Photo: Netflix
Run out of stuff to watch? Join us as we dig deep into the streamers' catalogues for shows worth watching. This week: Derry Girls, the heart-warming series that made Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan a star.
It seems odd to suggest one of the most fraught periods in Northern Ireland's history might evoke such a warm feeling - but Derry Girls does the impossible, offering humour and hope at a time of intense strife.
Created and written by Lisa McGee, the coming-of-age comedy follows five teenage friends - Erin (Saoirse Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and Michelle's English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) - as they attend Catholic high school and navigate the typical pitfalls of teen life.
It's set in 1990s Derry (or Londonderry, "depending on your persuasion") during the backend of the decades long conflict between Irish nationalists and UK loyalists, a period of Secretarian violence known as 'The Troubles'.
Don't let the synopsis mislead you - Derry Girls is anything but drab. The writing is sharp and clever, peppered with hilarious Northern Irish vernacular. Our protagonists continually get themselves into ridiculous situations, and the ensemble cast plays up the absurdity (and hormonal emotionality) of being a teen very well. At a 30-minute runtime and 6-7 episodes a season, it's a perfect comedy; goofy but grounded, smart but not overly wry, a bit political but entirely unpreachy, and so, so funny.
Despite the grim political goings-on, the Derry girls are only ever preoccupied with what concerns them; pulling all-nighters, sneaking off to concerts, and kissing Protestant boys. The show is excellent at tying in elements of real-life historical events too - episodes featuring weeping Virgin Mary statues, Take That concerts, Orange Walks and a runaway polar bear are rooted in colourful reality.
The strength of Derry Girls is that, despite whatever ill-informed decisions our characters make, it never punishes them for just being teens. McGee understands that teenage innocence is fleeting; it's why moments like the season one closer hit such an emotional note. As the final minutes cut between a high school talent show - where the eponymous girls perform with joyous abandon - the shocked faces of their parents at home watch the televised news of yet another mass-casualty bombing.
By the end of the series, the Derry Girls are shielded no more; they've come of age and have a say in whether decades of violence should end as they approach the Good Friday Agreement.
I'm so glad Netflix brought Derry Girls back into my algorithm - undoubtedly thanks to Nicola Coughlan's popularity with Bridgerton. It's one of the most heartwarming, charming, hopeful shows you'll ever see.
Is it worth a watch?
Story: 5/5
Production: 4/5
Bingeability: 4/5 (But I would recommend taking your time with it so you can savour this beautiful series a little longer)
If I liked this one, what shall I watch next?
Fleabag: A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy.
The Inbetweeners: Four deeply uncool boys from the South of England navigate their final years of school.