• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 10, 2008

Concerning NBC and Hillary Clinton, don't believe the usual polls.

In NBC's case, don't believe the conventional wisdom that a cheesy, syndicated athletic pumped-up show over a decade old can't be resurrected, or that it can't give a fourth-place network a surprising early 2008 lead.

In Ms. Clinton's case, don't believe political estimates and pundits know everything. Predicting the outcome of political races seemed to be taking the fun -- and drama -- out of good TV coverage in recent years. It's too scientific.

Making good political TV is making suspenseful politics and proving the scientists wrong. It doesn't happen much.

In New Hampshire, the polls assured almost everyone Barack Obama would trounce Hillary Clinton by a double-digit percent spread. But instead what we saw were commentators fumbling and stumbling to explain why Clinton pulled out a three percentage point win.

Perhaps in this strike-weary season, surprising Presidential politics can be a respite for ailing TV network ratings. But not now. ABC, the only network to give the primary prime-time coverage, delivered a 1.0 rating/3 share at 9 p.m. There is still a long way to go.

NBC's "American Gladiators"? Led by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, the physical fitness side of television may be just what U.S. viewers need in light of a war of words the writers strike brings to the table. Little scripted material and even less character development. Just sweat, muscles, huffing and puffing.

That's what true non-scripted TV programming has always really meant: people pushing and pulling each other around, no writers of any type, union or otherwise, in sight, lots of cartoon-like attitude, and "Blade-Runner"-type lyrca.

It's early. All this could be just a flash in the pan. Hillary Clinton may resume her underdog status; "Gladiators" may lose its buff. But don't write off any results before they happen. You may find yourself grunting at the TV .