truth in his warnings- Nikki is a true nutcase who delights in putting men through hell. One of her favorite stunts is locking them on a perch in a giant birdcage. Meanwhile, Nina's attempts to get a raise from Jack are subverted by the discovery of the truth about her use of the company's expense accounts.
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#4 - Toy Story
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired Mar 2, 1999
As a prank, Finch switches the cards on two of Elliott's birthday gifts: those from Maya and Persky. As a result, Elliott believes that Persky has given him a really cool video game system, and Maya has given him a box of kinky sex toys. When Maya invites him over that night to have some fun, he naturally gets the wrong impression, and is forced to give his relationship with her some deep thought. Meanwhile, when the racehorse Jack bought with Robert Goulet acts up before the big race, he enlists Nina's aid to calm it down.
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#5 - Slow Donnie
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired Jan 5, 1999
Jack and Finch discover a pneumonic-message system in the wall. Meanwhile, Elliott invites Maya to his house for his "slow" brother's birthday party. At the party, Donnie reveals to Maya that he's not really "slow." Maya tries to tell Elliott that Donnie's not stupid, but just ends up looking silly herself. Jack's inanity causes Donnie to reveal his act. And a gift of a parakeet explodes into a living nightmare for Nina.
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#6 - Two Girls for Every Boy
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired Nov 10, 1998
Finch is convinced that a model likes him, only it turns out that she likes Maya instead. He sets out to create the ultimate male fantasy: watching two females go at it. All is going well for Finch, until Maya finds out and the two females decide to turn the tables on him. Meanwhile, Elliott and Nina go overboard in their insults after Jack tells them that he just wants to be one of the guys.
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#7 - Sweet Charity
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired Dec 9, 1997
Maya's attempts to get her coworkers involved in her favorite charity are met with overwhelming indifference. Only after the PR-minded Jack goads them to help to Finch, Elliott, and Nina contribute. And only after Maya pleads with him does Jack finally contribute. Rather than giving his time or effort to the charity, he helps in the usual Jack Gallo fashion- by giving a giant check for $50,000. When he consequently wins an award for Humanitarian of the Year, Maya's jealousy gets the better of her. Meanwhile, Elliott tries to figure out why the office's nickname-happy gopher keeps snubbing him.
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#8 - Pass the Salt
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired Jan 29, 1998
A surprise visit from his fireman father leaves Finch puzzled, since the two had always been emotionally distant from one another. When Red Finch suggests that he and his son spend some quality time together, Finch can only surmise that his father is either dying or having an affair. The truth turns out to be even more shocking- Red has finally come to accept the fact that his son is gay. He isn't, of course, but Finch has a hard time convincing him of that. Meanwhile, Maya invites Jack to her apartment to dinner in order to convince him that the neighborhood she lives in is not as bad as he thinks, but a robbery there that afternoon complicates the task.
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#9 - Hostess to Murder
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired Feb 23, 1999
Maya's attempt to host a murder mystery party is plagued with problems. Elliott wants to ditch the party for an Armani gala being held on the same night, Nina shows up with Maya's old boyfriend Derek, Jack wants to wear Elliott's costume, Finch is trying to make time with the caterer (who is dressed as a large-bosomed French chambermaid), and gamemaster Larry is a down-on-his-luck actor who spends most of the party on the phone with his agent. Everything is thrown into chaos when Maya's next door neighbor suffers a heart attack and drops dead -- and everyone but her thinks it's part of the game.
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#10 - In the Company of Maya
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired Jan 20, 1998
When Maya develops a crush on a writer she works with, she isn't quite sure how to handle the situation. Believing he likes her, but is too shy to ask her out, Maya takes some tips from Nina on how to lead him on. The strategy backfires when Maya finds herself slapped with a sexual harassment suit the next day. Meanwhile, Elliott tries to live down his humiliation when he discovers his girlfriend is a spokesperson for a brand of hemorrhoid cream.
