The television industry's center of gravity moved south to San Diego last week.

Walking the densely packed halls of the 2008 Comic-Con pop culture fest, television executives hung over from the writers strike found rejuvenation at every corner. Every show was a hit, every producer a rock star.

In contrast to the just-concluded Television Critics Association summer press tour—which at times took on a funereal air—Comic-Con seemed to offer hope that TV wasn't dead after all, but was actually alive and thriving.

For the first time ever, two TV shows—"Lost" and "Heroes"—played in the San Diego Convention Center's enormous Hall H, attracting packed houses of roughly 6,500 apiece in a location that had previously been the domain of theatrical blockbusters.

Josh Schwartz, executive producer of "Chuck" and "Gossip Girl," summed up the Con in one word: "Awesome."

"That there were even vocal 'Gossip Girl' fans there means TV's reach is broader than ever," Mr. Schwartz said. "That 'Chuck' could pack in 4,000 people on the same day that 'Lost' and 'Heroes' played to 6,500 and 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Pushing Daisies' and 'Dollhouse' were all packed means there is a big appetite for TV. A couple of movies—'Watchmen,' 'Twilight,' '[Terminator] 4'—garnered a lot of buzz, but TV's reach was deep and broad.

"(It) makes the Nielsen problem [of measuring viewership beyond TV] all the more evident," Mr. Schwartz said.

Indeed, the topic of illegal downloading of TV shows came up often in hallway conversations and panels. During a session for Comedy Central's "The Sarah Silverman Program," a British fan copped to watching pirated copies of the show before it was legally available in the U.K.

Studios pulled out all the stops to get fans psyched.

Warner Bros. Television, the TV king of Comic-Con the past few years, once again ruled the convention floor. Its two-story booth was consistently packed, thanks to clever giveaways (Win the Nerd Herd car from "Chuck"!) and the studio's omnipresent swag bags.

Rather than give away just one bag throughout the show, Warners upped the ante this year by giving away a different bag each day over the course of the five-day event. That turned a big chunk of convention-goers into walking billboards for shows including "Chuck," "Supernatural" and "Pushing Daisies."

Lisa Gregorian, the studio's chief of marketing, said all of WBTV's efforts at the Con are geared toward giving the fans what they want, rather than simply pushing what the studio thinks should be a priority. Of course, the hope is that happy fans will turn into rabid consumers of the studio's various properties.

Ms. Gregorian, working with WBTV publicity executives, takes a hands-on approach to the Con. She spent much of the show at the Warners booth, making announcements over a microphone ("The cast of 'Pushing Daisies' is signing autographs now!"). Warner Bros. TV president Peter Roth joined her at times, at one point even handing out swag to conventioneers.

While he's known for his enthusiastic manner, Mr. Roth seemed particularly in his element at the Con, happy to be among the fans of his studio's output. "I love this place," he declared.

Other studio executives made the trek to San Diego. Dana Walden, co-chair of 20th Century Fox TV, made sure to stop by the studio's green room to schmooze with talent before their panels.

Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly was there for the producers of "Fringe," as was his new No. 2, Matt Cherniss. (Mr. Cherniss is an accomplished comic book writer himself, so the Con worked on multiple platforms for him.)

Teri Weinberg, NBC's development and current programming chief, also was spotted backstage.

While Warners may have dominated the floor, other studios and networks were competitive in terms of programming and buzz.

Twentieth stepped things up this year with nine panels and a hot premium of its own, an oft-spotted poster tube. Most of the studio's animated shows were represented, with "Family Guy" delighting fans by previewing the first act of a future episode. And the cast and producers of "24" successfully hit the reset button at the Con, with fans apparently anxious for a new day in the show's history.

The other big relaunch at the Con was for NBC's "Heroes." Creator Tim Kring rolled the dice by showing the third-season premiere of his show, which took a creative and ratings hit last year. Initial reports are that the gambit worked: Early online buzz from the screening seems positive.

Sci Fi Channel was bustling with activity throughout the Con and even had its own "Big Frakkin Bag" to compete with WBTV. Its panels for "Battlestar Galactica" and "Ghost Hunters" packed in the fans. Showtime also scored with "Dexter," which drew thousands of bloodthirsty attendees.

Other highlights from the convention floor included an aisle-choking G4 stage where "Attack of the Show" was broadcast live; packed panels for Discovery Networks shows; and members of the American Vampire League canvassing the floor for petition signatures to ensure equal rights for vampires as they promoted HBO's "True Blood."

Vampires were a hot topic at this year's Comic- Con, with a jam-packed panel on HBO's "Blood," along with a panel on the highly anticipated movie "Twilight," based on a set of novels by author Stephanie Meyer.

"Vampires are cool and they're sexy, and that's what we care about here at Comic-Con, things that are cool and sexy," said Ariel Rosenthal, a five-year veteran of the Con. "And also violent. Add them up, you get vampires."

However, with hype machines shifted into overdrive in San Diego, it's worth remembering that Comic-Con isn't always the surest barometer of how well a show is going to do in the fall.

"'Bionic Woman' was huge here last year, and it did well in the ratings for two weeks, and then it died," Con attendee Alan Farley observed. "So you can't always get the trends from this place, you know?"

For more news, pictures and blogs from Comic-Con 2008, visit TVWeek.com's Comic-Con page.