The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Graham, James. Best of Enemies. Bloomsbury, 2022. Kindle AZW file.

Best of Enemies tells the story of how the famous television debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. in 1968 came to happen.

The Prologue is set on a TV soundstage in Chicago, 1968, just after a shocking event has occurred. Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley sit silently, shaken, while the stunned production crew looks on. News anchor Howard K. Smith announces the end of the broadcast, and the scene goes off air. Howard asks producer William Sheehan if Vidal or Buckley was allowed to say what was just said, but it’s unclear who or what he’s referring to. Phones start ringing, and figures like James Baldwin, Aretha Franklin, and Buckley’s wife, Patricia, confirm they were watching. Baldwin uses the protest phrase "The Whole World Was Watching." Elmer Lower, head of ABC News, arrives angry about the incident. Sponsors and even Elmer's mother have complained. Tariq Ali attempts to explain the deeper roots of the incident, but the chaos continues. Baldwin reflects that the event revealed harsh truths, while Aretha suggests it marked a cultural shift. In Buckley’s dressing room, he tells Patricia the broadcast was a disaster. Elmer says they’ll edit Buckley's remarks for the West Coast, but confirms they were clearly heard. Baldwin notes some already understood the lack of kindness in the world, while others were shocked by this moment. Aretha says it foreshadowed the present day. The Prologue ends with Buckley asking, “How in God’s name did this happen?” (6)

Act 1 Scene 1 is set in 1960s New York. TV news anchors Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, and Howard K. Smith introduce themselves. While the others go smoothly, Howard's ABC News intro is marred by technical issues. After a photo shoot for TV Guide, the interviewer asks the anchors about the role of TV news in a divisive election year, noting ABC's low ratings. At the ABC boardroom, executives brainstorm ways to boost ratings. One suggests featuring celebrity opinions, but Howard resists, arguing news should focus on facts.

Buckley gives a speech and defends his role as a "public intellectual" to his wife Patricia. In a separate scene, Gore Vidal discusses his novel Myra in a Time Magazine interview, defending its explicit content. At Vidal's New Year’s Eve party, he secretly seeks TV work, which James Baldwin overhears. Baldwin suggests Vidal’s TV ambition stems from jealousy of Bobby Kennedy, which Vidal denies. In Buckley’s apartment, he and Frank Meyer worry about the financial struggles of their conservative magazine. Despite Frank’s concerns about cheapening the movement, Buckley is eager to appear on TV.

At ABC, Elmer and his team pitch a debate between a Liberal and a Conservative. Buckley agrees but refuses to appear alongside Gore Vidal or a Communist. In a separate meeting, Vidal is told debating Buckley would generate public interest. Both sides agree to the plan. The scene ends with Buckley protesting Vidal’s involvement in the show, but he reluctantly agrees after ABC threaten to hire a different Conservative.

Act 1 Scene 2 takes place at the 1968 Republican Convention in Miami. In a hotel room, Vidal discusses his conflicted feelings about Bobby Kennedy’s death with Matt, a young man whom he is romantically involved with. Vidal asks Matt to help him research Buckley’s past statements for their upcoming debates. Simultaneously, in another hotel suite, Buckley, Patricia, and Frank Meyer discuss their debate strategy, with Buckley suspecting Vidal will overprepare, while Vidal believes Buckley will underprepare.

At the ABC News studio for the Democratic Convention, the crew scrambles to rebuild the set for the first debate after it collapses. Vidal and Buckley sit in makeup without interacting. The debate starts slowly, with Vidal frequently talking over Buckley. The debate turns into a shouting match. Elmer Lower is pleased with the debate’s reception, but Buckley is uneasy. The second debate follows a similar pattern, with Vidal dominating. Buckley watches the tapes with Patricia and Frank, analyzing his performance, while Vidal and Matt celebrate. After the third debate, Vidal worries about Democratic disunity following Bobby Kennedy’s assassination, while Buckley receives a congratulatory call from Republican nominee Richard Nixon.

Act 2 Scene 1 takes place at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Aretha Franklin sings the national anthem in a distinctive way, drawing complaints. Mayor Daley warns ABC News not to focus on the protests outside, but Elmer insists they’ll report on everything.

In a hotel room, Vidal prepares for the next debate with Matt, fielding calls. Vidal’s partner, Howard Austen, arrives and encourages Vidal to bring more intellectual depth to the debate. Buckley strategizes with Frank and Patricia, opting for personal attacks against Vidal. They dig into Vidal’s past. Vidal speculates that Buckley’s homophobia may stem from repressed homosexuality. In the next debate, Buckley appears more prepared, and Vidal falters, making petty remarks about Buckley’s appearance. In the following debate, Buckley reads a letter from Bobby Kennedy criticizing Vidal, further rattling him.

At the convention, Mayor Daley lashes out at a senator critical of the police’s handling of protests. Elmer notes that other news stations are copying ABC’s style for ratings. Protests outside the convention escalate. Vidal decides to see them firsthand, while Buckley watches from his hotel window. In the ABC studio, they learn police are tear-gassing reporters. Buckley defends the police, while Vidal discusses the situation with James Baldwin, who suggests that debates are mere games for men like Buckley and Vidal.

In the final debate, Buckley defends the police response to protesters, while Vidal argues it's akin to a totalitarian state. Vidal accuses Buckley of being a Nazi, prompting Buckley to lose his temper and call Vidal a queer on live TV. The scene ends in chaos, returning to the Prologue’s fallout after Buckley’s outburst.

The Epilogue begins with modern day media analyst Brooke Gladstone reflecting on the debates' lasting impact. Howard K. Smith worries about how the debates became mere shouting matches, while Elmer praises the ratings and ABC’s rise to the top. Patricia Buckley and Howard Austen discuss the incident's effect on their partners. Patricia says Buckley regretted it, while Howard claims Vidal did not. Brooke highlights how the debates reveal the world before media polarization and lists the dates taboo words were first aired on TV.

Brooke reveals that Vidal and Buckley did meet for one more debate after the infamous "queer" incident. In a hypothetical final conversation, Vidal accuses Buckley of benefiting from harmful traditional values, while Buckley mentions Vidal called him a Nazi. Vidal admits he is "almost sorry" (100), but the lights cut before Buckley responds. Returning to the final TV debate, Vidal argues that their debates failed to foster meaningful dialogue and warns that, in the future, a terrible person could become president simply by being entertaining on TV.