Show's over!

Our best brains at the paper have decided to put my column on the front page this morning ... further proof of why newspapers are dying!! (as TKC would say)

This was actually supposed to run as my regular Sunday column. But as it got passed around and up, someone got the idea of putting it on the cover. It was sufficiently nonpartisan for an Election Day leader -- though, for the record, I do think John McCain would make a much better TV talk show host than Barack Obama -- and kinda lightened the mood on this day of decision. And it's not like anyone needs one last reminder to vote.

I'll be on the radio this morning with Chip Franklin on KOGO Radio (here's the audio) my exit-poll piece and then with Shari Elliker at WBAL for our weekly chat. This evening, I'll do something here at TV Barn, based on the coverage. I'll plan to focus on cable news, but I'll try to keep my eye on the networks and TV One and BET and Current and every other channel that's planning election coverage (what's QVC selling tonight?). Your tips, as always, are appreciated.

But enough about me. Tribe, it's your turn to speak.

Column follows....

I'm already missing the 2008 campaign. I'm going to miss it the way I miss "The Wire." The way I missed "Survivor" after Richard won. The way I missed France after Lance.

You might say that the long-running hit series "Campaign '08" is airing its series finale Tuesday. As is customary on such occasions, here is a fond farewell from your TV critic.

"Campaign '08" was a hugely compelling, wildly unpredictable reality-TV drama that captivated the public for well over a year. Millions tuned in, millions cast ballots for their favorite contestants. The media attention for this show and its quasi-celebrity contestants was intense.

Far from trivializing one of the most important acts a citizen of a democracy undertakes, the fact that "Campaign '08" was so entertaining meant that the public really paid attention this time.

One primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, aired on a major network, drew a larger audience than any comedy or drama all season on NBC. Bill O'Reilly's audience nearly doubled, to 4 million viewers. The spillover into cable talk shows, late-night comedy shows, even such outlets as Nickelodeon and BET was unprecedented.

Journalist David Halberstam once observed that television combined theater with politics. These days it's more like politics and "The Amazing Race," but the point remains. You cannot remove showbiz from our national political process, and "Campaign '08" was full-on, high-wattage entertainment from the start.

Between Mike Huckabee and John McCain, the Clintons and the Obamas, this campaign featured more combined television throw weight than any political field in history, except when Ronald Reagan dined alone.

And like the "Amazing Race," this campaign played out in three short cycles. The first, in the fall of 2007, introduced us to the contestants and their story lines. You had the maverick (McCain), the legacy-bearer (Clinton), the upstart (Obama), the Christian rocker (Huckabee), Mr. Smooth (Mitt Romney), the politician from Alaska (no, not her -- Mike Gravel), a few others whose names I forget and, of course, that lovable old salt Rudy.

Cycle 2 of "Campaign '08" (primary season) was marked by new alliances, wicked gamesmanship and tactical strategery. Then McCain cashed in a fast-forward coupon and the race became all about Hillary and Barack.

Though it was no doubt annoying to many Democrats at the time, Clinton's refusal to quit, in hindsight, burnished both candidates as only a dynamic rivalry can (say, the Celtics and the Lakers, who also renewed hostilities).

The news media -- all too often given to calling the race as if it was the Breeders' Cup -- were forced to inform the public about differences in competing health plans, approaches to foreign diplomacy and how a caucus is different from a primary. We got a refresher course in who Sen. Joe McCarthy was and learned that the radical left and radical right were both thriving in American Christianity. It was very educational.

After ending this cycle on a sad note -- the death of TV anchor Tim Russert -- "Campaign '08" took most of the summer off. I thought this unfortunate, and I endorsed McCain's idea of continuing the show right through the summer with a series of debates -- kind of like "The Moment of Truth," only with Keith Olbermann and Brit Hume as the polygraphs. Obama's producers passed.

The third cycle began in the fall -- the final season, we were told, of "Campaign '08." Fortunately, the contestants had saved the best for last. One of the eliminated contestants was invited back (that would be Joe Biden) while McCain played Phone-a-Friend brilliantly, bringing in the show's breakout star, sassy Sarah Palin.

Polls tightened. Crowds of thousands gathered to root on their heroes in gatherings worthy of "American Idol." There was a challenge, and Obama won immunity.

To be sure, there did seem a point when "Campaign '08" jumped the shark ("As the Candidates Head Down the Stretch, Horse Race Dominates" is the finding of a new report from the decidedly nonentertained Project for Excellence in Journalism).

But for much of the fall season, it was exciting, it felt fresh, and best of all, it really did seem like the two best contestants had made it to the final round.

In monetary terms, the producers of "Campaign '08" spared no expense, and that upset some TV Turn-Off types in the audience. But let's have some perspective here. A network like ABC or NBC probably spends more money developing, producing and promoting one season of television than the McCain and Obama camps spent getting to Election Night.

And c'mon, admit it: You enjoyed watching this political show more than "Grey's Anatomy" anyway, didn't you?

Comments

[sammie]

Hillary Clinton was the star of the show and like every great star she made better performers of her co-stars. Everyone in America owes her our gratitude. Whatever the outcome, she set the bar high. Politics will never be the same.

[Stooge]

Congrats on the high-profile feature! Totally deserved.

[matt stechel]

i did indeed enjoy this much more then grey's anatomy. but then again--- grey's hasn't been particularly vital for the past season or two.