The biggest question of Friday's debate is why is it happening at all

Are you watching tonight?
(Image credit: JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Friday's good for a lot of things: Being on your mind. Being in love. Getting down. What it is not good for, though, is a debate.

Still, here we are, just a few hours out from the eighth Democratic debate, which will air from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET during what is known in the TV industry as the "Friday night death slot," where shows typically go to die. While the debate is ostensibly programmed to help voters hear from candidates one last time before the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, the timing couldn't be worse, coming at the end of a week that has lasted — scientifically speaking — almost a decade. "Everybody wants to get out of town today," Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell (D) told Fox News' Chad Pergram. "This has been one of the worst weeks I can remember."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.