HDTV Ratings: The Almighty Johnsons, Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger, CSI
February 8, 2011 
1 Comment
The Almighty Johnsons polished off the competition last night when the Outrageous Fortune successor made its HD debut on TV3.
The comedy/drama about four brothers with god-like powers was watched by 11.7% of both 18-49 and 25-54 year-olds, to conjure up respective channel shares of 32.2% and 29.5%.
TV3 will be delighted with the result as it nailed its two core audiences while rating even higher with household shoppers with kids: 12.8% (29.7% share).
It also crushed the competition: TV One’s Castle was watched by 6.2% of 18-49, 8.6% of 25-54 and 8.5% of HHS with kids; and Brothers and Sisters by 6.7%, 7.2% and 9.8% respectively.
However, another HD newcomer to TV3 didn’t live up to its title ratings-wise.
Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger was a distant third behind TV One’s Piha Rescue and the final of TV2’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, drawing 5.7% of 18-49, 6.5% of 25-54 and 8% of HHS with kids.
The HD season premiere of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation also didn’t worry its rivals, with single-digit ratings of 7.6% (25-54), 6.9% (18-49) and 8.7% (HHS with kids).
Even though TV2’s Desperate Housewives was a repeat of last season’s finale, it still dominated the 8.30pm-9.30pm slot, winning with 18-39 and 18-49 year-olds, and HHS with kids.
It was beaten by TV One’s Criminal Minds only in the 25-54 demo.
Meanwhile, reviews of The Almighty Johnsons so far have ranged from a “supernatural Outrageous Fortune” in the NZ Herald, to Onfilm’s “You are seriously mental if you think I’m falling for this crap!”
Stuff’s Chris Philpott in his On the Box blog dubbed the premiere “a tantalising episode that looked to set the show up for the long run, while hooking in viewers with a strong objective-based plot that will keep viewers coming back week after week”.
And for one reader’s review of Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger, see Scrapheap Challenge fan — and participant — Bruce Simpson’s comment below.
Meanwhile, Onfilm has posted my take on the programming of Johnsons and the networks’ new seasons.
I watched Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger in the hope that it wasn’t going to be simply a poor imitation of Scrapheap Challenge.
I was disappointed.
Scrapheap was a great programme. I know that because I watched it for years and they actually flew me to the UK to appear as an “expert” in the Jet-Racers episode that went on to be voted “most liked episode ever” by viewers.
Although the formats are almost identical, Kiwi version was pretty cringe-making — with clearly scripted faux-pas and strained attempts at humour.
On Scrapheap, they just filmed people working hard to complete a build but in BBFS it seems as if they deliberately tried to play for the cameras. Such a shame.
The lack of witty hosts such as Robert Llewellyn and Lisa Rogers meant that BBFS was missing a key ingredient that made SCH so damned enjoyable to watch.
What a shame — all that NZ On Air money wasted on a folly like this.