''The GC'' is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

reality television series that premiered on

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on 2 May 2012 in New Zealand. The series follows the lives of a group of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

living in

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...

. The series has been compared to the American reality show '' The Hills''.

Production

The show was originally pitched as an observational documentary series called ''Golden Mozzies'', described as "looking at seven Māori families living on Australia's Gold Coast". In August 2011, the producers of ''Golden Mozzies'' received $419,408 from broadcast funding agency

NZ On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

for the production of eight 30 minute episodes. However, the format and title of the series was changed with NZ On Air's knowledge. In 2013, a second season of ''The GC'' was funded by Maori broadcast funding agency

Te Māngai Pāho Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcast Funding Agency) is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for the promotion of the Māori language and Māori culture by providing funding for Māori-language programming on radio and television. In 198 ...

with stricter requirements for Maori language and cultural content. $419,384 was granted for eight 30 minute episodes. In 2015, it was announced via the shows

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page that the show was renewed for a third season, along with new cast members and the show being moved to

Four 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

. The third season premiered in July 2015.

Cast

The show revolves around Tylah Jones Wharehinga, Rosanna Arkle, Zane Houia, Elyse Minhinnick, Braydon McMahon, Holly Subritzky, Cole Smith, Alby Waititi, Nuz Ngatai, Matai Smith, and Matatia Brell. Former cast members include Tame Noema, Jade Louise, Jessie Nugent, Nathan Waikato, Brooke James, and Jade Ruwhiu.

Main

Critical reception

Following the screening of the pilot episode viewers branded the show as "fake" and "pathetic" and within hours a

page called "Cancel the ''GC'' TV Show" was started. According to a ''New Zealand Herald'' article the Facebook page had over 2100 "likes" within 12 hours of the show's airing. There have also been questions about the show's funding. Following the screening of the pilot episode it was revealed that

NZ on Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

gave NZ$419,408 to fund the first series of ''The GC''. According to news website Scoop Independent News, NZ on Air thought they were funding a series about seven Māori families living on the Gold Coast of Australia with the working title ''Golden Mozzies''. The same website published a press release from NZ on Air in August 2011 outlining that NZ on Air had approved funding for ''Golden Mozzies'', which was then labeled as a documentary series.

Episodes

Series one

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:GC 2012 New Zealand television series debuts 2015 New Zealand television series endings English-language television shows Four (New Zealand TV channel) original programming New Zealand reality television series Television shows funded by NZ on Air Television shows set in Gold Coast, Queensland Three (TV channel) original programming