Should You Watch the New Drama From Derry Girls Creator?

After the success of Derry Girls, creator Lisa McGee has returned to the setting she knows best. New 8-episode drama How to Get to Heaven From Belfast encompasses a little of everything. You’ll laugh out loud, you’ll fall in love with these friends, and you’ll follow along on a fun murder mystery case that takes you on a wild and unpredictable odyssey across Northern Ireland (and beyond). 

How to Get to Heaven From Belfast follows three lifelong friends in their late 30s: Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), a popular TV writer; Robyn (Sinead Keenan), a stressed-out mother of three; and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne), a carer. Having grown up and moved apart, leading very different lives, they are brought together after learning that Greta, the estranged fourth member of their friendship group, has sadly passed away. Together, they journey together to pay their condolences. But before long, old secrets begin to resurface, and they learn that Greta’s death may not be all what it seems to be. 

Chock-full of daft, silly, and juvenile humour (which is absolutely not a criticism), this series will instantly have you fall in love with these characters, from their quirks to their very obvious flaws. They are three best friends, and despite unfamiliarity after so long apart, they pick up contagious chemistry as soon as they embark on a chaotic road trip together. Whether they bring out the worst or best (or perhaps a little of both) in each other is down to perspective. If one thing is for sure, nothing is smooth sailing.

The series takes the philosophy ‘everything that can go wrong, will go wrong,’ and runs with it. While it does contain plenty of big action sequences, they don’t do the heavy lifting. It’s extremely character-focused. The laugh-out-loud comedy comes from their clash of personalities and sharp, quick-witted dialogue. The jokes and quips come thick and fast — I found myself doing double-takes at bizarre lines, told in mundane and unfiltered ways. 

In addition, the show shares strong DNA with one of the greatest comedies of all time, none other than Father Ted. A lot of the comedic beats are similar, but more so, it also has two former Father Ted stars in recurring role: Ardal O’Hanlon and Michael Redmond. 

Cr. Courtesy of Netflix/Christopher Barr © 2025

The Father Ted veterans are one thing, but the show also adds plenty of young talent to its ensemble cast. One addition I loved was Darragh Hand, who plays Liam, a full-time police officer and part-time mechanic who finds himself rather bizarrely courted by Saoirse, who’s 12 years his senior. Another standout is Bronagh Gallagher as the stoic and steadfast Booker, a woman who’ll stop at absolutely nothing to get what she wants. 

The show often switches between time periods, moving from the modern day to when the girls were back in school. It explores how their friendships evolved, their early trials and tribulations. The series uses these flashbacks to throw in hints and clues at the overall mystery. On that is succeeds in doing a lot of showing but not much telling.

I’ve spent a lot other time rhapsodising about the comedy aspect of this series, although that doesn’t really account to much if the story isn’t tight and compelling. Thankfully, McGee crafted a mystery that keeps you heavily invested from the start. The series progresses at a breakneck pace, throwing curveballs and new twists with each episode. Granted, it does lose a little momentum towards the end, likely a consequence to turning a marathon of a story into a sprint. It throws mystery at you from several angles, and as a result feels saturated with breadcrumbs. There’s a couple of storylines that don’t go anywhere, or feel pointless. 

Mystery dramas tend to live or die by their endings. If they don’t stick the conclusions and leave viewers satisfied, all the build-up becomes pointless. Without spoiling things, this show delivers a satisfying enough conclusion, tying up loose ends. It won’t blow you away; it won’t frustrate you. However, unlike so many other genre shows, this one feels like the journey was always more important than the final destination. 

How To Get to Heaven From Belfast adventures across Northern Ireland (and even Portugal). You never know where this show will take you next, but the certainty is that it’ll always be a thrill.

MVP

How To Get To Heaven From Belfast Season 1. Roisin Gallagher as Saoirse Shaw, Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara Friel & Sinead Keenan as Robyn Winters. Cr. Netflix 2025

Roisin Gallagher, Sinead Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne — I know, this could be considered a cop-out answer. Hear me out. This is a show that relies on its three central protagonists. Each of them get pretty much equal screen time, and their individual performances are strong. However, when they’re together with such an explosive and high-energy clash of personalities — that’s when the series is strongest. 

Watch How to Get to Heaven From Belfast if you like:

• Derry Girls
• Only Murders in the Building
• Bad Sisters

Verdict of How to Get to Heaven From Belfast

Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls will most likely be remembered as her magnum opus series, and I don’t think this has changed things. 

That said, How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is a love letter to Northern Ireland in its own way, exploring themes of friendship, life, loss, and grief. It has a contagious charm, and it’s genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious. The mystery itself is mostly good, but it does get quite convoluted towards the end — don’t go into this expecting an intricately crafted, tightly-woven mystery. If you love Derry Girls and feel like a ton of laughs and chaos, you’ll absolutely love How to Get to Heaven From Belfast.

How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is a full-on, no-holds-barred Northern Irish odyssey.