In other words, the Oscar telecast has become an entertainment program determined to divest itself of all entertainment.

Does the academy understand why we still tune into this show? When I think back on the Oscars of yesteryear, I remember moments, not minutes: a speech that surprises, a musical performance that connects, an unplanned line that becomes a part of history. If the academy isn’t going to leave room for those moments to happen, it might as well issue a press release instead of a broadcast.

The Oscars ought to take a few cues from the Super Bowl, another mammoth entertainment event that refuses to be ashamed of its size. When the Super Bowl is broadcast this Sunday, producers won’t be forced to choose between either the national anthem or the halftime show, or eliminate overtime if the game goes long. They understand that people want the Super Bowl to be as maximal as possible, a communal watching experience that gives us plenty to talk about. Why can’t the Oscars be as unabashed?

Even the Super Bowl’s most annoying feature — endless commercial interruptions — has been rebranded as one of its greatest strengths: You now watch not just to see which team prevails, but to debate what high-profile ads won the night, too. Instead of apologizing for the Oscars’ length, ABC could take similar advantage of it by stuffing the commercial breaks with exclusive footage from “Avengers: Endgame” or “Toy Story 4,” two films to be released by the network’s fellow Disney subsidiaries Marvel and Pixar.

There are plenty of other organic, exciting ways to work those blockbusters into the broadcast, and they can even help restore some of the categories the academy wants to cut from the show. Is a sound-mixing Oscar the most scintillating thing to present during the telecast? On its own, perhaps not, but what if you could show a clip of Beyoncé and Donald Glover mixing their duet of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the forthcoming redo of “The Lion King”? The presentation might take a little longer, but I doubt anyone would complain.

So let’s embrace that attitude: Instead of apologizing for the show’s length, the academy should resolve to pack the Oscar broadcast full of major moments, no matter how long it goes. Instead of antagonizing the craftspeople who should be celebrating the biggest night of their careers, the Oscars should find a way to honor them by making every presentation a blockbuster event.

As a kid, Lin-Manuel Miranda tuned in to the Oscars simply because he loved a movie, and there was no show on earth that loved movies more. It’s time for the Oscars to prove they can still be that show.