Nielsens: Academy Awards are rewarded in ratings

But Tuesday night was a downer for 'Body of Proof,' 'Smash' and 'Cult.'

But Tuesday night was a downer for 'Body of Proof,' 'Smash' and 'Cult.'

Oscars climb. The 85th annual Academy Awards drew 40.4 million viewers Sunday, up from 39.3 million last year, as audience gains among host Seth MacFarlane's younger fan base more than offset declines among older viewers. ABC's red-carpet special averaged 18.2 million, while E!'s 3-hour version set a record with 3.7 million. And even against the Oscars, AMC's The Walking Dead continued its remarkable run with 11 million, marking the week's top scripted TV show among young adults, edging out CBS's The Big Bang Theory.

NIELSEN CHARTS: See how your favorite shows performed

Not proving a hit. ABC's nearly canceled, then retooled Body of Proof returned with a low 6.8 million viewers Tuesday, down from 9.4 million for its fall 2011 opener. But it still managed to double the audience NBC's Smash (3.3 million), its time-slot competitor. That same night, the opener of CW's Cult had a really small cult audience of 860,000.

Boss of me. CBS' hasty return of Undercover Boss to its Friday home (7.3 million viewers) dipped from recent airings but more than doubled the turnout for The Job, which was abruptly canceled after two weeks in the slot. Afterward, the ninth-season (and quite possibly series) finale of CSI:NY drew 9.5 million. Both won their slots.