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The Best Episodes of The West Wing

Every episode of The West Wing ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The West Wing!

Binge this in 4d 7h•Peaking at 9.3/10

The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The West Wing Season 2 Episode 22 - Two Cathedrals
    9.3/10(7 votes)

    #1 - Two Cathedrals

    S2:E22

    On the day of Mrs. Landingham's funeral, the staff deals with a Haitian presidential crisis and the law suit against the big tobacco companies, and Bartlet must decide about running for reelection.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  2. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 2 - 20 Hours in America (2)
    9.3/10(3 votes)

    #2 - 20 Hours in America (2)

    S4:E2

    Donna teaches Toby and Josh an important lesson as their trek homeward continues; Sam staffs the President in Josh's absence and welcomes an old friend home; Bartlet hires a secretary and C.J. finds a Big Brother for Anthony; the situation in Qumar continues to escalate; Bartlet gets spooked by a photo op as the Dow continues its dive; and a pipe bomb kills 44 students at a Midwest university swim meet.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  3. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 21 - Life on Mars
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #3 - Life on Mars

    S4:E21

    On his first day at work, Joe Quincy pieces together three news leaks and uncovers a scandal which forces Hoynes to resign.

    Director:John David Coles
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  4. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 22 - Commencement
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #4 - Commencement

    S4:E22

    Bartlet finally tells the staff the truth about the death of Shareef; Danny agrees to hold off on the story after five alleged terrorists go missing; Andy goes into labor after once again refusing Toby's marriage proposal; Zoey is kidnapped from a nightclub on the night of her college graduation.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  5. The West Wing Season 5 Episode 17 - The Supremes
    9.0/10(4 votes)

    #5 - The Supremes

    S5:E17

    Jed and the staff vet potential Supreme Court appointees; Toby and Andy don't see eye-to-eye on her fact-finding trip to the Middle East; Donna's parents are the unlikely inspiration for the resolution to the problems arising from the judicial confirmation process.

    Director:Jessica Yu
    Writer:Debora Cahn

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  6. The West Wing Season 3 Episode 21 - Posse Comitatus
    8.8/10(6 votes)

    #6 - Posse Comitatus

    S3:E21

    Bartlet continues to struggle over the wisdom of assassinating the terrorist Qumari defense minister; after Ritchie declines to meet Bartlet, Sam and Toby play a dirty trick; as the search for Mrs. Landingham's replacement continues, Charlie finds the perfect candidate, who makes less than a stellar first impression on Bartlet; Josh's determination to pass a welfare bill costs Amy; as C.J.'s stalker is finally captured, the night ends in tragedy.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The West Wing

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  7. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 1 - 20 Hours in America (1)
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #7 - 20 Hours in America (1)

    S4:E1

    Toby, Josh, and Donna learn the hard way about the lack of accessible public transportation in the heartland when they spend a long day trying to get back to Washington after the motorcade leaves them behind during a campaign stop in Indiana; Bartlet interviews potential replacements for Mrs Landingham while C.J. tries to find someone to fill Simon's shoes as Anthony's Big Brother; the Ritchie campaign whips up a furor when Abbey claims to be "just a wife and mother"; Qumar reopens the Shareef investigation; and the Dow takes a dive.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  8. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 23 - Twenty Five
    8.8/10(6 votes)

    #8 - Twenty Five

    S4:E23

    When Bartlet learns that Zoey's kidnapping is the work of Qumari terrorists, he invokes the 25th amendment to diminish their leverage and eliminate any conflict of interest; since there's no Vice President, the power of the Presidency passes to Bartlet's chief political rival and the most powerful Republican in the country, the Speaker of the House, who immediately takes a very hard line; now that twins Huck and Molly have arrived, Toby wonders if he's capable of loving them enough.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  9. The West Wing Season 7 Episode 7 - The Debate
    8.8/10(4 votes)

