Spy: Rebecca Gibney to star in Three’s new show Happiness

Rebecca Gibney. Photo / Getty Images

Three’s new show Happiness shines with a rumoured reunion of bright talent, reveals Ricardo Simich.

Spy can reveal a ray of local-content sunshine has come out for Warner Bros. Discovery with news that filming of its new show Happiness started this week, with Rebecca Gibney as one of its stars.

The new musical comedy series for Three and ThreeNow, Happiness centres on Charlie, a Kiwi-born Broadway director who is returning to small-town Aotearoa, where he is roped into directing a local musical theatre production.

Sources tell Spy former Shortland Street star Harry McNaughton is playing Charlie and Gibney is playing his mother on the series.

It’s a role in which Spy thinks McNaughton will shine.

In 2007, the actor began his career on Shorty as the proudly asexual receptionist Gerald Tippett, a role he played for five years.

McNaughton is as famous for his behind-the-scenes work as a writer, as he is for his acting. Among his writing credits are Shorty, The Sounds and Gibney’s hit show Under the Vines.

In 2022, he produced, co-wrote and acted in euthanasia drama The Pact and shared a New Zealand TV award for scriptwriting with Natalie Medlock.

McNaughton recently spoke to Spy about his work on one of the stories in TVNZ’s Motherhood Anthology; he co-directed and wrote Motherhood, which told the story of a newly crowned Mother of a Vogue House, with Jaycee Tanuvasa, a pioneer of the Kiwi ballroom vogue scene.

“Working with Jaycee, her family and her community, and being able to watch them shine was one of the best creative experiences I’ve had,” said McNaughton.

Former Shortland Street star Harry McNaughton is rumoured to play Charlie, the son of Gibney's character in Three's upcoming show Happiness. Photo / Supplied

Happiness is being produced by Greenstone TV — which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, talking to Spy about the milestone — and the series is a good example of the type of scripted show where Warner Bros. Discovery will pull in its local content.

Last year, NZ on Air announced nearly $3 million in funding for the show, which it describes as having quirky and diverse characters that will put regional New Zealand centre stage being based in Tauranga. Celebrated New Zealand composer Luke Di Somma has written the original music to be performed in the new series.

Greenstone snaring former Packed to the Rafters star Gibney as McNaughton’s mother is a coup. It’s nearly 40 years since Gibney started her Australian career, becoming a household name in award-winning production after production.

Although Gibney often worked on this side of the Tasman, her move home and New Zealand renaissance really started when she brought filming of the second season of her International Emmy-nominated show, Wanted, to film in the South Island in 2016. Gibney created and produced Wanted with her partner producer, Richard Bell.

Soon after, the pair purchased a dream home in Dunedin. They moved north this year.

Gibney then executive-produced and starred in smash Kiwi export hit, Otago vintner series Under the Vines. A third season of the show started filming last year.

Last year, Gibney also filmed Aussie mega church drama Prosper in Sydney.

Her role in Happiness is bound to put the song and dance into music-loving Gibney’s step.

Another Happiness star confirmed to Spy is actor and singer Jessie Lawrence who has featured in several New Zealand series and has a beautiful voice.

In February, Lawrence stunned guests with a solo performance of one of the show’s songs by Di Somma at Greenstone TV’s 30th-birthday bash.