Best Director may not be the top prize — but it’s the category that sparks the loudest arguments.

In Episode 8 of Below the Line’s 2026 Oscar series, Skid is joined by Katie Carroll, Bill Hardy, and Shaun O’Banionto break down the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Director at the 98th Academy Awards. With years of shared on-set experience and a long-running panel dynamic, the conversation is sharp, occasionally irreverent, and grounded in what it actually takes to steer a production at this level.

As with the rest of this year’s Oscar series, the conversation is available both as an audio podcast and as a full video episode on YouTube.

Our discussion ranges across:

The episode carries the easy banter of collaborators who’ve spent years dissecting this category together — complete with side bets, mock outrage, and the occasional good-natured jab — but underneath the laughs is a serious respect for the director’s role: holding the vision, protecting performance, and keeping a sprawling production aligned from prep through post.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line for Episode 8 of our 2026 Oscar series. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.