New Season: Thunderbirds Are Going Soon?

Thunderbirds Are Go may soon be Thunderbirds Are Gone.

TV2’s much hyped and ridiculously overpraised reboot nosedived on Sunday, when it averaged only 3.6% – 3.7% of the 18-39, 18-49 and 25-54 demographics, to finish third after TV1’s Sunday (8.4% – 13.4%) and TV3’s The X Factor NZ (7.0% – 8.4%).

It was more popular among household shoppers with kids (6.6%) but Sunday averaged 12.2% of this demo and XFNX, 10.5%.

Sunday’s success helped the premiere of Nigel Latta Blows Stuff Up to average 5.3% – 10.9%, which was enough to win its time slot in the 25-54 and HHS/k demos.

Another network premiere, The Killing Field, also was tops in the 25-54 stakes (8.2%) and seesawed with TV3’s premiere of Fast & Furious 6 with HHS/k.

The muscle car franchise averaged 3.9% – 7.1%. It was competitive with TV2’s premiere of Grown Ups 2 (4.8% – 5.5%), except in the 18-39 demo, and out-stripped it for HHS/k honours.

TV2’s new comedy Galavant (4.4% – 8.6%) finished a distant third ahead of the similarly doomed Black-ish (4.1% – 5.3%).

Consequently, TV2 came third overall on Sunday while TV1 won three of the four key demos:

TV1’s Search for the Ocean’s Super Predator on Saturday won its slot in all the core demos except 18-39 (3.1% – 6.2%) but TV2’s movies dominated the rest of the night.

TV3 stitched up Friday with Jono and Ben, Graham Norton and 7 Days in all the key demos except HHS/k, who opted for TV2’s Gridiron Gang.

But on Thursday’s TV3’s premiere of Wild Weather With Richard Hammond was left high and dry.

The Top Gear replacement averaged only 2.7% – 4.5% opposite TV1’s George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (4.1% – 8.7%) and TV2’s Police Ten 7 (8.6% – 9.9%) and Highway Patrol (8.1% – 8.9%).

TV2’s The Flash and Arrow dominated in the 18-39 and HHS/k demos but TV1’s Offspring (3.9% – 6.4%) was preferred by 18-49 and 25-54 year-olds while TV3’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel checked out with 4.4% – 5.1% of the key demos.

TV2 largely ruled Wednesday, with its series finale of Two and a Half Men (7.7% – 9.2%), which was tops in the younger demos, and The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls and Once Upon a Time.