Would 480i stations look better on a 720o screen than a 1080p?

Hello all quick question. My mother is one of those people who never had interest in the Internet,cable, satellite etc. she's always just used her tube tv and an antenna (Bronx NY) . Her TV has finally died. I was gonna give her my spare 1080p 32 inch tv . I was wondering would it be better to get her a cheap 720p tv instead of the 1080p since the majority of stations are 480i outside of the 2,4,5,7,9,11 which are 720/1080i here in NYC?

Would those 480i look better on that 720p screen. I put a flat antenna on the TV I have and alot of those 480i stations looks terrible .