HDTV Ratings: July 28

Justified's Timothy Olyphant

TV One has reinstated Justified to its Thursday night line-up after this week’s episode drew its biggest audience yet.

Having endured three weeks of low ratings, the network was going to ditch it for Motorway Cops from next week.

But it’s deemed the modern western starring Deadwood’s Timothy Olyphant worthy of a longer run after last night’s episode drew 6.1% of 25-54 year-olds, TV One’s key demographic, compared to only 3.9% the previous week and 3.1% for its premiere three weeks ago.

It also rated well with 18-49 year-olds (5.7%) and household shoppers with kids (7.8%), and, surprisingly given it’s an Elmore Leonard dramatisation, is more popular with women than men.

Justified still finished third in its slot but only narrowly lost to TV2’s 20/20 and TV3’s HD premiere of the Ricky Gervais comedy, Ghost Town (which averaged a 25-54 rating of 7.1%).

However, of concern to its future is how viewership in all demos declined over the course of the hour, from, say, 8.6% of 25-54 year-olds to 5.3%.

But given TVNZ owns the rights to season two, expect it to persevere with the multiple Emmy-nominee.

Meanwhile, TV2’s HD drawcard, Chuck, averaged an 18-39 rating of 8.9%, 18-49 rating of 8.5% and a 25-54 rating of 7.2%.

Although it finished ahead of Ghost Town, its ratings will be testing the limits of TV2’s tolerance given lead-in RBT posted an 18-39 rating of 14.6%.