The BEST episodes of Just Shoot Me!
Every episode of Just Shoot Me! ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Just Shoot Me!!
This ensemble comedy is about the inner workings of a high-style magazine owned by Jack Gallo, who has hired his quick-tempered but talented daughter, Maya, to write for the publication. Challenging her at every turn is Nina, a vain and superficial former model. Then there's photographer Elliot, a man who is very popular with his portrait subjects as well as other women. Completing the core staff is her father's assistant, Dennis, a glorified secretary who is generally disrespectful to one and all.
#1 - The Assistant
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/30/1997
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.
#2 - The Walk
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/3/1998
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.
#3 - La Cage
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/4/1997
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.
#4 - Pass the Salt
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/29/1998
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.
#5 - Bravefinch
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/26/1998
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.
#6 - Amblushed
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/16/1998
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.
#7 - Slow Donnie
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/5/1999
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.
#8 - College or Collagen
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/26/1998
Mentoring seems to be going really well for Maya- her protege; Karey is doing fabulously in her first year of college. However, Karey is now at a crossroads wondering what to do with her life. Maya tries to push her to stay in school and make the most of her college years, but she hits an obstacle in the form of Nina, who wants Karey to put her natural talents to use as a model. Meanwhile, Jack and Finch have an illicit "fling" with each other- as bridge partners.
#9 - Nina Sees Red (2)
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/16/1999
Finch takes the news of the engagement quite badly. Not only is he concerned for his father's well-being, the prospect of having Nina as his stepmother terrifies him. However, when a night of passion puts Red in the hospital, it causes him to seriously question his impending marriage. After a heart-to-heart with both Red and Nina, Finch finally convinces both of them to call it off. Meanwhile, Elliott miraculously gets another chance with Tyra Banks, but once again, Jack accidentally screws things up for him.
#10 - Lies & Dolls
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/2/1999
Maya becomes smitten with a United States Senator, but loses him to Nina through a series of deceptions on Nina's part. Nina convinces him that she is an old-fashioned Southern belle with no vices whatsoever, and that Maya is a drug addict. Also, when it is revealed that Elliott stole a Six Million Dollar Man doll as a kid, he becomes racked with guilt over it while Finch can only think of the potential collector's value of the item. Finally, Jack decides to see what life is like from his employees' point of view and moves his desk into the center of the office.
#11 - How the Finch Stole Christmas
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/15/1998
Finch sneaks a look at the office Christmas presents and is disappointed by his when he discovers that it's not what he wanted. So, he sabotages the office Christmas. Meanwhile, Nina learns the true meaning of casual wear, Elliott protests the commercialization of the holiday and Maya rags Jack about his selfishness.
#12 - The List
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/24/1998
Jack fears for his reputation when he falls to #100 on the Power 100 list. Nina's idea to improve his standing by sending out a special collection of Blush covers to remind people how important the magazine has been backfires, as Elliott is made #100 because of his brilliant photography. Meanwhile, Finch meets idol Mark Hamill at Bartini's and annoys the hell out of him.
#13 - Puppetmaster
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/17/1998
Maya's coworkers find it strange when she begins dating Steven, the host of a children's puppet show. As far as she's concerned, though, their relationship is going very well--until she suspects Steven is using the characters on his show to criticize her. Meanwhile, Nina decides to enter the entrepreneurial world, but her choice of investments--a nightclub that doesn't even have a name--is questionable indeed. Also, a heartfelt confession of Elliott's (he sometimes wishes he was a woman) during the guys' emotional viewing of Brian's Song comes back to haunt him.
#14 - The Withholder
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/17/1998
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.
#15 - Funny Girl
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/3/1998
Not impressed with Maya's lame attempt to play a prank on him, Finch claims that women just aren't as good at practical jokes as men are. To prove him wrong, Maya tries to convince Elliott he's being stalked, but it turns out the joke's on her-in a big way. Meanwhile, Jack fears that he's really beginning to look his age, so he decides to look into plastic surgery.
#16 - Steamed
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/29/1998
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.
#17 - Nina in the Cantina
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/24/1998
When Maya scores an interview with legendary rocker Nick Hewitt, a flood of memories is triggered for Nina of the affair they had 25 years ago. Nina describes it as the most romantic weekend of her life, and she realized he felt the same way when the song "Nina in the Cantina" hit the charts a few months later. Unfortunately, Maya learns that the song was actually about Twiggy, and Hewitt only used the name Nina for the purpose of the rhyme. Worse, he doesn't remember Nina at all, leaving Maya to engineer a big charade to keep Nina from getting hurt. Meanwhile, Elliott's extreme jealousy of Annie Liebowitz is exploited everywhere he turns, while Finch tries desperately to get rid of an ugly handmade vase given to him by Jack.
#18 - Sewer!
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/1998
The arrival of Maya's old college roommate Erin leads to an incredibly crazy situation. Maya tries to compete with her friend's globe trotting journalistic ventures by spending a night in a sewer in hope of getting her first hard-hitting news story in a year. In the meantime, Erin takes a break from her hectic schedule and has an affair with Elliott. Adding to the craziness is Jack's surprise birthday party, with Nina and Finch supplying his boyhood idols, crazy old Cowboy Pete and his orangutan sidekick. In the end, though, it's Maya who provides the biggest surprise of all.
#19 - Twice Burned
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/25/1997
Jack desperately wants to get his daughter Hannah a spot in the prestigious Woodbridge School, but there's one slight problem. The Gallo name isn't exactly a hallowed one there since former student Maya once burned down a wing of it. When the headmaster blames Jack's failure to take an interest in Maya's life for the incident, he has his hands full trying to right two wrongs - one to the school and one to Maya. Meanwhile, Elliott and Nina bond when they discover both are fans of blues musician Cholera Joe Hopper.
#20 - My Dinner with Woody
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/1997
Maya's fantasy piece about a dinner with Woody Allen brings notice from a lot of people--including Woody Allen himself, supposedly. The man who shows up at Maya's office the next day is not Woody Allen, but he presents himself as such, and actually seems to believe he is. Maya finds herself playing along with the charade until their relationship and her life turn into her favorite movie, Annie Hall. Meanwhile, a mix-up over eyedrops causes Jack to temporarily lose his sight.
#21 - Two Girls for Every Boy
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/10/1998
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.
#22 - Toy Story
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/2/1999
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.
#23 - Hostess to Murder
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/23/1999
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.
#24 - A Spy in the House of Me
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/12/1999
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.
#25 - Jesus, It's Christmas
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/16/1997
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.