Donald Trump in Hershey, PA on Nov. 4, 2016 (L); Hillary Clinton in Detroit, MI, on Nov. 4, 2016.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images (L); Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images
The electricity of election night programming comes from just how little actually happens for hours leading up to decisive moments. On Tuesday night, a winner (presumably) will be declared in the Trump-Clinton contest, but only after hours’ worth of filler.
That makes choosing what to watch throughout the (long) evening a fairly fraught proposition. These have to be people with whom you’re willing to spend an amount of time that’s as substantial as it is substance-free.
Cable news has, this election cycle, had a vexed relationship with filling the air. For every unexpectedly juicy roundtable discussion, there’s been one featuring vacuous, fact-light commentary rife with false equivalencies, or debates incendiary for their own sake. I’ll be keeping an eye on NBC (where deeply sourced reporters Andrea Mitchell and Katy Tur will be positioned at Clinton and Trump headquarters, respectively) at the moments polls close—and flipping over to Fox in the event of a Clinton victory, to see how the coverage differs from 2012, when Megyn Kelly rose to megafame simply by refusing to indulge Karl Rove’s denial of an Obama win.
TIME will be broadcasting a live show on Time.com, Facebook and YouTube, hosted by Washington correspondent Alex Altman, with guests including TIME editor-in-chief Nancy Gibbs, Time Inc. chief content officer Alan Murray and myself, among others. The show is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
Here’s what else is out there:
CNN is touting 24 hours of coverage, beginning at midnight on Election Day and including programs hosted by Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Anderson Cooper live from Washington’s “CNN Election Center” (which also features the now-venerable “CNN Magic Wall,” the video screen manipulated by John King).
MSNBC will also be broadcasting all day, with coverage led by Rachel Maddow, Brian Williams and Chris Matthews kicking off at 6 p.m.
And Fox News, its taste for spectacle intact even after the departure of impresario Roger Ailes, will broadcast from a glittering new studio with anchors Kelly and Bret Baier.
But in the hours between polls closing, I plan to flip around to broadcasts a bit more explicit about their desire to entertain.
The View will be hosting a two-and-a-half hour special at 9 p.m. on Lifetime; while the show is about a decade off its Rosie-vs.-Elisabeth peak, new additions (including Jedediah Bila and Sunny Hostin) have kept it fresh-ish. I’m curious to see if the venerable talk show, whose panelists own their biases and gaps in knowledge, can deal more effectively with the last night of candidate Trump than a cable news show that’s more tightly bound to cover him as something close to a normal candidate. The fact that this is where Alicia Machado is spending her election night says something about the show’s legitimacy—or its anti-Trump slant. Either way, the conversation is likely to be fresher there than on cable.
For fans of straight-up political comedy of the intentional sort, Stephen Colbert is to be reacting to returns live on Showtime starting at 11 p.m. On his CBS Late Show, Colbert has been at his best in live broadcasts airing after the conventions, so this could be a chance for him to close out the election strong. I’m likelier to check out Colbert once I get the actual calls from a news network, than I am to tune into Trevor Noah’s live special on Comedy Central (also at 11 p.m.). And people who somehow haven’t grown exhausted of social media can watch a live broadcast of Comedy Central’s @midnight, which will feature a live panel reacting to whatever are the night’s best tweets.
Cord-cutters can do more than look at Tweets, mercifully: BuzzFeed will be live-streaming coverage through a partnership with Twitter, and Facebook Live is teaming with ABC News. ABC is also planning to feature the prognosticator Nate Silver (whose high valuation of Trump’s odds, relative to other forecasters, has made him a semi-controversial figure in news junkie circles).
But this is what we’ll all be watching on election night. Those stuck at home in the hours leading up to the election can do more than idly watch coverage of exit polls (which, as recently as 2004, were very wrong anyhow!). Up until the past week or so, I’d have recommended Veep as a pre-election day watch—its most recent season, tracking a closely contested recount, was the funniest possible spin on electoral chaos, and while it wasn’t “about” Clinton, it tracked closely with the reflexive lack of respect she and other female politicians face. Those seeking escapism, of a sort, can as always tune into House of Cards, a gleefully silly show whose admirers and detractors both have convinced themselves it’s a show about the Clintons, when in actuality it’s about nothing.
