Blue Murder Motel is a New Zealand murder mystery television series which debuted in 2026. The series stars New Zealand actor Michala Banas and Australian actor Brett Tucker, who previously appeared together in the Australian drama series McLeod's Daughters.
Two married Australian police officers have taken early retirement and have purchased the Blue Motel in New Zealand to run as a business. A series of local murders compel them to investigate and to help the local sole-charge police officer solve the crimes.
At the end of the first episode, the advertising display for the motel is tagged, changing its name from Blue Motel to Blue Murder Motel. A later episode indicates that local residents also refer to it as that.
In November 2024, NZ On Air announced that it had funded a new commission - Blue Murder Motel - produced by Great Southern Television, and that the production would receive up to $2,800,000 worth of funding. Filming was underway by September 2025.
The series is located in the fictional seaside community of Mà Âwai Bay, which is described as being "somewhere near Auckland". Filming took place at Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland. Locations included the Edgewater Motel as the Blue Motel, and à Ârewa Beach Holiday Park as the Shady Vista Holiday Park, which was featured in episode 3.
The series began broadcasting on TVNZ 1 on 18 January 2026, with catch-up availability on TVNZ's streaming service TVNZ+.