HDTV Ratings: August 14-16

Wednesday’s premiere of Charlie Sheen’s new HD sitcom, Anger Management, didn’t make as big a bang in the ratings as predecessor Two and a Half Men.

It won its 8.30 slot with TV2’s target audience, 18-39 year-olds (12.1%), but drew with TV3’s Grand Designs Revisited among 18-49 year-olds (11.0%) and lost in the 25-54 (9.9%) and household shopper (8.1%) demographics.

Lead-out Cougar Town averaged 7.2% – 9.3% of the key demos and won only the 18-39 vote.

The comedy hour even lost to TV One’s Undercover Boss in the 25-54 and HHS demos, which is an extraordinary defeat given how TV2 used to dominate primetime Wednesdays.

But that was before it recycled too many Two and a Half Men re-runs in lazy counterprogramming to the Olympics – which let TV3 establish Grand Designs Revisited as the stablemate for its phenomenally popular The Block NZ.

Grand Designs Revisited has never rated as high as it is now, drawing twice as many viewers as The Slap did at 8.30 and retaining a substantial share of The Block NZ’s audience (Wednesday’s episode averaged 12.2% – 17.1% of key demos and Thursday’s 10.6% – 13.9%).

The Slap improved on the previous week, averaging 4.7% – 6.0%, out-rating TV One’s Castle in every demo except 25-54.

Thursday’s Dogs in the City also was up on its dismal premiere (3.5% – 4.8%) but it’s already been given the bullet, with TV3 resorting to movies to boost Thursday nights from August 30.

Episodes also rebounded, with its mid-season finale averaging 2.4% – 4.6%.

And Fringe continues to do wonders for TV2 at 10.30, where Thursday’s episode averaged 4.1% – 4.7%.

On Tuesday, First Crossings averaged 7.3% – 10.3% opposite The Mentalist’s 9.4% – 12.5% and NCIS’ 4.5% – 4.7%.

At 9.30, Body of Proof averaged 5.4% – 8.5% to win its slot in each of the key demos except 25-54, when it was narrowly beaten by the final of Coppers (which also was neck-and-neck among 18-49 year-olds).

At 7.30, Coastwatch averaged 5.6% – 9.9% and at 8pm, Kings Cross ER 4.2% – 7.6% against My Kitchen Rules, which did just that with 14.9% – 18.2%.