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#11 - Amblushed
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired Apr 16, 1998
When Jack sends Maya in his place to an NYU forum on Women in the Media, she sees it as an opportunity to speak up for the viewpoints that Blush often tends to push by the wayside. Unfortunately, she never gets the chance, as the forum turns out to be an ambush, where Maya is crucified for Blush's negative portrayal of women. She ends up lashing out at everyone at Blush, but things only become worse when her comments find their way into NYU's campus newspaper, which Finch promptly distributes at the office. Soon afterward, the truth is discovered- Jack knew all along what would happen at the forum, and it's left up to Maya to turn the tables. Meanwhile, Nina attempts to stage a comeback by posing in head-to-toe gold body paint for Elliott, but her constant sniping at the photo shoot annoys Elliott so much that he pretends to be out of the solvent required to remove the paint, leaving Nina to walk around golden for a few days.
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#12 - Nina's Bikini
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired Mar 3, 1998
It's a day to celebrate for Nina- her famous bikini is about to be put on display in the Model Cafe, a sort of Hard Rock Cafe for supermodels. Her mood turns from celebration to despair, however, when she finds out exactly where in the cafe it is being displayed- over a dumpster. Finch and Maya, concerned over their friend's feelings, conspire to steal it back for her. Meanwhile, Jack has Elliott take boudoir photos of him as an anniversary present for his wife, but neither model nor photographer is without reservations.
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#13 - Jesus, It's Christmas
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired Dec 16, 1997
At Maya's urging, the gang agrees to forego the usual gift-giving tradition and pool their money into a donation for someone less fortunate than they are. The recipient turns out to be night custodian Jesus Santos, whom Maya meets while working late one night. Things become extremely awkward when Jesus decides what to spend the money on- nothing but presents for Maya. Meanwhile, Finch conspires to get Elliott to let him tag along on his trip to the Caribbean for a Christmas photo shoot with five gorgeous models.
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#14 - Steamed
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired Sep 29, 1998
Jack wants the tenants on the floor above Blush to move. Maya is taken in by Finch's lie that he wants them to move so he can build a free daycare center. The real reason: a steam room. Meanwhile, Nina meets with her former model roommate, who is now fat.
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#15 - Elliott the Geek
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired Jan 6, 1998
When his favorite high school teacher dies, Elliott at first sees the memorial service as an opportunity to flaunt his flashy career and his glamorous lifestyle in his old classmates' faces. His cockiness is quickly tempered, however, by the revelation of the truth about his high school years- he was something of a nerd. When the office hears about it, his present becomes almost as intolerable as his past. Meanwhile, Jack trains Finch in the art of being influential around the office.
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#16 - Rescue Me
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired Apr 30, 1998
An ordinary office blood drive turns into a storytelling session, as Finch, Elliott, and Nina relate to queasy donor Maya and nurse Tisha the tales of how Jack rescued them from rather desperate situations. Finch applied his shiftiness to a job as movie usher before the manager fired him for trying to sneak a customer into a sold-out show. Luckily, the customer, Jack Gallo, took notice of his methods. Elliott was a down-and-out amateur photographer reduced to selling his output on the street and faced with the prospect of taking a job at a grocery store in New Jersey, but in the nick of time, his talent was noticed by a patron named Jack Gallo. Finally, Nina had come a long way from her successful modeling career--she wore a mermaid suit at a boat show before someone stopped by who remembered her keen fashion sense--none other than Jack Gallo.
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#17 - What the Teddy Bear Saw
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired Sep 22, 1998
Jack enlists Finch to stop off at his house and check up on his new nanny. However, Finch ends up having sex ("Twice!") with the nanny. But his joy may turn to embarrassment after he discovers Jack had a hidden camera installed in the room that they used. Meanwhile, Elliott neglects a favor Maya asked him to do, and Nina joins a cult.
