HD Ratings: TV3 Abruptly Cleans House

After two weeks of disastrous ratings for Safe House, TV3 is burning off the rest of the top British drama series in a double-episode on Sunday.

The hasty rescheduling also will see the previously scheduled late-night movie, Martha Marcy May Malene, pre-empted by the episode of Rush that was programmed for 9.30.

The good news for fans of the maverick doc is the series will wrap up with a double-episode.

TV3 also is revising its Monday line-up for July 27, dumping Drug Bust, Playground Murder Plot and Reality Trip for the X-Men movie, X2, which will start at 7.30.

While the final of Reality Trip will now air 10.45, it can be viewed online on 3NOW from 9.30.

The network intended to launch its Monday movie slot on August 3 but is bringing it forward to arrest audience erosion.

Monday’s Come Dine With Me NZ, The Embassy and Inside Story were demolished by the competition.

And while Married at First Sight out-rated TV1’s Criminal Minds in the key demographics, lead-out Reality Trip virtually drew half as many viewers (although it was still more popular than TV1’s Castle in the 18-39 and 18-49 demos).

TV2 had a clean sweep of the night with an hour-long Shortland Street, My Kitchen Rules and Tabatha Takes Over.

TV3 fared better on Tuesday, when the season finale of NCIS averaged 5.3% – 6.1% of the key demos to be competitive with TV2’s Empire (5.7% – 7.7%) in the 18-49 and 25-54 stakes.

It out-rated TV1’s The Mentalist (3.6% – 5.1%) across the board and even a re-run of NCIS: Los Angeles (4.1% – 4.6%) was more popular than Mentalist stablemate Aquarius (0.8% – 2.4%) — although the spin-off couldn’t top TV2’s Grey’s Anatomy (3.8% – 4.9%).

Shortland Street and MKR again dominated earlier in the night, while TV1’s season finale of Keeping Up With the Kaimanawas (5.2% – 8.0%) seesawed with TV3’s Gold Coast Cops (5.4% – 6.8%).