Colin Hogg: Note to The GC - must tribe harder

The cast of The GC: (back from left) Zane Houia, Cole Smith, Jade Ruwhiu, Brooke James, Alby Waititi, Jade-Louise Dewson-Harawira, Tame Noema, (front from left) DJ Tuini (Elyse Minhinnick), Nathan Waikato and Rosie Arkle.

Some people get awfully stuffy about protecting the integrity of other people's cultures, especially if television and taxpayers' dollars are involved.

The thing they can't seem to swallow about TV and culture is that mostly the only culture TV gives a flying hoot about is the culture that grows the money.

But some people refuse to swallow that one, somehow continuing to fantasise about free-to-air TV being full of integritous tax-funded shows which probably no one - including themselves - would watch for very long.

And the levels of upset have rarely been higher in recent times than when taxpayer funding was injected into a lively local TV series called The GC.

Screening on TV3, The GC set out to capture the big-C small-c culture of a bunch of life-loving young expat Kiwi hedonists attempting to make a go of it on the Gold Coast.

The show came overlaid with some promise of socio-cultural content reflecting the Maoriness of most of the series' stars, which it did, though not much and not necessarily in the usual way.

Or maybe not really in any way at all, according to some of the show's critics, harrumphing about wasting good money on such nonsense.

Needless to say, the first series of The GC was a bit of a hit, resulting in a second series which launched last night in primetime (8pm) on TV3, up to its wicked ears in taxpayer funding and zesty youth-culture attitude.

At the top of the show, under "Warning", The GC gleefully announced, "This mean-as programme has hot aunties and neffs and cuzzies that have jobs. Maori stereotypes were harmed in the making of this show."

Which all turned out not to be an entirely bad thing at all, I thought, inventing a cuzzie-bro take on those popular lifestyles-of-the-young-and-shameless shows such as the terrifying English reality series Geordie Shore.

The GC, though, is warmer and sweeter with less cursing, virtually no shagging and also some cultural components, though many of them involve tattoos, gyms, drinking and behaving foolishly. The impossible physiques and the insufferable flexing of the guys and the squawking gossip of the gals are challenging speed bumps for older viewers. But this show's not much aimed that way, picking up a solid following among young Maori viewers.

The GC is a show about kids trying to live the dream, though, not in the usual way. The show's natural star, Tame Noema, seems to be doing alright with his latest entrepreneurial adventure, a topless waitering company. Last night, he was holding auditions. "We're looking for guys with no shame."

Meanwhile, over at the Heartbreak Gym, Cole Smith was busy cornering the fight training market and others of the core spied-upon stars of the show were doing alright too.

Mostly, though, The GC's just good-hearted, good-looking twaddle about the guys and the gals falling in and out of love, partying and dealing with the inconsequential consequences.

The stars' various tribal affiliations feature on-screen with their names and there are some useful translations supplied - like, "Neff: Bro" - but that's about as far as it went with any old-fashioned cultural content last night anyway.

Though something meaningful surfaced briefly when one of the guys, Nate Waikato, expressed regret at his disconnection from his Maori side.

If storylines like that can be developed in the midst of this seemingly shallow and attractive series, it might turn out to be a good investment after all.