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Firing Line

Season 21

9 listed hours · 1966–1999 · Syndicated/PBS

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From the desk

How this season is filed

Filed by Rex Fontaine · Golden Age Dispatch

Firing Line is William F. Buckley Jr. turning argument into spectator sport: clipboard, drawl, and guests from across the aisle in conversations that refused the sound bite. Syndicated, then PBS, it ran for decades on polysyllables. Political talk before the countdown clock — intellectual blood sport with manners, and sentences allowed to finish on national television.

TV Flash files Season 21 of Firing Line (1966–1999) on Syndicated/PBS as a mid listed season (21; 21 of 33) — 9 listed hours, 1986-01-14–1986-10-16 from “1966-1986: World Leaders” (S21E02) to “Human Rights, Foreign Policy, and Ronald Reagan” (S21E40). Titles, dates, and synopses on file — no invented recaps.

  1. S21E02

    1966-1986: World Leaders

    1966-1986: World Leaders — Season 21, Episode 2 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-01-14. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  2. S21E04

    1966-1986: A Potpourri of Persuaders

    1966-1986: A Potpourri of Persuaders — Season 21, Episode 4 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-01-14. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  3. S21E05

    Bill Buckley and Firing Line Get Roasted

    Bill Buckley and Firing Line Get Roasted — Season 21, Episode 5 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-01-14. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  4. S21E14

    Debate: Resolved That We Should Move towards Privatization, Including the Schools, Part I

    Debate: Resolved That We Should Move towards Privatization, Including the Schools, Part I — Season 21, Episode 14 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-05-02. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  5. S21E15

    Debate: Resolved That We Should Move towards Privatization, Including the Schools, Part II

    Debate: Resolved That We Should Move towards Privatization, Including the Schools, Part II — Season 21, Episode 15 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-05-02. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  6. S21E20

    Terrorism Viewed from Abroad

    Terrorism Viewed from Abroad — Season 21, Episode 20 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-05-30. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  7. S21E33

    For Central America: A Radical Prescription

    For Central America: A Radical Prescription — Season 21, Episode 33 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-10-02. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  8. S21E35

    The Textbook Controversy in Tennessee

    The Textbook Controversy in Tennessee — Season 21, Episode 35 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-10-10. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

  9. S21E40

    Human Rights, Foreign Policy, and Ronald Reagan

    Human Rights, Foreign Policy, and Ronald Reagan — Season 21, Episode 40 of Firing Line. Aired 1986-10-16. Full plot synopsis not yet on file; see the show package for context.

More from the 1960s.