Watch The ‘West Wing’ Christmas Episodes Before the Show Leaves Netflix

Much like Friends is known for its Thanksgiving episodes, The West Wing is known for its Christmas ones. Episodes like “In Excelsis Deo,” “Bartlet for America,” and even “Abu el Banat” use the backdrop of the holiday season to highlight the moral battles faced day after day in the Bartlet administration. Some of these holiday installments of The West Wing have become TV classics and are watched year-after-year by West Wing fans to ring in the Christmas season.

However, show’s ardent fanbase needs to be forewarned this year, because all seven seasons of The West Wing are leaving Netflix on Christmas Eve.

Yup, December 24, 2020 is the last time you can get your “Noel” or “Holy Night” on. What seems like a cruel jest to the legions of Aaron Sorkin fanatics who treat themselves to West Wing marathons (or curated Christmas episode viewings) is in fact the result of a long-lived licensing deal coming to a close. Netflix’s library has been The West Wing‘s streaming home for ages, but Warner Bros. has finally decided that it’s time for the beloved political drama to come home. To HBO Max.

Wonder Woman: 1984 isn’t the only major release hitting HBO Max on Christmas Day. All seven seasons of The West Wing will drop on HBO Max on December 25, 2020 as well. So after you’ve watched Gal Gadot do battle with Kristen Wiig as a CGI catwoman, you can indulge in the real bloodsport of policy wonks debating line measures with recalcitrant members of Congress!

So yeah, if you are in the middle of a pandemic binge of The West Wing, just a head’s up it will be leaving Netflix on December 24 only to drop on HBO Max on Christmas Day. And if you want to know which West Wing holiday episodes to prioritize, former Decider member Joe Reid ranked all six episodes for you. 

Where to stream The West Wing