Ratings: Seth MacFarlane boosts 2013 Oscars; ‘The Amazing Race 22’ hits low

“Amazing Race” fans, don’t hit the panic button: while the CBS competition series fell to a series low on Sunday night, it’s hard not to just assume that it is because of the steep competition caused by the Academy Awards.

Save for the Oscars, “The Amazing Race” was the only new program on the night, and of course its 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic was not entirely impressive. However, the competition was pretty insurmountable this time around just from ABC alone: the 2013 Oscars drew a 12.1 rating just for the portion of the telecast that aired from 8:30 p.m. Eastern until 11 (which is the end of primetime), which is an increase from the 11.7 rating given to the same period last year.

So should CBS consider airing a rerun of the race here? To be frank, they really can’t and still hope for the show to end during the May sweeps. They like to have the season go without repeats in order to ensure that viewers remain excited and engaged, and with that in mind this is really the only option. They take the hit for the week, and then come roaring back a little later on in the season.

There is one other thing worth noting this week about the CBS figures: they decided to switch “The Good Wife” and “The Mentalist” around, which is something that we could see becoming permanent in the fall. The Julianna Margulies series is clearly an awards-show darling, and we don’t see them wanting to cancel it. However, “The Mentalist” is more likely to make good on the “Amazing Race” lead-in from earlier in the night.

Are you happy with the Oscar ratings, or worried somewhat about what comes next for “The Amazing Race”? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and you can check out our full coverage of all things Oscar by heading on over to the link here.

Photo: CBS