    #9 - The Debate

    S7:E7

    Santos and Vinick battle it out in primetime live. Forrest Saywer the moderator poses questions and attempts to ensure that the candidates remain within bounds. Ellen DeGeneres guest hosts the show on behalf of American Express and their new credit card.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:Lawrence O'Donnell

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  10. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 1 - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (1)
    8.7/10(6 votes)

    #10 - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (1)

    S2:E1

    "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" is the two-part second season premiere of the American political drama television series The West Wing. Both parts were written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Thomas Schlamme.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  11. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 6 - Game On
    8.6/10(5 votes)

    #11 - Game On

    S4:E6

    Bartlet, Leo, Josh, Sam and C.J. pull a practical joke on Toby; Sam's mission to end the Wilde campaign leads him to make a career-altering decision; Jordan backs up Leo as he deals with the Qumari; Toby continues to press his case with a resistant Andrea; and Bartlet cleans Ritchie's clock in their debate.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writers:Paul Redford, Aaron Sorkin

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  12. The West Wing Season 4 Episode 7 - Election Night
    8.6/10(5 votes)

    #12 - Election Night

    S4:E7

    Election day finally arrives with the staff eagerly anticipating the outcome; Sam is increasingly concerned about the Wilde campaign in Orange County; Toby worries about the effect of Andy's pregnancy on the voters; Donna accidentally votes for Richie and tries to rectify the situation by trying to find someone who will vote-swap; Josh resists Deborah's new office rules until she reveals their basis; Bartlet has some new health issues to worry about.

    Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
    Writers:Aaron Sorkin, David Handelman, David Gergen

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  13. The West Wing Season 1 Episode 22 - What Kind of Day Has It Been
    8.5/10(6 votes)

    #13 - What Kind of Day Has It Been

    S1:E22

    The staff deals with the crisis of an American pilot who was shot down in Iraq; Toby's brother is in danger on a space shuttle whose doors won't close; Bartlet and the senior staff walk into trouble as they leave a town meeting.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  14. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 2 - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (2)
    8.5/10(6 votes)

    #14 - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (2)

    S2:E2

    With the accomplice in custody, it's revealed that the intended target was Charlie, not Bartlet. The staff still awaits news about Josh, and recalls how C.J. and Donna came to join the Bartlet campaign.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  15. The West Wing Season 3 Episode 15 - Dead Irish Writers
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #15 - Dead Irish Writers

    S3:E15

    Concern arises over the medical board's decision on Abbey's actions in treating Jed's M.S.; Sam tries to get a Senator he doesn't like to pass a bill for a super-conducter that he doesn't even understand; Amy tries to influence Josh; Lord Marbury explains to Toby why a member of the IRA cannot be invited to the White House; Donna receives shocking news when the Secret Service won't give her clearance to attend Abbey's birthday party.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writers:Paul Redford, Aaron Sorkin

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  16. The West Wing Season 3 Episode 20 - We Killed Yamamoto
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #16 - We Killed Yamamoto

    S3:E20

    While Jed, Leo and Fitzwallace grapple with terrorism and moral absolutes, Josh and Amy grapple with each other over a welfare-reform bill; Donna represents the White House at a North Dakota state-party caucus whose goal is to remove the word "North" from the state's name; Toby doesn't want Jed to attend a New York fund-raiser because Ritchie will be there; Charlie is assigned the responsibility of finding Jed a new secretary; C.J. discovers that Simon Donovan is a very straight shooter

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  17. The West Wing Season 7 Episode 5 - Here Today
    8.5/10(1 votes)

    #17 - Here Today

    S7:E5

    The White House is trying to cope with the revelation of the identity of the leaker and Babish's questioning of Toby convinces him that he must get his lawyer. Lou persuades Josh to get Santos to clean house with his campaign staff. Kate finally reaches Charles Frost and confronts him about what he told to C.J. and a few other things about his personality in general. The Bartlets hear Ellie's heapful of "good" and "bad" news.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:Peter Noah

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  18. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 18 - 17 People
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #18 - 17 People

