• Variety, Monday, November 10, 2008 9:30 AM

Prime-time TV could be credited for paving the way for Barack Obama's historic victory. In recent years, viewers have seen an African-American TV president played by Dennis Haysbert on "24," and -- in an almost eerily prescient parallel -- Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits), was a youthful minority congressman who defeated an older senator in the final season of "The West Wing."

Obama's debt to television goes even deeper, with his mastery of TV's grammar and visual imagery. For instance, the candidate's slick prime-time infomercial employed a heart-tugging newsmagazine format, proving he picked up a few tricks while palling around with Oprah Winfrey.

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