‘The Amazing Race 29’ held until midseason; what does it mean?

While there were no enormous surprises with the fall schedule that CBS released today, there is one thing that caught our eye almost immediately: No new edition of “The Amazing Race.” What gives? The show was renewed, but this is the first time in years that it was not included on a fall schedule.

Ultimately, there is one easy answer for what in the world is going on here: Ratings. The show is the lowest-rated, other than “Elementary,” of the hour-long series that CBS has brought back. Sure, we think there are caveats there including a really rough timeslot, but the network clearly wants to see if putting a new show in “MacGyver” in the Friday night timeslot at 8:00 p.m. Eastern will draw better numbers and be even more profitable.

So what if “MacGyver” is a big success? It could leave the Race fluttering around, looking for a new timeslot. If you really want to read the tea leaves, it makes us a little more nervous on the show’s long-term future. We do believe that the network would love to end on a 30th season and make it a huge celebration of the show (which has spawned countless editions all over the world), but beyond that is somewhat of an enigma … at least on CBS.

Ultimately, enjoy the race wherever it happens to be on; after all, it may not be long until we arrive at the finish line for this Emmy juggernaut and personal favorite show. (Now that we’ve said all of this, and given the show’s propensity for casting gimmicks, may we suggest a season 4 four “Survivor” teams, 4 “Big Brother” teams, and 4 “Amazing Race” teams, just to see what happens?)

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