New Zealand actresses Morgana O’Reilly (The White Lotus, Friends Like Her) and Roimata Fox (A Remarkable Place To Die, The Wrecking Crew) will lead all-new Sky New Zealand Originals and ZDF’s procedural crime series Bust Up, due to screen on Aotearoa’s Sky Open, Neon and Sky Go in 2026.
Filming for the six-part drama commenced in May. The series is produced by award-winning production company Lippy Pictures (The Gulf, Jean) in co-production with their German partners MadeFor Film, ZDF, and ZDF Studios, who are also the distribution partner.
Unexpectedly thrown together after a decade apart, former romantic partners Deb Brighton (O’Reilly) and Mihi Renata (Fox) are forced to partner up again as cops on the beat in the fictional town of Waitote, in the north of New Zealand, when Mihi returns to her hometown.
Coming home was always part of Mihi’s life plan, but working with her ex, was not. Can these two ex-lovers survive 10 hour shifts together while taking on the likes of bank robbers, drug dealers and car thieves?
Each episode of Bust Up will centre on a stand-alone crime with the duo’s slow-burning relationship story unfolding across the series. While both women are adamant that their working partnership can’t possibly succeed, the truth is increasingly evident – they make a great team.
The series will be directed by International Emmy Award winner Max Currie (Rūrangi) and Awanui Simich-Pene (First Horse, The Brokenwood Mysteries), with screenplays written by Donna Malane, Paula Boock, Holly Hudson and Annette Tahitahi Fifield.
Sky New Zealand Originals Head of Commissioning, Thomas Robins says, “Sky New Zealand Originals is thrilled to be working with fabulous local creatives Lippy Pictures and their German partners MadeFor Film on this wonderful series. Co-producing with the excellent team at ZDF to take this truly New Zealand show to the world is an exciting prospect.”
Frank Seyberth, Head of co-production, International Fiction, ZDF says, “Sky New Zealand is an excellent partner to tell a story of this scale. That only works if you have a deep understanding for stories and team up with outstanding writers. Of course, our trusted partners from MadeFor help us to build a bridge to the other side of the world and make it all happen. We are proud to work with such amazing talent.”
Paula Boock & Donna Malane of Lippy Pictures say, “To make a procedural drama that showcases the diversity and beauty of Aotearoa and openly centres the attraction between two women police officers is a special opportunity and we’re proud to have the backing of Sky, ZDF and a sales team that is primed to sell it to the world. It’s been enormous fun taking the much-loved buddy cop genre out of the closet and giving it a contemporary, queer twist, while also exploring the struggles, triumphs and eccentricities that exist in bicultural communities of New Zealand. Bust Up is two parts crime, two parts drama and one part just bonkers!”
Gunnar Juncken, Executive Producer, and CEO of MadeFor says, “ZDF, ZDF Studios, and Sky have been our trusted partners for many years, and we are therefore delighted to be working for the first time with Lippy Pictures and Sky New Zealand on Bust Up. This co-production not only brings an extremely entertaining format to life but also represents a wonderfully creative collaboration across continents.”
Bust Up is an international co-production by Lippy Pictures, MadeFor Film, ZDF and distribution partner ZDF Studios, in association with Sky New Zealand, funded by NZ On Air and supported by the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate. Executive Producers are Paula Boock, Donna Malane (Lippy Pictures) and Nicole Horan, Gunnar Juncken and Katrin Goetter (MadeFor Film), Sebastian Krekeler and Sarah Eichenlaub (ZDF Studios). Claus Wunn and Frank Seyberth are responsible for ZDF as Executive Producers, with Thomas Robins, Head of Commissioning for Sky New Zealand Originals, as Executive Producer for Sky.
Bust Up is made with the support of NZ On Air and the NZ Screen Production Rebate.
