Oscars to air all 23 categories next year

Hooray for Hollywood! This week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced they will reinstate eight categories that were discarded from last year’s Academy Awards telecast.

In a statement, Bill Kramer, CEO of AMPAS, said, “I can confirm that all categories will be included in the live telecast…We are committed to having a show that celebrates the artisans, the arts and sciences and the collaborative nature of moviemaking. This is very much what the mission of the Academy is, and I am very hopeful that we can do a show that celebrates all components of moviemaking in an entertaining and engaging way.”

The Oscars had 24 categories for a number of years, until they combined the Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing awards for the 93rd Academy Awards (the winner, fittingly, was Sound of Metal).

Last year, eight–or over a third of the–categories–including Best Original Score, Best Film Editing and all three short films, were nixed from the telecast. This move was partly intended to bump viewership and shorten the show. However, the 94th Academy Awards ended up running 3 hours and 40 minutes. That’s comfortable compared to 2002’s record-setting 4 hours and 23 minutes, but still shows the Academy missed the mark. It also demonstrated a disregard for the artistry that goes into those categories, even though their speeches were presented throughout the show.

As far as viewership goes, that ceremony was one of the least-watched in history. There was a spike at one point in the show, but we can’t imagine why…

The Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 12, 2023. Jimmy Kimmel will return as host for the third time.

How do you feel about the Academy adding the eight categories back into the telecast? Will it improve the show? Let us know your take in the comments below.