Television series

Meet the Press

Name: Meet the Press
Released: 1947
Cast: Kristen Welker, Chuck Todd, Chris Wallace, Garrick Utley, Tim Russert

Dip in and out

The longest-running television program in broadcast history. A Sunday morning institution where a rotating panel of journalists sits across from politicians and newsmakers, asking sharp questions about the week's events. It's cerebral, sometimes tense, occasionally dull, but essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand how power actually talks to scrutiny.

TVMaze rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like watching a interviewer press a politician until the evasions show, and find a long-running institution's rhythm of Sunday questioning more compelling than any polished drama.

Skip it if you want escapism or fiction, since this is a live-feeling news program built around current affairs, and its hour is spent entirely on politics and public figures.

What it asks of you: It asks for one uninterrupted hour on a Sunday morning with your attention on argument and follow-up questions, and it moves at the pace of people choosing their words carefully.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

60 Minutes1968

The gold standard of broadcast journalism. Sharp, investigative interviews with newsmakers and subjects, built on the principle that good questions matter more than theatrical presentation. Rigorous without being showy.

But Moves at a measured pace. Some segments resolve into familiar true-crime territory rather than breaking genuine new ground.

Firing Line1966

William F. Buckley hosting intellectual duels with politicians, activists, and thinkers. Dense, witty, genuinely adversarial conversations that assume the audience can follow complex ideas. Debate as a lost art form.

But Buckley's baroque vocabulary and conservative worldview dominate every exchange. Episodes can feel like watching someone win arguments rather than seeking truth.

The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart2020

A newer entry that brings real intellectual rigor to weekend politics. Thoughtful host, substantive guests, the feeling that the show respects your intelligence and your time.

But Smaller reach and budget than legacy programs. Still building an audience and finding its voice.

The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Meet the Press

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

All the President's Men1976

The inverse of what Meet the Press does—instead of power coming to explain itself, journalists hunt for what power is hiding.

Two journalists actually investigating power rather than interviewing it. Shows what journalism looks like when the stakes force real questions instead of choreographed exchanges. Tense, methodical, about finding truth rather than performing inquiry.

But A film from 1976 with a measured pace and no action sequences. The drama is entirely conversational and procedural.

Dateline NBC2012

Long-form investigative storytelling that takes time to develop narrative and character. Not pure politics, but the same muscles—asking hard questions, following evidence, holding power accountable.

But Primarily focused on true crime rather than political accountability. Can slip into sensationalism.

Today1952

Morning television that occasionally lands serious interviews alongside the softer segments. A window into how politicians present themselves when they think the stakes are lower.

But Fundamentally an entertainment program with news segments. The guests are often promoting something rather than defending a record.

Face the Nation1954

CBS's Sunday morning answer to Meet the Press, with a similar format but often sharper follow-up questions. Panel journalism done well, with experienced moderators who know how to press.

But Very similar to the show you're already watching. Incremental differences in execution rather than conceptual variety.

The Great Hack2019

A document of what happens when the premises of journalism—that facts matter, that people are speaking truthfully—break down entirely.

Documentary about Cambridge Analytica and data manipulation in politics. Shows how the information ecosystem that feeds Sunday morning programs was being poisoned in real time, and how guests come prepared with lies that sound like truth because nobody knows the infrastructure behind them.

But Angry and paranoid in tone. Takes a clear moral stance rather than performing neutrality. Some viewers find it alarmist.