I’m imagining something with 1-2 debates and not much else. Of course this is unlikely to happen, for many reasons. Regarding your point about people with busy schedules: A party that was serious about winning would move people’s schedules around.

1-2 debates between who exactly? Who decides the debate participants? This is sounding too much like "Big Business donors backing people like Pelosi have a couple anti-union, anti-regulation, anti social justice candidates that they couldn't get in the primary normally. So just anoint them."