Firing Line: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Firing Line was an American public affairs show founded and hosted by conservative William F. Buckley, Jr., founder and publisher of National Review magazine. Its 1,504 episodes over 33 years made Firing Line the longest-running public affairs show in television history with a single host. The program, which featured many influential public figures in the United States, won an Emmy Award in 1969. Although the program's format varied over the years, it typically featured Buckley interviewing a guest and exchanging views, with the two seated together in front of a small studio audience. Standing or sitting further away in the studio, an "examiner", typically a political liberal, would ask questions, generally toward the end of the show. Guests were people notable in the fields of politics to religion, literature and academia, and their views could sharply contrast or be in strong agreement with Buckley's. Most guests were intellectuals or those in positions of power, and they were interviewed about ideas and issues of the day.

Series details

• Title: Firing Line
• Format: Talk Show
• Language: English
• Premiere date: 1966-04-06
• Final broadcast date listed: 1999-12-14
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: Syndication
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 120 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 29747
• IMDb ID: tt0257303
• TVDB ID: 283183

Cast and credited roles

• William F. Buckley Jr. — Host & Moderator

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1966-04-06; final listed air date 1967-01-16.
• Season 2: premiered 1967-01-19; final listed air date 1967-12-14.
• Season 3: premiered 1968-01-08; final listed air date 1968-12-12.
• Season 4: premiered 1968-02-24; final listed air date 1970-01-15.
• Season 5: premiered 1970-03-13; final listed air date 1970-12-17.
• Season 6: premiered 1971-04-22; final listed air date 1971-12-06.
• Season 7: premiered 1972-01-12; final listed air date 1972-12-21.
• Season 8: premiered 1973-01-10; final listed air date 1973-12-07.
• Season 9: premiered 1974-01-21; final listed air date 1974-12-02.
• Season 10: premiered 1975-02-05; final listed air date 1975-10-09.
• Season 11: premiered 1976-01-26; final listed air date 1976-12-13.
• Season 12: premiered 1977-01-31; final listed air date 1977-11-17.
• Season 13: premiered 1977-11-12; final listed air date 1978-12-12.
• Season 14: premiered 1979-02-12; final listed air date 1979-12-13.
• Season 15: premiered 1980-01-14; final listed air date 1980-12-09.
• Season 16: premiered 1981-01-05; final listed air date 1981-12-03.
• Season 17: premiered 1982-01-11; final listed air date 1982-10-27.
• Season 18: premiered 1983-01-24; final listed air date 1983-11-03.
• Season 19: premiered 1984-02-19; final listed air date 1984-12-11.
• Season 20: premiered 1985-05-22; final listed air date 1985-12-02.
• Season 21: premiered 1986-01-14; final listed air date 1986-10-16.
• Season 22: premiered 1987-02-23; final listed air date 1987-10-01.
• Season 23: premiered 1988-01-07; final listed air date 1988-08-24.
• Season 24: premiered 1989-01-10; final listed air date 1989-11-17.
• Season 25: premiered 1990-01-22; final listed air date 1990-12-13.
• Season 26: premiered 1991-01-15; final listed air date 1991-08-29.
• Season 27: premiered 1992-09-16; final listed air date 1992-12-08.
• Season 28: premiered 1993-01-12; final listed air date 1993-08-16.
• Season 29: premiered 1994-01-26; final listed air date 1994-10-04.
• Season 31: premiered 1996-07-11; final listed air date 1996-07-11.

Source and licence

Adapted from Firing Line on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.