The DNC's program intercut remote segments and speeches, some of which were prerecorded, yet inaccurately labeled "live" by CNN and MSNBC. Both channels carried the entire DNC feed with practically no interruption. But other major outlets made difficult on-the-spot decisions about what to cover and what to pre-empt. This led to awkward instances when two-thirds of the screen showed a convention speaker with sound muted, while pundits jabbered.

For some Democrats, such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, political speechmaking proved difficult without a live audience. Others, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders—speaking indoors in front of a magnificent stack of firewood—managed to resonate. Most effective were former President Obama and wife Michelle, whose near sotto voce intensity would have been disrupted in a raucous arena.

Democrats used high profile Hollywood actresses as hosts each night. The first three played it straight, while the fourth, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, made the regrettable decision to opt for shtick. ("Text 30330 . . . that would be the president's golf score if he didn't cheat.")

For acceptance speeches by nominees Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, producers wisely decided to create a virtual convention hall in Wilmington, Del., and invited reporters to attend so the candidates had at a least a token live "audience." Less pleasing were shots of the nominees waving awkwardly to supporters whose video images appeared on a Zoom-style wall.

Republican strategists undoubtedly watched with interest, trying to ascertain what works and what doesn't. During a phone interview on Sean Hannity's show during the DNC's first hour Thursday, President Trump said he intends to have fewer prerecorded speakers.

The two most overtly partisan cable channels went in predictably opposite directions, with MSNBC carrying everything and Fox skipping each night's first hour entirely. Will they flip approaches this week?

Given the challenge of knitting together so many feeds while covering complex political ground, Democrats deserve high marks. But can this year's unusual pitchcraft swing many votes? Considering the lack of arena-generated excitement, and a dip in ratings from 2016, the answer is probably no.

Maybe Ms. Louis-Dreyfus needed better jokes. She could have asked her former colleagues at "Saturday Night Live" for a clip, ideally Dan Aykroyd's classic infomercial spoof for the Bass-o-matic: "Yes, fish eaters, the days of troublesome scaling, cutting and gutting are over!"

(c) Peter Funt. This column originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal.