TVNZ 2 Quits Russell Howard Hour

Fans of The Russell Howard Hour now have to tune into Duke to see the latest episodes.

TVNZ 2 dropped the HD chat show after last week’s broadcast and from this week will screen in the 9.40 Thursday slot re-runs of Travel Guides (which aired in February on TVNZ 1).

Duke, which had been airing earlier episodes at 8.30 Tuesday, is now taking the show straight off the satellite (the first was broadcast last night under The New Russell Howard Hour moniker).

The Russell Howard Hour has rated dismally since its debut.

Last week’s episode finished behind Three’s re-run of Fantastic Four and TVNZ 1’s Coronation Street in the 25-54 demographic and drew roughly half the audience of the movie in the crucial 18-49 and 18-39 demos.

The series opened with 1.9% of TVNZ 2’s target 18-49 demo on October 26 and largely shed viewers thereafter, reaching last week’s low of 1.6%.

Meanwhile, the first new Late Show With Stephen Colbert in days will screen tomorrow, when Justin Timberlake appears (Prime, 10.30).

Scheduled for Friday are Kate Winslet, Senator Chuck Schumer and a musical performance by Wolf Alice, and for Monday, Carol Burnett and Lewis Black.