8. The Assistant                                                               first aired- 9/30/97
Written by Andrew Gordon and Eileen Conn

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.

Additional cast:
Cheri Oteri                                  as Cindy
Cathy Ladman                             as Ruth Caruso
Larry Miller                                 as Emerson

Note: Larry Miller is not listed in the end credits. He did the bit as a favor, and as often happens in such cases with famous actors/comedians, he went uncredited.

Between this episode and the next, JSM was picked up for the full season, an impressive
accomplishment only two shows into the season!

Cheri Oteri, of course, was a fellow cast member of David Spade on Saturday Night Live for a season (his last season was her first), the first SNL-er to appear with Spade on Just Shoot Me. The two appeared in sketches together on SNL only very occasionally, however, since Spade's role on the show was greatly diminished by the time Oteri joined the cast.