HDTV Ratings: This Is Not My Life ‘Wright’ Stuff for TV One

TVNZ was wise to switch This Is Not My Life from TV2, for which the mystery serial was commissioned, to TV One, judging by the premiere’s ratings.

Last night’s double-episode launch was popular with TV One’s key demos, 25-54 year-olds and household shoppers with kids, but bombed with 18-39 year-olds, TV2’s target audience.

The first hour of the HD newcomer starring Charles Mesure and Tandi Wright (left) was watched by 10.9% of 25-54, and the second hour by 8%; with HHS with kids, it rated 13.4% for the first hour and 9.9% for the second.

Over each hour, viewership was relatively consistent and roughly in line with what another HD NZ drama, Bloodlines, averaged over the same two-hour period the previous week.

But only 6.4% of 18-39 year-olds tuned into the first episode, and 4.5% into the second. Perhaps that was because, as the NZ Herald observed in its review, This Is Not My Life was a departure from the NZ TV sci-fi tradition.

“Usually our small screen sci-fi efforts have been limited to kidult stuff,” critic Russell Baillie wrote. “Apparently the idea for TINML was about teen angst – some of which showed up in a subplot in the opener’s second half – not existential crises for adult amnesiacs.

“But the first show indicated it has sufficient grown-up intrigue, compelling characters and special effects-enhanced production values to make it a challenging human drama and original enough as suburban sci-fi.”

Meanwhile, the premiere drew enough of TV3’s target market, 18-49 year-olds, for the network to today dump the low-rating Parenthood after only three episodes and replace it and lead-out Inside NZ with HD movies, starting with Big Momma’s House 2 next Thursday and Me, Myself & Irene on August 12.

If you missed last night’s launch of This Is Not My Life, it’s being repeated 9.25pm on Sunday.