But recent developments pertaining to the intelligence community’s interactions with Clinton have me thinking it’s worth catching up on Homeland, whose next season is to feature the great Elizabeth Marvel playing a female president-elect. The show’s had its ups and downs, but at its best, the show is a giddy wallow in a paranoia that feels like the mood of the moment—and one that won’t go away no matter who wins on Tuesday night.
The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election
Donald Trump supporter at a campaign rally held in the Robarts Arena, Sarasota, Fla. Nov. 28, 2015.Landon Nordeman for TIMEDonald Trump supporters parade an elephant in front of a rally in Sarasota, Fla. Nov. 28, 2015.Landon Nordeman for TIMEHillary Clinton takes the stage to address supporters at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, on June 7, 2016.Doug Mills—The New York Times/ReduxRepublican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump shows off the size of his hands as rivals Marco Rubio (L) and Ted Cruz (R) look on at the start of the U.S. Republican presidential candidates debate in Detroit, Michigan, on March 3, 2016. Jim Young—ReutersHillary Clinton speaks about the FBI inquiry into her emails during a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Oct. 29, 2016. Brian Snyder—ReutersDonald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 13, 2016. Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesA poster depicting Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is mounted on a lawn in West Des Moine, Iowa, on Jan. 25, 2016.Natalie Keyssar for TIMENick McNamara, 31, Donald Trump I’m a college graduate. That’s an investment I made to make a good future for myself. But the playing field I’m in right now feels like, ‘What am I supposed to do?’ We’re becoming weakened in the face of the world. We’re not the global superpower that we used to be.From "Meet the First-Time Voters Who Are Changing the Presidential Election."Benjamin Rasmussen for TIMETed Cruz at CPAC in Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 26, 2015Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEThe wall of shame featuring Republican leaders who have criticized Trump, like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney inside the campaign headquarters of Donald Trump in New York City, on May 24, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMERepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump autographs diner mugs after speaking to reporters at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, New Hampshire.M. Scott BrauerKentucky senator and Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul speaks to the media while eating ice cream during a campaign stop at Moose Scoops Ice Cream in Warren, New Hampshire.M. Scott BrauerFormer Virginia governor and Republican presidential candidate Jim Gilmore (left), NH state director Anne Smith, and Gilmore's brother-in-law Lloyd Gatling, of Suffolk, Virginia, get in their car to travel to a polling location outside the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, on the day of primary voting, on Feb. 9, 2016. M. Scott Brauer for TIMEJohn McEntee, Trump's Campaign Trip Director, rides a hoverboard at the campaign headquarters of Donald Trump in New York City, on May 24, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMEHillary Clinton speaks during a rally while former rival Bernie Sanders stands on stage at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on July 12, 2016. At the rally, Sanders officially endorsed Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president.M. Scott BrauerDonald Trump and Mike Pence speak in an overflow room at a campaign event in Roanoke, Virginia, on July 25, 2016. Carlo Allegri—ReutersHillary Clinton welcomes Vice President Joe Biden as he disembarks from Air Force Two for a joint campaign event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 15, 2016. Charles Mistoller—ReutersSupporters are reflected in a teleprompter as Hillary Clinton addresses a campaign rally where former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband astronaut Mark Kelly appeared with her, in Cincinnati, on Oct. 31, 2016. Doug Mills—The New York Times/ReduxBernie Sanders supporters at a campaign rally at Waterfront Park in Vallejo, Calif., on May 18, 2016.From "Bernie Sanders’ Californian Dreams"Carolyn Drake—Magnum Photos for TIMEA vendor outside a Trump Rally at the Greenville Convention center on September 6, 2016.Stacy Kranitz for TIMEDonald Trump tosses his coat aside during a fly-in campaign stop at the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y., on April 12, 2016. Nathaniel Brooks—The New York Times/ReduxDonald Trump disembarks his private plane at Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Maryland, on Sept. 12, 2016. Damon Winter—The New York Times/ReduxSanta Monica High School Football Field on May 23, 2016. From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Nate Gowdy for TIMEAttendees listen as Hillary Clinton speaks during an organizing event in Baldwin, Iowa, on Aug. 26, 2015. Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesSupporters John Nelson, 32, (L) and Dan Stifler, 32, cheer for Hillary Clinton as she speaks at the UFCW Union Local 324 in Buena Park, California, on May 25, 2016. Lucy Nicholson—ReutersA young supporter wears socks with the image of Donald Trump ahead of his press conference at the Trump International Hotel, in Washington, DC, on Sept. 16, 2016.Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty ImagesDonald Trump holds Kellen Campbell(R) and Evelyn Keane during a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, on July 29, 2016.Evan Vucci—APFlorida. Sen. Marco Rubio greets supporters during a campaign event at the Allard Center in Manchester, N.H. on Feb. 7, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMEDonald Trump walks on stage after his daughter, Ivanka Trump, introduced him on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 21, 2016.Ben Lowy for TIMENew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat Christie seated at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, on July 19, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMEA Jeb display at the “Growth and Opportunity Party” In Des Moines Iowa. 10 GOP presidential hopefuls were in Des Moines Saturday for the “Growth and Opportunity Party”. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum and Carly Fiorina all received 15 minutes to address the crowd.
Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEDonald Trump waves to supporters as he leaves from a rally at Marshalltown Community School District - Roundhouse Gymnasium on Jan. 26, 2016. Natalie Keyssar for TIMEDemocratic nominee Hillary Clinton talks to reporters about the explosion in Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, as she arrives at the Westchester County airport in White Plains, on Sept. 17, 2016. Carlos Baria—ReutersMarco Rubio appears with his family at his caucus location in Clive, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016.Natalie Keyssar for TIMETed Cruz embraces his wife before boarding the campaign bus at a stop at Greene County Community Center in Jefferson, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016.Natalie Keyssar for TIMEPeople wait for Donald Trump to speak at a campaign event on the tarmac of the airport in Kinston, North Carolina, on Oct. 26 2016. Carlo Allegri—ReutersDonald Trump arrives on stage to introduce his wife Melania during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18, 2016. Ricky Carioti—The Washington Post/Getty ImagesA delegate from Texas wears a cowboy hat with a campaign bumper sticker for Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 20, 2016. Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesMelania Trump kisses her husband, Donald Trump in front of an ecstatic crowd, on July 18, 2016.Ben Lowy for TIMESupporters of Donald Trump attempt to obscure a protestor from the activist group Code Pink, who is holding an anti-racism and anti-hate banner, as she interrupts the proceedings during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 19, 2016. Aaron Bernstein—ReutersHillary Clinton joins President Barack Obama on stage after he spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, on July 27, 2016. In his speech, Obama praised Clinton as the most qualified person for the office, ever. "I'm asking you to join me -- to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what's best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States," Obama said. Doug Mills—The New York Times/ReduxSecurity backstage on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 28, 2016.Natalie Keyssar for TIMEDonald Trump delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 21, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMEA delegate wears a dress covered in photos of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the Wells Fargo Center on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, on July 27, 2016. Damon Winter—The New York Times/ReduxDonald Trump takes the stage at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, on July 18, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMEScenes from the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, on July 21, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEMembers of College Democrats of America pose for pictures in the Instagram/ Facebook lounge at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, on July 25, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMEAn ecstatic Hillary Clinton celebrates at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention where she accepted the nomination in Philadelphia, on July 28, 2016.Benjamin Lowy for TIMENew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks to attendees during a campaign event at the Great American T-Bone Diner in Derry, N.H., on Feb. 9, 2016.Landon Nordeman for TIMETwo women take pictures on stage before Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Springfield, Ohio, on Oct. 27, 2016. Carlo Allegri—ReutersRemote control plane builder Otto Diefffenbach III flies his plane resembling U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump in Carlsbad, California, on Sept. 15, 2016. Mike Blake—ReutersFrom left Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, Donald Trump, Melania Trump and others listen as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at Waldorf Astoria in New York, New York, on Oct. 20, 2016.