Lisa McGee describes her new show, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, as “a murder mystery, but funny” (via BBC News). If that sounds a bit like oil and water, two things that ought not to mix, then you’d probably be on to something – at least, that’s how it feels to begin with.
The comedy-thriller gets stuck right in when it comes to introducing the three women who are driving this story. Drive being the operative word here, as Sinéad Keenan’s Robyn is first introduced in the front seat of her car, as she bashes her own head repeatedly into the steering wheel because her children will not stop shouting.
In this singular scene, it’s made clear that Derry Girls’ creator McGee’s new series has grown up along with its audience. Teenage angst long behind us, we’re now worrying about school runs, keeping on top of voice notes, possible signs of perimenopause and workplace politics. But still we are shaped by our younger experiences and we carry that millennial ache, and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast perfectly straddles both worlds.
Like Derry Girls, there are bonds of friendship at its heart; alongside Robyn, we soon meet high-powered but slightly chaotic career woman Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) and the introspective Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne), who all went to school together. In addition to standard teen girl experiences, they became forever-linked by a “bad thing” they did, all in the name of protecting their other friend Greta (Natasha O’Keeffe).
But Greta is now dead. While the rest of the now 30-ish year olds are getting on with their busy lives, they each receive an email to tell them of this sudden and upsetting news. All of that plays out in the first seven minutes, and with that, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’s illustrative intro kicks in, and the journey – for viewers, as much as the characters – begins.
Netflix
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The eight-part drama is so distinctive and genre-bending that it throws you off-kilter to begin with. Like that oil and water, it takes some time to settle – but trust us, stick with it, because when you stop trying to put it in a box, and instead just take it for what it is, it’s really rather brilliant.
As you’ll want from any good mystery, there is a central puzzle that keeps you guessing. The series isn’t particularly heavy on jaw-dropping plot twists (so Harlan Coben fans might be disappointed in that department), but How to Get to Heaven from Belfast doesn’t need it – and most importantly of all, it doesn’t force it. The writing is smarter than that.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast borrows heavily from the thriller genre too, even veering into horror at times. Emmett J Scanlan (probably best known from BBC hit Kin, and more recently MobLand) is truly sinister and unnerving to watch as Greta’s widower, and the instant mood shift that occurs once the group of old school friends first enter that family home is jolting.
As if that weren’t already enough, Bronagh Gallagher’s elusive fixer-style character Booker brings a throwback gangster-movie edge that we certainly were not expecting.
Netflix
Peppered throughout, though, are some literal laugh-out-loud one-liners, each one cutting right through any tension or foreboding to remind you that you should be having fun.
McGee knows how to write messy, hilarious, complicated and lived-in characters – particularly when it comes to placing women front and centre. She’s achieved that again here, with each central character afforded their own moments, depth and nuance, giving the viewer someone to single out and relate to.
If we haven’t made it clear enough already, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast stands out on its own as a distinctive piece of television. But with the knowledge that Lisa McGee reunited a number of other Derry Girls creatives behind the scenes, the comparisons will be inevitable – and the award-winning Channel 4 sitcom does have a feel of being woven into its DNA.
This is probably most notable through the Netflix show’s killer soundtrack. From seminal Take That concerts to the harnessing of The Cranberries’ best work, Derry Girls was phenomenal in the way it used music to tap into a memory, moment or mood.
In the same way, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is both a greatest hits tour for the Spice Girls and a callback for anyone that owned the Now That’s What I Call Music! discography. Going from a rendition of Eiffel 65’s Blue (… da ba dee, da ba daa…) to the belting of a Celine Dion power ballad should be one of the series’ proudest achievements, and we say that with absolute love.
Netflix
Also there’s a delightfully sweary and deadpan nun once again heading up the girls’ school, but sadly not quite as iconic as Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney) of Derry’s Our Lady Immaculate College (quite possibly one of the best comedy characters ever penned for the small screen).
If we were to pick at something, the pacing is a bit off at times. The show can feel roomy, and doesn’t quite justify its nearly hour-long runtime per episode. There is a pivotal moment mid-way through episode two, for example, that could have made for an excellent episode-one closer.
But we can forgive it for the smallest of flaws. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is exactly what we want to be seeing from Netflix; an original, creative and bold new drama that’s not afraid to take some risks and try something new.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is streaming now on Netflix.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).