The BEST episodes of The Academy Awards

#1 - The 89th Academy Awards 2017

Season 1 - Episode 89 - Aired 2/26/2017

The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2016, and took place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd and directed by Glenn Weiss. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony for the first time.

#2 - The 88th Academy Awards 2016

Season 1 - Episode 88 - Aired 2/28/2016

The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2015 and took place on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. Actor Chris Rock hosted the show for the second time, having previously hosted the 77th ceremony held in 2005.

#3 - The 90th Academy Awards 2018

Season 1 - Episode 90 - Aired 3/4/2018

The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor the best films of 2017 and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California at 5:00 p.m. PST on March 4, 2018. The ceremony will take place after its usual late-February date to avoid conflicting with the 2018 Winter Olympics. During the ceremony, AMPAS will present Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony will be televised in the United States by ABC, produced by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd and directed by Glenn Weiss. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host for a second consecutive year, making Kimmel the first person to host back-to-back ceremonies since Billy Crystal in 1997 and 1998.

#4 - The 32nd Academy Awards 1960

Season 1 - Episode 32 - Aired 4/4/1960

Host Bob Hope opens the 32nd Academy Awards in 1960, featuring an introduction by Academy President B.B. Kahane. Mitzi Gaynor presents the Oscar for Documentary Feature to Bernhard Grzimek for "Serengeti Shall Not Die," and the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject to Bert Haanstra for "Glass" The epic drama Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars and broke the all-time record of nine set the year before by Gigi.

#5 - The 33rd Academy Awards 1961

Season 1 - Episode 33 - Aired 4/17/1961

Host Bob Hope opens the 33rd Academy Awards at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California in 1961. Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis present the Oscars for Documentary (Feature) to Larry Lansburgh for "The Horse with the Flying Tail" and Documentary (Short Subject) to James Hill for "Giuseppina." Introduced by Academy President Valentine

#6 - The 84th Academy Awards 2012

Season 1 - Episode 84 - Aired 2/26/2012

The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26, 2012, at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. Hosted by comedian Billy Crystal.

#7 - The 87th Academy Awards 2015

Season 1 - Episode 87 - Aired 2/22/2015

The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the actors, technical achievements, and films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris.

#8 - The 81st Academy Awards 2009

Season 1 - Episode 81 - Aired 2/22/2009

The 81st Academy Awards ceremony was held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to honor its selection of the best films of 2008 on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was televised in the United States on ABC. Australian performer Hugh Jackman hosted the ceremony for the first time. Oscar-nominated Laurence Mark served as the event's producer, while Oscar-winning writer and director Bill Condon served as executive producer.

#9 - The 91st Academy Awards 2019

Season 1 - Episode 91 - Aired 2/24/2019

The 91st Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018. The ceremony was held on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and produced by Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss, with Weiss also serving as director. It was the first ceremony in three decades, since the 61st Academy Awards in 1989, to be conducted with no host.

#10 - The 59th Academy Awards 1987

Season 1 - Episode 59 - Aired 3/30/1987

The 59th Academy Awards were presented March 30, 1987 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Paul Hogan.

#11 - The 61st Academy Awards 1989

Season 1 - Episode 61 - Aired 3/29/1989

The 61st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1988, and took place on Wednesday, March 29, 1989, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST/ 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Allan Carr and directed by Jeff Margolis. Ten days earlier, in a ceremony held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Angie Dickinson.

#12 - The 50th Academy Awards 1978

Season 1 - Episode 50 - Aired 4/3/1978

The 50th Academy Awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on April 3, 1978. The ceremonies were presided over by Bob Hope, who hosted the awards for the nineteenth and last time. Two of the year's biggest winners were Star Wars, which swept the technical categories by winning 6 out of its 10 nominations and a Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing, and Annie Hall, winning 4 out of 5 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director. The awards show was also notable for a very politically charged acceptance speech by Vanessa Redgrave. The Turning Point set the record for the most nominations without a win (11), previously held by Peyton Place and The Little Foxes, which each had 9 nominations with no wins. This record, later tied by The Color Purple, still stands as of the 87th Academy Awards. Annie Hall was the last Best Picture winner to be nominated for just five awards until The Departed 29 years later in 2006. Jason Robards became the fourth actor to win back-to-back Oscars, following Luise Rainer, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn. For the first and only time to date, both Best Actor and Best Actress winners won for roles in two different romantic comedies. The animated opening sequence, as well as promos for the Awards show, were designed by British graphic designer Harry Marks, who outsourced the animated sequences to Robert Abel and Associates. Marks also designed animated sequences for the top nominated categories, which weren't used for the final telecast.

