The Oscars are fast approaching thanks to a shortened awards season, and the show will be without a host for the second year.
Can it work?
They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. And I have a sinking feeling that’s the case here.
Let’s look at a few factors.
Do hosts help?
The 2019 Oscars were a mad rush to the finish line. After Kevin Hart was announced and unannounced as host, no one jumped at the opportunity to host the biggest awards show of each year.
Fortunately, it worked. Ratings rebounded. But was part of that just to see a potential fail?
The last time the Oscars went host-less before 2019 was 1989. The year of the Snow White/Rob Lowe musical number. Memorable, but it the worst way possible.
The second most-watched awards show is the Grammys, which went without a host for a few years. In 2012, LL Cool J started a five-year hosting streak, which mostly consisted of opening and closing the show and introducing a few musicians here and there. Alicia Keys hosts this year’s show for the second year in a row.
It never seemed necessary to have a Grammys host since it’s more about the performances than the awards (many awards aren’t televised anyway), but the show had viewer increases from 2015-2017 and had increased viewership last year, all years with a host.
And let’s not forget that the 2019 Emmys tried to go host-less since the Oscars did…and it bombed.
What does a host do?
It’s not that a host is needed, per se, but these awards shows need to flow. The Oscars had some success in 2019 for being almost 30 minutes shorter than 2018, a welcome reprieve, especially on an already late Sunday night telecast.
As long as you can keep a show running smoothly with some laughs or memorable moments, it works. It’s why Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are great hosts. Their dry humor and buddy banter delight audiences without alienating them.
And let’s be real, some hosts don’t work. Remember James Franco and Anne Hathaway? Her costume changes were more exciting than their bits. The Emmys Colin Jost and Michael Che? Snooze.
What about presenters and winners?
Over the last couple years, there seems to be more emphasis on who, besides the host, is part of the awards shows.
Presenters can make or break a moment. A bad bit can sour a show and make viewers turn off the program.
Maya Rudolph, for example, has had great moments.
And not so great moments.
Without a host, you have to hope the presenters entertain the audience. But their time is so quick that it has to be gold or be dust.
And then we have the nominees, which means a chance for colorful, political, motivational, sappy award speeches.
Deliver a good acceptance speech and you’re golden. Regina King? Flawless. Michelle Williams? Giving a voice where she thought appropriate.
There’s a fine line in these political times, but getting that sound bite is priceless. And what the Oscars hope to achieve.
With a higher than usual unpredictability in the Best Picture race balancing out what seem to locks for the acting categories, a chance for surprise seems minimal. And without the suspense of how will a host-less Oscars work, it seems unlikely people will care as much as last year.