New Delhi, Aug. 18 -- "Hi, I know you're watching."

No name. No title. No need.

That opening was the thesis of Rosie O'Donnell's debut as guest host on ABC's flagship 11:35 slot, the first night of a week the industry had been watching since the booking was announced. The question around the pairing was never whether O'Donnell would go after Donald Trump. It was whether she would do something more interesting than that.

She did. She called him "Mango Mussolini," distributed copies of a Madonna album to the studio audience, delivered a moving tribute to the late actress Hayden Panettiere, and took a precise shot at CBS News media personality Bari Weiss, "I don't know how she can live with herself," and yet by morning, media observers we...