McLeod’s Daughter co-stars Mikala Banas and Brett Tucker are reuniting for the eight-part crime series Blue Murder Motel, currently filming in Greater Auckland for TVNZ.
The series, produced by Great Southern Television, sees them play married detectives Vanessa and Peter Coleman, who hang up their badges and take early retirement from the Australian Police Service. Their next chapter is to invest in their dream of a 13-room motel in a sunny seaside town in New Zealand. However, just one week into their new adventure, Paradise takes an unexpected turn when a body is discovered in Unit 3.
Joining Banas and Tucker on screen are Jaeden Daniels, Stephanie Tauewig, and Jamie McDermott.
Blue Murder Motel is executive produced by Kate McDermott and producer Stephen Zanoski, with Kathleen Anderson and Philip Smith serving as executive producers. About Premium Content As the series funder, Content will be responsible for international distribution.
In a joint statement, Anderson and Smith said it was an “absolute privilege” to work with Banas and Tucker.
“They are very popular among the cast and crew, and their on-screen chemistry is hard to miss.”
Banas said, “We have a great cast and crew on this project, and we have such great energy. We’ve created a really nice family unit here on set, and it was so much fun reuniting with Brett on this show. We have great chemistry and trust in each other as actors, thanks to our long-standing friendship off-screen, and that makes it even more special.”
Tucker, who has been based in the US for the past 14 years, agreed that reuniting with his former co-stars was a highlight. “The script is clever and full of surprises, and filming in New Zealand was a great experience.”
About Premium Content co-CEOs and founders Emmanuel Guilbard and Laurent Boissell said they believe Blue Murder Motel fits into the current international market’s “increasing demand for glossy, warm and entertaining misdemeanor series.”
Blue Murder Motel is produced with support from NZ On Air and New Zealand Screen Production Rebate and is expected to be available to New Zealand viewers on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+ in 2026.