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#18 - The Emperor
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired Apr 23, 1998
Maya and Finch attend designer Oscar Milos's fashion show using Nina's tickets. At the party, a drunken Maya makes some caustic remarks to a newspaper reporter, resulting in Milos pulling $3 million worth of advertising from the magazine. Maya decides to try and get the advertising back herself, without help. Meanwhile, Jack helps Elliott with his new girlfriend. Jack sends Elliott's date poems, flowers and much more in Elliott's name. She ends up dumping Elliott because "he" was smothering her.
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#19 - Eve of Destruction
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired May 5, 1998
Maya's mother visits the magazine and promptly becomes embroiled in a battle for a painting with Jack. Meanwhile, a new efficiency expert "hired" by Jack turns out to merely be Jack's golf caddy.
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#20 - A Spy in the House of Me
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired Jan 12, 1999
When Maya's first love John Kenny pops back into town, she becomes as happy as she's ever been, as the two find their old spark back in full force. However, Jack is angry about the whole thing, as he still has not forgotten when he walked in on the two of them fooling around one time. Maya then learns the true horror of the situation- the only reason they were separated in the first place was because Jack had pulled strings to get him into the Royal Shakespeare Company, and she becomes instantly fearful that he will once again begin to interfere with their relationship. Meanwhile, Finch uses a "tough love" method to train a new intern while Nina's television appearance is ruined when an old allergy acts up.
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#21 - The Withholder
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired Nov 17, 1998
Finch returns from Jamaica after a failed attempt at romance with Courtney, who played him, as it turns out. Elliott steps in to try to prove what a friend he is to Finch by giving her a dose of her own medicine--getting her hooked on him and then telling her to kiss off. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry when he ends up liking her and they start dating for real. Meanwhile, Jack makes another bet with Donald Trump--whoever loses less weight has to wear a dress during their golf game. However, he makes the mistake of asking Nina for help with his diet.
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#22 - Bravefinch
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired Mar 26, 1998
Finch's complaints about doing petty errands bring an unexpected response from Jack- he hires a personal assistant, Kenny. Having his territory infringed on soon becomes the least of Finch's worries, as Kenny threatens Finch violently when Finch speaks up. To make matters worse, no one believes Finch because Kenny is all brightness and sunshine to everyone else. Meanwhile, Nina's attempts to quit smoking backfire in two ways: Nina becomes even more amorous than usual toward everyone, while Maya, mistaking Nina's nicotine patch for a Band-Aid, gets unwittingly hopped up on nicotine and becomes relentlessly hyper.
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#23 - King Lear Jet
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired Nov 11, 1997
Jack has two tickets to a London performance of King Lear, but when he is forced to cancel his plans, he is forced to decide who to give the tickets to- the suck-ups Nina and Elliott, who just want the vacation on his private jet, or true Shakespeare die-hard Maya. The adventure that follows parallels the play. Nina and Elliott get the tickets, but their endless conniving against each other proves to be their undoing, while only Maya stays true to her father.
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#24 - The Kiss
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired Mar 19, 1998
It all starts out innocently. In order to help Elliott get a great deal on an apartment, Maya agrees to pose with him as a married couple. To complete the charade, the two are forced to kiss. This development is harmless enough- until they find themselves kissing again voluntarily. Awkward could hardly begin to describe relations between them afterward. They work through the awkwardness, but by the end, both Maya and Elliott realize that the long, bumpy road, wherever it may lead, is just beginning for them. Meanwhile, when Jack discovers Finch has been renting out his parking space, it leads the two into a battle over trust.
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#25 - Jack's Old Partner
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired Apr 9, 1998
While writing his memoirs, Jack suddenly contracts a horrible case of writer's block. He then realizes why- he has come to the place in his memoirs where he fired his old partner Herb just before Blush took off. Discovering that his old partner has been toiling in a toyshop in Connecticut for 30 years earning a meager living only worsens the guilt. In an attempt to make it up to him, Jack gives Herb a high position in the magazine only to rediscover the reason he let Herb go in the first place- Herb is terrible at the magazine business. Meanwhile, Nina's problems with an IRS audit seem to be over when the female auditor takes a liking to Elliott, but in fact, they're just beginning.
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