Of all the Democratic debates, Joe Biden vs. Bernie Sanders on CNN felt the most like a debate

Variety

"From a substantive point of view, watching Biden and Sanders go toe-to-toe on the politics that have divided them throughout the primary — particularly the increasingly relevant issue of health care — made for a more substantive night than the previously crowded Democratic debates could allow," says Caroline Framke. "The debate felt more like…well, a debate, with a more focused back-and-forth rather than the previous debates’ cacophony of one-upmanship. She adds that "though it was jarring to see such an uncluttered stage after months of dozens of jostling elbows, the relative simplicity was also an undeniable relief. The fact that there were only two candidates, however, was not the only reason that this debate felt more informative than any other. The severity of the impending COVID-19 crisis stripped the night of the aggressive bells and whistles that CNN and other networks like MSNBC have been throwing at every political bump on the Democratic primary road. Given the physical distance between Sanders and Biden, the camera stayed largely trained straight on them in order to get them in the same frame rather than swooping all about their faces as previous debates, aping sports specials, have done. The lack of audience, while initially jarring, made even the testiest exchanges feel less like a boxing match where the most quotable burn wins."

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• Joe Biden seemed to be the biggest beneficiary of the first no-audience debate: "Without a studio audience to periodically applaud or cheer its approval, to lend its support to his talk of a revolution, (Bernie) Sanders — for the moment — was not the leader of a movement but a solitary man shouting into a microphone," says Robin Givhan, adding: "The lack of an audience seemed to have a calming effect on Biden. He also seemed to benefit from not having the whipsawing effect that comes from a herd of candidates on stage all jockeying for speaking time. When Biden wasn’t having his say, his hand rested on the sides of the lectern. At first, he addressed his responses to the moderators. Then, when he turned towards Sanders, he did so with a casual mien with one hand resting at his side."
• The decision to hold the debate without a studio audience was a hit with viewers