    S2:E18

    Toby, suspicious that there's something going on with the President, finds out about Bartlet's MS and informs Leo of the legal ramifications; Josh and Donna disagree about the date of their "anniversary"; Sam and Ainsley argue about the necessity of the ERA; staffers struggle to punch-up the speech the President will give at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  19. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 19 - Bad Moon Rising
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #19 - Bad Moon Rising

    S2:E19

    Bartlet confers with Babish on the legal ramifications of his MS cover-up; Sam has a personal interest in an oil spill off the coast of Delaware; Josh and Donna argue about a loan to Mexico; Toby orders C.J. to flush out a leak in the White House staff, which is far from easy.

    Director:Bill Johnson
    Writers:Felicia Wilson, Aaron Sorkin

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  20. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 4 - In this White House
    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #20 - In this White House

    S2:E4

    To investigate the cost and availability of AIDS medication needed in Africa, the White House plays host to representatives of American pharmaceutical companies and the president of an African nation; C.J. accidentally leaks information to a freshman reporter; after Sam is shown up by an amateur Republican operative on a television program, Jed decides to hire her.

    Director:Ken Olin
    Writers:Allison Abner, Aaron Sorkin, Peter Parnell

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  21. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 10 - Noël
    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #21 - Noël

    S2:E10

    Josh investigates the suicide of a pilot with whom he has things in common; Donna tries to get an invitation to the Congressional Christmas party to hear Yo-Yo Ma perform; Jed insists on signing a mountain of Christmas cards himself; after a White House visitor has a strange reaction to a painting, C.J. sets out to discover its provenance; following weeks of volatile behavior and an outburst in the Oval Office, Josh meets with representatives from the America Trauma Victims Association and finally deals with the trauma from his shooting.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writers:Aaron Sorkin, Peter Parnell

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  22. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 16 - Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail
    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #22 - Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail

    S2:E16

    It's Big Block of Cheese Day again. Toby meets with World Trade Organization protesters, and CJ meets with a group of cartographers who want the standards for maps changed to be a more accurate reflection of geographical and political reality. Donna asks Sam to look into granting a pardon for a friend's deceased grandfather. Bartlet is having problems selecting a site for his Presidential library.

    Director:Jessica Yu
    Writers:Paul Redford, Aaron Sorkin

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  23. The West Wing Season 2 Episode 21 - 18th and Potomac
    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #23 - 18th and Potomac

    S2:E21

    The staff prepares for the worst as they make arrangements for the public announcement of the President's condition; Sam and Babish grill Abbey about her medical treatment of the President's MS; a crisis erupts in Haiti; Josh deals with two Democratic senators who won't support the administration's suit against tobacco companies; Mrs. Landingham buys her first new car, with tragic consequences.

    Director:Robert Berlinger
    Writers:Lawrence O'Donnell, Aaron Sorkin

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  24. The West Wing Season 3 Episode 2 - Manchester (2)
    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #24 - Manchester (2)

    S3:E2

    The senior staff clash with the consultants who are to work on Bartlet's reelection campaign; C.J. is concerned that the press senses the Bartlets' marriage could be in trouble; Josh asks Leo to let him use his connection to postpone the FDA's drug announcement; the situation on Haiti comes to a head.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Aaron Sorkin

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  25. The West Wing Season 6 Episode 2 - The Birnam Wood
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #25 - The Birnam Wood

    S6:E2

    Bartlet orders a strike on the terrorist training camp as he and his staff broker a peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but Bartlet and Leo realize that their differences over the peace settlement are irreconcilable, warranting a change in Leo's responsibilities. Having returned from Germany, Josh expresses concern about Leo's well-being, and his observations turn out to be well founded.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:John Wells

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Best Episodes Summary

"Two Cathedrals" is the best rated episode of "The West Wing". It scored 9.3/10 based on 7 votes. Directed by Thomas Schlamme and written by Aaron Sorkin, it aired on 5/16/2001. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "20 Hours in America (2)".