This animated series has some of the best storytelling in the Star Wars universe, but the animation style, confusing chronology, and slow start can be barriers for new viewers. I created this guide as a roadmap for new viewers, as well as a reference for veteran fans who want to rewatch specific arcs.
How to Use This Guide
Clone Wars is structured as a series of vignettes, often in groupings of 3-4 episode arcs. I've grouped arcs that go together as one line, rather than listing each individual episode. There are some recurring storylines that create an overall arc and/or build to the series finale, and some arcs that are side stories that are not crucial to the overall plot.
There are 2 sets of character icons: Featured Characters, found to the left of the episode listing, and Main Story Arcs, found to the right. Main Story Arcs are the episodes crucial to certain storylines that run through the whole series.
Chronology
Some episodes were aired out of chronological order. I have rearranged them here in a recommended watch order, which includes a "Prologue" to be watched before season 1, consisting of a handful of episodes as well as the Clone Wars animated movie. I've put numbers in yellow to indicate where episodes should be watched out of order.
For First-Time Viewers
If this is your first time watching Clone Wars, welcome! If you want to watch every episode, great! You can just refer to this list for the recommended watch order. But if you're looking to do an abridged watch-through and only focus on certain characters/arcs, you can use this to choose which episodes to watch and which you can skip.
I recommend watching all of the episodes with an icon in the Main Story Arcs column (except the Padmakin ones, unless you're really into that), as those will be the most relevant to the overall story. Other than that, decide which characters you care about and watch those episodes as you go through.
I've put a red X next to episodes I personally recommend skipping if you are doing an abridged watch. These are mostly droid-centric or Jar Jar-heavy episodes that don't further the plot at all, or ones I just find annoying for some other reason.
For Re-Watches
Fans who have already watched through the series can use this to re-watch just specific character arcs. For example, if you just want to watch Ahsoka's arc and Maul's arc, just look for the episodes with the Ahsoka or Maul icons. For a refresher on Mandalorian history, just look for the Mandalorian episodes.
I hope this helps you find your own best way to enjoy this spectacular series!