ABC treating the Oscars like the Super Bowl

Oscar ratings have been trending downward since 2014, having plummeted from 43.7 million viewers that year to an all-time low of 26.5 million in 2018. But that isn’t stopping ABC from treating Sunday’s Academy Awards as though it were the Super Bowl.

The network’s coverage will begin at 10 a.m. with the three-hour special “Oscars Countdown: The Red Carpet Live.” Because who among us won’t be riveted by whomever — florists, security guards, day laborers — happens to be on the red carpet a full seven hours before the show.

That’s being used as a lead-in to “American Idol: A New Journey Begins” (1 p.m.), a 30-minute showcase promoting the upcoming season of the revived competition series that, before it was canceled by Fox in 2016, rarely needed promotion.

After a half-hour break for “World News Tonight,” be on the lookout for “On the Red Carpet at The Oscars: The Arrivals” (2 p.m.), a 90-minute special that pretty much acknowledges that there won’t be any arrivals during “Oscars Countdown: The Red Carpet Live.”

Neither of those should be confused with “Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live From the Red Carpet” (3:30 p.m.), which at last promises actual interviews with nominees and presenters.

Following the 91st Academy Awards — finally, mercifully scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. — ABC will air what it’s calling a special sneak preview of its new spy dramedy “Whiskey Cavalier,” the same way networks look to get a viewership bounce for series in that coveted post-Super Bowl slot.

The pilot episode, set to air at 10 p.m., follows globe-trotting FBI agent Will Chase (Scott Foley), who’s still reeling from being very publicly dumped by his girlfriend. His colleagues know all the messy details. They’ve even seen the surveillance footage.

Weeping while listening to Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” emailing fellow agents for suggestions on his breakup playlist and eating ice cream on the phone with the agency’s top profiler (Ana Ortiz), Will’s a hot, blubbering mess.

It’s kind of like if James Bond adopted a rescue puppy — and then gave that puppy a gun.

During a covert overseas mission, Will — whose code name gives the series its title — clashes with top CIA operative Frankie Trowbridge (Lauren Cohan, “The Walking Dead”). She’s cold and calculating, while his insides are clearly made from unicorns and melted candy hearts.

Because “Whiskey Cavalier” is a sitcom cloaked in a high-octane action drama, Will, Frankie and their respective allies are forced to work together.

Then they open an Irish pub called The Dead Drop as a cover.

“Whiskey Cavalier,” which counts “Scrubs” and “Cougar Town” creator Bill Lawrence (no relation) as an executive producer, is an odd gumbo of genres and tropes. Despite a talented ensemble cast, it’s rarely as funny or as high-stakes as it should be.

But, once you’ve sat through more than nine hours of Oscars coverage, your brain should be beaten into submission to the point that you probably won’t care.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.