If you go back to the 2016 threads, the networks were doing the same thing you all are describing as going on tonight. Up until 9 PM, it was a foregone conclusion that Hillary was winning in a landslide - the only question was how big the landslide was going to be, and by how much the Democrats would win control of the Senate by - and maybe even the House given how badly Trump was doing and dragging down the entire ticket.
Your memory of 2016 is 100% right ... once Trump won Florida, the Dems house of cards imploded. I’m hoping the same thing happens tonight :-)!