Every ‘How to Watch the Oscars’ Question You Have, Answered

Photo: Handout/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images

Happy Oscars weekend! It’s felt like years since Chloé Zhao won for Nomadland in 2021 during that fever dream of an awards ceremony — remember Glenn Close shaking “Da Butt”? — and yet here we are at the 2022 Oscars. Which brave celebrity will shake it next? With all the announced presenters, there’s truly a million to choose from. And despite all of the Oscars ceremony’s missteps — seriously, ABC has bent over backwards to get cinephiles and normies alike to watch this damn ceremony, but not in the way we’d like — we’re (almost) excited to watch (and finally get past this awards season). So ahead of this weekend’s ceremony, here’s everything you need to know on how to watch the show:

What time are the 2022 Oscars happening?

Solid question. The long movie-awards season finally comes to a close Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. The awards ceremony is returning to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood after taking place at Union Station in Los Angeles last year, with Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer teaming up to host.

Is ABC the only place to watch the Oscars?

Not exactly, no. While having cable and tuning into ABC is the easiest option, you could also watch online on abc.com. Time to start hitting up the ’rents for the cable log-ins! But as always, there’s also a variety of live-TV streaming choices for you to use. Services like the Disney-owned streamer Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV are streamer-friendly ways to view the Oscars. Others, including AT&T TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, also work, and some even offer free trials.

Will there be a red carpet?

What’s an awards show without a little glam? So yes, there will be some pre-shows and a red carpet. The Oscars Red Carpet Show will air on ABC, as well as on the streamers with live-television options, at 6:30 p.m. ET. If you’d rather keep up with the Twitter convos through Twitter, E! News is also streaming live from the red carpet, with Laverne Cox hosting, starting an hour and a half earlier than ABC at 5:30 p.m. ET on its social-media accounts.

Will Jessica Chastain be on the red carpet?

Oh, Jessica, why are you asking this? Kidding aside, I’m not sure. She has to get the TikTok content, so maaaaybe, but Chastain has also said she “will absolutely be present when the makeup category is being called,” in support of her fellow The Eyes of Tammy Faye makeup team, so probably not? Since the announcement that the Academy will be cutting eight award presentations from the live telecast — to be announced instead during the red carpet and reedited into the show later — many filmmakers, actors, and artists have aired their disappointments, so it’ll be interesting to see if other star-power nominees take a similar route by avoiding the carpet.

Are there any other pre-shows I should know about?

Sure, if you want a whole Super Bowl–esque day of Oscars shenanigans, then you can also tune into ABC’s On the Red Carpet Live! Countdown to the Oscars starting at 1 p.m. ET, while E! will be hosting its Brunch at the Oscars special at 2 p.m. ET with Karamo as the host. Because why live your life when you can park your butt down six hours before the actual ceremony to watch celebs slooooowly trickle onto the red carpet? Now, that’s Oscars Day, baby!