Bust Up Brings Crime, Chaos, and Complicated Feelings to Sky Originals

The new buddy-cop crime series premieres May 27. Watch the official trailer now.

Police partners arguing while solving crimes is nothing new for television. But Bust Up adds a far messier twist to the formula: the detectives already have a romantic history they never truly moved on from.

Premiering May 27 as part of Sky Originals and NEON NZ’s growing drama lineup, the upcoming New Zealand crime series stars Morgana O'Reilly and Roimata Fox as former partners Deb Brighton and Mihi Renata, two police officers unexpectedly forced back together after spending years apart.

Set in the fictional town of Waitote — also known as the garden gnome capital of Aotearoa — Bust Up mixes dark comedy, emotional tension, and bizarre criminal investigations into what already looks like one of the most unique international crime dramas of 2026.

The trailer teases strange local crimes, dangerous confrontations, unresolved heartbreak, and the kind of emotional chaos that comes from being trapped in close quarters with someone you never truly got over. As the cases grow more serious, Deb and Mihi are forced to confront feelings they’ve spent the last decade trying to bury.

Alongside its central mystery stories, Bust Up also stands out for the creative team behind the series. Created and written by Paula Boock and Donna Malane (The Gulf), the project brings together queer, Māori, and regional voices both on-screen and behind the camera. The series is directed by International Emmy winner Max Currie and Awanui Simich-Pene.

With international audiences continuing to embrace crime dramas outside the usual Hollywood formula, Bust Up could easily become one of the year’s surprise streaming discoveries.

Who’s in the cast of Bust Up?

The cast of Bust Up includes a mix of acclaimed New Zealand actors, rising local stars, and familiar television faces as the upcoming Sky Originals crime drama brings emotional chaos, dark comedy, and strange small-town mysteries to screen.

Morgana O'Reilly (The White Lotus, Housebound) stars as Deb Brighton, a police officer forced to reunite with her former romantic partner while investigating bizarre crimes in the fictional town of Waitote. Beneath Deb’s sharp humor and professional attitude, years of unresolved feelings continue making every case far more complicated.

Roimata Fox (A Remarkable Place to Die, The Wrecking Crew) plays Mihi Renata, Deb’s ex-partner and fellow detective, whose return reopens emotional wounds both women tried leaving behind years ago. As dangerous investigations begin piling up, Mihi is forced to confront the past she never fully escaped.

Matariki Whatarau (The Brokenwood Mysteries, Shortland Street) also stars in the series, bringing another layer of tension and unpredictability to the small-town crime drama.

Amelia Reid, best known for her recent appearances in New Zealand television dramas, joins the ensemble cast alongside

Xavier Horan (Runaway Millionaires, Baby Done), who continues building a strong presence across international productions.

Created by Paula Boock and Donna Malane (The Gulf), Bust Up blends buddy-cop comedy, emotional relationship drama, and offbeat criminal investigations into a series that already feels very different from traditional police procedurals.

Following the trailer release, viewers have already started comparing the show’s awkward tension and dark humor to series like Deadloch and Bad Sisters.

Crime scenes, unresolved heartbreak, and complete emotional chaos collide in the upcoming Sky Originals series that’s already shaping up to be one of 2026’s most unique international crime dramas.

Starring Morgana O'Reilly and Roimata Fox, the series follows two former romantic partners unexpectedly forced to work together again as police officers in the strange fictional town of Waitote — the garden gnome capital of Aotearoa.

Blending dark comedy, emotional tension, and bizarre criminal investigations, Bust Up looks ready to deliver the kind of messy character-driven mystery audiences have been obsessing over lately.

When Does Bust Up Premiere?

Bust Up premieres May 27, 2026, as part of the Sky Originals lineup.

The official trailer already teases emotional confrontations, dangerous investigations, and awkward reunions that quickly spiral into chaos.

Two detectives stand outside a rural crime scene while tension builds during an uncomfortable conversation neither of them wants to have.

Where Can You Watch Bust Up?

The series will stream through Sky Originals and NEON NZ.

With international audiences increasingly embracing crime dramas outside the usual Hollywood formula, Bust Up already feels positioned to become a breakout streaming discovery for viewers looking for something darker, stranger, and more emotionally complicated.

What Is Bust Up About?

The series follows former romantic partners Deb Brighton and Mihi Renata, two police officers unexpectedly reunited after spending years apart.

Now forced to solve crimes together in the small town of Waitote, the pair must navigate bizarre local cases while also dealing with unresolved feelings they never truly moved on from.

As the investigations become more dangerous, old emotional wounds slowly resurface, creating a mix of crime drama, dark comedy, and relationship chaos that gives the series its unique tone.

A police car speeds through a quiet small town while two detectives argue intensely inside after reopening old emotional wounds.

Who Created Bust Up?

The series was created and written by Paula Boock and Donna Malane, known for their work on .

Bust Up is directed by International Emmy winner Max Currie alongside Awanui Simich-Pene.

The series also stands out for bringing queer, Māori, and regional voices to the forefront both on-screen and behind the camera.

A tense late-night confrontation unfolds between two detectives standing alone beneath flickering streetlights in a quiet coastal town.