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Back in its traditional home with legitimately funny monologues from the hosts, ABC’s telecast of the 2022 Academy Awards proved a vast improvement in entertainment value from the pared-down-for-covid 2021 show. “CODA,” directed by 1999 Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama grad Sian Heder, was the big winner, taking home best picture, supporting actor and adapted screenplay awards. It marked the first best picture award to go to a streaming service, Apple TV+.

But the most-discussed moment will surely be when Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, saying he looked forward to seeing her in “G.I. Jane 2,” which led her to grimace and for her husband, Will Smith, to hop on the stage and smack Rock in the face. ABC muted the sound but video posted to Twitter from other countries, where it was not bleeped — and confirmed to me by a friend who was in the Dolby audience — showed Smith returning to his seat and yelling, “Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth!” (Pinkett Smith revealed her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.)

Here’s the punch heard ‘round the world. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/dVV1lmWLdc

It’s a moment that’s sure to live in Oscars infamy alongside the 1974 Oscars streaker and the 2017 best picture mixup. It also had the effect of derailing the show. It was hard to concentrate during the award and In Memoriam segment that followed.

Then it got even more intense when Smith won the best actor award for “King Richard.” He delivered a disjointed acceptance speech where he seemed to justify the assault on Rock as a defense of family in a business where “you’ve got to have people disrespecting you and you have to smile and pretend that’s OK.” Smith then said he wants “to be a vessel of love,” “love will make you do crazy things” and apologized to the Academy and “my fellow nominees” but not Rock. (Smith also said Denzel Washington told him, “At your highest moment, that’s when the devil comes for you.”)

“I hope the Academy invites me back,” Smith said.

Live TV, everyone. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/aJjKOulnup

Until then, it had been a pretty decent telecast thanks largely to the winners’ speeches and in spite of some terrible production decisions, particularly around an internet poll of movie favorites.

While ABC was smart to put its most popular performer, Beyonce, at the start of the Oscars, it wasn’t from the Dolby Theatre but on a tennis court somewhere, judging by the tennis ball-colored dresses and flooring. The “Live” logo stayed on screen but it sure didn’t feel live coming from somewhere other than the Dolby.

But once past a needless DJ Khaled as hype man for hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, the Oscars proved pretty entertaining. The trio’s opening jokes were legitimately funny, though the bits mostly declined in quality as the night went on.

Schumer, in particular, was hilarious and had the best lines among the trio and then in her solo monologue that followed, gently mocking the nominees and Hollywood in general:

• “This year the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man.”

• “Aaron Sorkin, a genius. Truly. I mean, the innovation of making a movie about Lucille Ball without a moment that’s funny. … It’s like making a bio pic of Michael Jordan and just showing the bus trips in between games.”

• “ ‘Don’t Look Up’ is nominated. I guess the Academy members don’t look up… reviews.”

• “Leonardo DiCaprio, what can I even say about him? He’s done so much to fight climate change and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends.”

The telecast also offered one of the most touching acceptance speeches early when Ariana DeBose won the best supporting actress trophy for “West Side Story,” the first Oscar to go to an openly queer woman of color.

“In this weary world we live in, dreams do come true and that’s really a heartening thing right now,” DeBose said, thanking her co-star, Rita Moreno, “Your Anita [in the original ‘West Side Story’] paved the way for tons of Anitas like me. … To anybody who has questioned your identity or find yourself living in the gray space, I promise you, there is a place for us.”

And then DeBose’s speech was outdone by supporting actor winner Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) who became the second deaf performer to win an Oscar following Marlee Matlin’s 1987 win for “Children of a Lesser God.” Kotsur signed his speech as his interpreter, visibly moved, said Kotsur’s words aloud, thanking “all of the wonderful deaf theater stages where I was allowed and given the opportunity to develop my craft as an actor.”

Kotsur also praised “CODA” director Heder, saying, “Sian Heder, you are the best communicator and the reason why is you brought the deaf world and the hearing world together and you are our bridge and your name will forever be on that bridge here in Hollywood.”

Aside from Heder’s win for best adapted screenplay for “CODA,” there were few Western Pennsylvania ties in this year’s Oscar nominations and fewer winners. But on the Red Carpet, Oscar nominee Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) gave a shout-out to August Wilson, whose plays he’s adapting for Netflix, saying, “If I did nothing but August Wilson and Shakespeare for the rest of my life, I’d be happy.”

There was much gnashing of teeth in Hollywood after the Oscars telecast producers opted to move a handful of technical awards out of the live telecast – they were handed out earlier in the evening, recorded and inserted in the live show. The move didn’t do much to streamline the show, which ran three hours and 40 minutes. The goal would have been better achieved with fewer packages (James Bond’s anniversary, Sykes touring the Academy Museum, Hall’s covid testing gag, “cheer-worthy movie moments,” etc.).

The full list of winners follows:

Best picture: “CODA.”

Best lead actor: Will Smith, “King Richard”

Best lead actress: Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

Best supporting actress: Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”

Best supporting actor: Troy Kotsur, “CODA”

Best director: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”

Best animated feature film: “Encanto”

Best international feature film: “Drive My Car,” Japan

Best documentary feature: “Summer of Soul”

Best original screenplay: “Belfast”

Best adapted screenplay: “CODA”

Best original song: “No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die”

Best costume design: “Cruella”

Best cinematography: “Dune”

Best sound: “Dune”

Best documentary short subject: “The Queen of Basketball”

Best animated short film: “The Windshield Wiper”

Best live-action short film: “The Long Goodbye”

Best original score: “Dune”

Best film editing: “Dune”

Best production design: “Dune”

Best makeup and hairstyling: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

Best visual effects: “Dune”

You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.

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