HDTV Ratings: May 7-8

TV3’s Funny Roots made a solid if unspectacular debut on Tuesday, largely improving on lead-in Target but unable to threaten TV One’s MasterChef NZ or TV2’s Suburgatory.

It averaged 7.2% of TV3’s target audience, 25-54 year-olds, compared with the second half of MasterChef’s 15.9% and Suburgatory’s 9.8%.

The 18-49 rating was 6.6% versus MasterChef’s 13.5% and Suburgatory’s 10.5%.

Funny Roots was most popular with household shoppers (8.4%) but still lagged the competition by five points.

TV2 had an exceptionally strong night, with The Middle rating above average and Go Girls back on top after several weeks of sub-par ratings: The Middle averaged 12.1%-17.6% of the key demographics and Go Girls’ season finale, 11.4%-14.3%.

Opposite Girls, TV One’s Yellowstone averaged 6.8%-11.7% and TV3’s NCIS, 7.4%-9.0%; NCIS: Los Angeles rated 5.3%-7.0%, to largely finish ahead of I Shouldn’t Be Alive and just behind Rookie Blue.

Tuesday’s Shortland Street averaged a gangbusting 18.4%-21.4% after the first of the year’s hour-long Monday episodes drew 19.5%-22.1%.

The second half-hour decimated viewership of TV3’s HD comedy, Last Man Standing, which rated only 2.2%-3.1%.

But the network bounced back with Modern Family, which averaged 6.9%-7.8%, making it competitive with TV One’s The Force in the 18-39 and 18-49 demos.

Replacing Homeland with movies immediately boosted TV3’s post-8.30 ratings, with Taken averaging 10.5%-11.1%.

Its viewership climbed across the two house as viewers switched over after TV One’s Criminal Minds (5.2%-9.5%) and Desperate Housewives (10.1%-13.2%), leaving Person of Interest to rate 3.6%-6.7% and Revenge, 6.0%-10.4%.