Oscars 2026: Who Will Win, and Who Should Win?

About this episode

<p>Today on “The Sunday Daily,” The Times’s chief movie critic, Manohla Dargis, talks with the “Daily” host Michael Barbaro about this year’s batch of Oscar nominees, which — according to her — are uncommonly good.</p> <p>They discuss the performances that Dargis believes deserve to win, the dark horses that might pull off upsets, and the ambitious films that give her hope for Hollywood’s future.</p> <p> </p> <p>On Today’s Episode:</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/manohla-dargis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Manohla Dargis</strong></a>, Chief Film Critic for The New York Times.</p> <p> </p> <p>Background Reading:</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/movies/100000010747181/hamnet-scene.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Hamnet’ | Anatomy of a Scene</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/movies/delroy-lindo-sinners-oscar-nominations.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Delroy Lindo on ‘Sinners,’ Speaking Up and the Power of Affirmation</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Photo: A24; Warner Bros. Pictures; Sabrina Lantos/Sony Pictures Classics</p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>