#13 - The 49th Academy Awards 1977

Season 1 - Episode 49 - Aired 3/28/1977

The 49th Academy Awards were presented March 28, 1977, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, and Warren Beatty. This Academy Awards ceremony is notable for Peter Finch becoming the first posthumous winner of an Oscar for acting, a feat matched only by Heath Ledger 32 years later. Beatrice Straight set another record by becoming the actor with shortest performance ever in a film to win an acting Oscar, with only five minutes and forty seconds of screentime in Network. Network, along with All the President's Men, were the two biggest champs of the ceremony with four Oscars each; however, John G. Avildsen won Best Director in an upset, presaging Rocky's eventual Best Picture victory. Piper Laurie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Carrie (1976), her first acting role since her Best Actress-nominated performance in The Hustler (1961), thus being nominated for two consecutive roles, 15 years apart. As of the 87th Academy Awards, Network remains the last film to receive five acting nominations, and the last to win three acting Oscars. It was also the third film (after Mutiny on the Bounty and From Here to Eternity) to receive three nominations in lead acting categories. This year's Academy Awards is also notable for the first ever female nominee for Best Director, Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties. To date, three further female directors have been nominated: Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993, Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation in 2003, and Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2009 (the first to win the award).

#14 - The 48th Academy Awards 1976

Season 1 - Episode 48 - Aired 3/29/1976

The 48th Academy Awards were presented March 29, 1976 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, George Segal, Goldie Hawn, and Gene Kelly. This year, ABC took over broadcast rights from NBC, and continues to broadcast them today. (NBC's coverage of the 1976 NCAA Final Four aired opposite the ceremony; during the presentation of the Best Film Editing award, the winner was jokingly announced (by presenter Elliott Gould) as "Indiana, 86-68"; the Indiana Hoosiers had won the NCAA Final Four that night.)

#15 - The 47th Academy Awards 1975

Season 1 - Episode 47 - Aired 4/8/1975

The 47th Academy Awards were presented April 8, 1975 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, and Frank Sinatra. This was the last year NBC aired the ceremonies before ABC secured broadcasting rights, which they still hold to this day.

#16 - The 46th Academy Awards 1974

Season 1 - Episode 46 - Aired 4/2/1974

The 46th Academy Awards were presented April 2, 1974, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by John Huston, Diana Ross, Burt Reynolds, David Niven.

#17 - The 45th Academy Awards 1973

Season 1 - Episode 45 - Aired 3/27/1973

The 45th Academy Awards were presented March 27, 1973, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston, and Rock Hudson.

#18 - The 44th Academy Awards 1972

Season 1 - Episode 44 - Aired 4/10/1972

The 44th Academy Awards were presented April 10, 1972 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Jack Lemmon. One of the highlights of the evening was the appearance of Betty Grable, battling cancer at the time, who made one of her last public appearances. She appeared along with one of her leading men from the 1940s, singer Dick Haymes, to present the musical scoring awards. Grable died the following year. This was the first time in the history of the Awards in which the nominees were shown on superimposed pictures while being announced.

#19 - The 43rd Academy Awards 1971

Season 1 - Episode 43 - Aired 4/15/1971

The 43rd Academy Awards were presented April 15, 1971 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. There was no host.

#20 - The 27th Academy Awards 1955

Season 1 - Episode 27 - Aired 3/30/1955

The 27th Academy Awards honored the best films produced in 1954. The Best Picture winner, On the Waterfront, was produced by Sam Spiegel and directed by Elia Kazan. It had twelve nominations and eight wins, matching two other films, Gone with the Wind (1939) and From Here to Eternity (1953), even though those two each had thirteen nominations.

#21 - The 25th Academy Awards 1953

Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/19/1953

The 25th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 19, 1953. It took place at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California and the NBC International Theatre in New York City. It was the first Academy Awards ceremony to be televised, and the first ceremony to be held in Hollywood and New York City simultaneously. It was also the only year that the New York ceremonies were to be held in the NBC International Theatre on Columbus Circle, which was shortly thereafter demolished and replaced by the New York Coliseum convention center.

#22 - The 28th Academy Awards 1956

Season 1 - Episode 28 - Aired 3/21/1956

The 28th Academy Awards were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Marty, a simple and low-budget film usually uncharacteristic of Best Picture awardees, became the shortest film (as well as the second Palme d'Or winner) to win the top honor.

#23 - The 26th Academy Awards 1954

Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/25/1954

The 26th Academy Awards honored the best in films of 1953. The second national telecast of the Awards show drew an estimated 43 million viewers. Shirley Booth, appearing in a play in Philadelphia, presented the Best Actor award through a live broadcast cut-in, and privately received the winner's name over the telephone from co-host Donald O'Connor. (Actor Fredric March co-hosted from New York City.) Gary Cooper filmed his presentation of the Best Actress award in advance on a set in Mexico, with O'Connor announcing the winner's name.

#24 - The 96th Academy Awards 2024

Season 1 - Episode 96 - Aired 3/10/2024

The 96th Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor the best films of 2023, and is expected to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on March 10, 2024. The ceremony, to be televised in the United States by ABC, will be produced by Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, with Hamish Hamilton serving as director. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host the show for the fourth time, following the 2017, 2018 and 2023 ceremonies

#25 - The 29th Academy Awards 1957

Season 1 - Episode 29 - Aired 3/4/1957