HDTV Ratings: February 16

TV2 is enjoying the last laugh on Wednesdays, with its three-hour comedy block rising in the ratings.

HD hits Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Cougar Town were well up on last week’s season premieres, as were the SD Scrubs and Drop Dead Diva.

Men was the most popular show of the night, out-rating even lead-in Shortland Street with TV2’s chief viewership, 18-39 year-olds.

It drew 17.8% of this demographic, 17.1% of 18-49, 17.5% of 25-54, and 22.2% of household shoppers with kids.

The show’s appeal is phenomenal given this is its eighth season and TV2 is airing re-runs on two other nights of the week.

Such is the powerful flow-on effect from Men and its sitcom kin that TV2’s 10.30pm HD repeat of The Mentalist was more popular than Nightline or Tonight in most demos.

The only TV3 series that so far isn’t a casualty of TV2’s new mid-week comedy marathon is HD bikie drama, Sons of Anarchy, which is holding its own at 9.30pm: 7.3% of 18-49, 8.4% of 25-54 and 12.7% of HHS/kids.

It finished second to Diva in the demos that matter most to TV3 but ahead of TV One’s Real Life.