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty ImagesSteaks and chops described as 'Trump meat' are shown near the podium with Trump branded wines and water before Donald Trump was scheduled to appear at a press event at his Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, on March 8, 2016. Joe Skipper—ReutersDonald Trump comforts Shalga Hightower, center, as she hugs family spokesman Charmil Davis during a meeting in Philadelphia, on Sept. 2, 2016. Hightower's daughter, Iofemi Hightower, was murdered in a 2007 attack at a Newark schoolyard. Evan Vucci—APA U.S. Secret Service agent pulls a man's arm from the shoulder of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as she greets workers inside the employee dining room at Harrah's Las Vegas on Feb. 20, 2016. Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesWI Governor Scott Walker covers his face before Donald Trump attends a campaign roundtable with small business leaders in Altoona, Wisconsin, on Nov. 1, 2016. Carlo Allegri—ReutersDonald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is seen after it was vandalized, on Oct. 26, 2016. Mario Anzuoni—ReutersHillary Clinton campaigning in the N.H. presidential primary at Winnacunnet High School, in Hampton, N.H., on Feb. 3, 2016.James Nachtwey for TIMEDonald Trump arrives at a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire on Oct. 28, 2016. Carlo Allegri—ReutersA group of people fill a seated area before Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in an airplane hangar in Rome, New York, on April 12, 2016.Carlo Allegri—ReutersCampaign signs left on the seats before Donald Trump's campaign rally at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, on June 15, 2016. Damon Winter—The New York Times/ReduxHillary Clinton poses for selfies at an Orlando, Fla., event on Sept, 21, 2016.Barbara Kinney—Hillary for AmericaDonald Trump attends a roundtable discussion about child care issues before a campaign event in Aston, Pa., on Sept. 13, 2016.Damon Winter—The New York Times/ReduxA paramedic's stretcher sits backstage with a Trump campaign sign on it as Donald Trump holds a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 21, 2016. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersHillary Clinton and Tim Kaine attend a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, U.S., on Oct. 22, 2016. Carlos Barria—ReutersDonald Trump views a replica of the Oval Office on a tour of the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sept. 30, 2016. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersA fight between protestors at City Hall in Philadelphia to watch speaker Jill Stein and protest the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 26, 2016.
Natalie Keyssar for TIMEA vendor sells an inflatable punching bag bearing a caricature of Hillary Clinton next to a man begging for money outside a campaign event for Donald Trump in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 13, 2016. Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesKendra Wright, of Auburn, Wash., listens to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speak during a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett in Washington on Aug. 30, 2016. Evan Vucci—APDominick Vaglica, 7, looks at a home displaying signs supporting Donald Trump and criticizing Hillary Clinton in Bellmore, NY, on Oct. 29, 2016. Stephanie Keith—ReutersTrump for President rally in Lakeland, Florida.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEChelsea and Bill Clinton, watch Hillary Clinton speak at a campaign rally at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas on Feb. 19, 2016.David Becker—ReutersJeff Muller of Wilmington, N.C., salutes as Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Kinston, N.C., on Oct. 26, 2016.Evan Vucci—APRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to an overflow crowd during a campaign rally in Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 6, 2016.Evan Vucci—APDonald Trump supporters wait for the Republican presidential candidate's campaign rally at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, N.C., on Oct. 21, 2016.Damon Winter—The New York Times/ReduxOmarosa Manigault at an election night party for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMETrump arrives with his family to greet the crowd at his victory celebration in New York on Nov. 9Christopher Morris—VII for TIME A balloon shaped like a donkey is seen at an election night party for Hillary Clinton at the Javits Center, on Nov. 8, 2016, in New York.Landon Nordeman for TIMEScenes from President-elect Donald Trump's Victory Party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough.Dina Litovsky for TIMEPresident-elect Donald Trump speaks during his Victory Party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough.Dina Litovsky for TIMEScenes at an election night party for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough. Clinton faces Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the contest for president of the United States.Ben Lowy for TIMEScenes from President-elect Donald Trump's Victory Party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough.Dina Litovsky for TIME
