The Top 10 Everything of 2008

3. The Presidential election

It had everything: sex (well, gender politics, plus that John Edwards scandal), controversy and out-of-the-blue plot twists. And from the debates to the conventions to Barack Obama's primetime infomercial, the yearlong campaign brought record audiences to a drama with real stakes. The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live were at the top of their satirical game, Katie Couric came into her own as an anchor, and for all their risible gimmicks (like Anderson Cooper talking to holograms election night), cable news found a way to drum up viewers with issues meatier than shark attacks.
(Network, cable and online)

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