School friends Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) grew up together and have remained close ever since. But when they learn that a former classmate has died, old secrets resurface and friendships are tested in their hunt for answers.
Streaming on: Netflix
Episodes viewed: 8 of 8
It would have been easy for Lisa McGee to follow Derry Girls with something similar — perhaps a sequel set today. And in some ways, that’s exactly what she’s done. The eccentric trio in How To Get To Heaven From Belfast aren’t worlds removed from how the Derry Girls might behave, 30 years on. But Saoirse, Robyn and Dara are more than just carbon copies of that group, and the show itself is more distinct than that too.
While the Troubles of the ‘90s formed the backdrop of Derry Girls, McGee’s follow-up leads with darker themes up front, weaving in thrills and murder from the get-go. The central mystery that propels the show hints at past wrongdoings, via dream-like flashbacks and visions of secrets long kept buried. These are effective to varying degrees, alternating between suspenseful and clichéd at any given moment. What does work far more consistently, however, is the comedy and characterisation at hand.
McGee’s signature comedy is strongest in the one-liners that come out of nowhere, often threaded through with a specific Northern Irish sense of humour.
You’ll want to spend as much time as possible with the central trio, whose lived-in ease and chemistry really sells their lifelong connection. They’re also hilarious, especially Sinéad Keenan’s Robyn, who has zero fucks left to give for anyone except her two closest friends. McGee’s signature comedy is strongest in the one-liners that come out of nowhere, often threaded through with a specific Northern Irish sense of humour. When Dara has “an attack of the Catholics,” the joke whizzes by so fast that you almost miss it, so dense is the layering of wit and comedy here.
Some outlandish scenarios land better than others, and one particular reference to Derry Girls does outstay its welcome in the final episode. But when all the pieces fit and the various genres at play configure, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast is mighty good craic worth savouring.
Just when you worry this madcap mystery might lose its way, the three standout leads pull you back in as they joke and bicker their way through Lisa McGee’s unhinged follow-up to Derry Girls.
