If you’re looking for something funny, refreshing, and low-stakes, the Irish production Derry Girls is a phenomenal choice. Released in 2018, the two-time BAFTA Award nominee took television media by storm. The hit comedy series boasts a whopping 99% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and is the most-watched show on Channel 4, according to a UK publication. When it became available to American audiences via Netflix, the hilarious coming-of-age series and its clever humor found resounding success as well.
Northern Irish creator Lisa McGee draws upon her own youthful experiences for a credible, authentic storytelling medium. The show takes place in Derry, Northern Ireland in the 1990s toward the end of a decades-long sociopolitical conflict known as the Troubles. The Protestant north wanted independence from the UK, and the nationalistic Roman Catholics wanted Northern Ireland to be absorbed by the Republic of Ireland. The context plays a significant role in the series as a comedic backdrop, for the teenagers attend a private Catholic school in a majority Protestant region. The series plays on 90s nostalgia and distinctly Irish idiosyncrasies as it follows four teenage schoolgirls and an unfortunate English boy in their hilarious low-stakes adventures. Here is why you should be watching Derry Girls.
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A Cast of Kooky Characters
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The five main characters each display unique traits. There is the protagonist, Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), whose moral high ground is frequently challenged by the presence of cute boys and limited patience for her feckless pals. There is the neurotic Clare (Nicola Coughlan), whose anxiety frequently sparks frantic yet amusing ramblings. There is the resident bad girl, Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), who is always looking for an excuse to party and swear. Orla (Louisa Harland) is Erin’s cousin and the group’s lovable designated oddball, often missing social cues and quietly blurting brilliant non sequiturs.
Lastly, there is Michelle’s English cousin, James (Dylan Llewellyn), the “wee English fella” forced into attending an all-girls Catholic high school. He is bullied relentlessly by his Irish peers (especially by Michelle) who bear an understandable animosity toward an individual who hails from the nation that colonized their own. Needless to say, with this combination, the group’s antics are always hilarious.
Even the minor characters bring something funny to the table, filling out an already brilliant and exciting world established by the students of Thornhill College. Sister Michael is the school’s principal, who is a surprisingly lax nun not out of forgiveness for childlike misgivings but of pure cynicism and apathy. The juxtaposition of her title and temperament is hilarious on its own. Colm McCool, Erin’s uncle, has a host of fascinating personal anecdotes but is tragically monotonous. Regardless of the story content, his voice is so dreadfully boring that no one can bear to listen as he obliviously drones on. His own family tends to avoid him due to this apparent lack of social awareness. The characters, be they the main five or supporting characters, truly give Derry Girls its life.
Inconsequential Growing Pains
This show is the perfect coming-of-age TV sitcom with a great cast. The episodic, low-stakes nature of Derry Girls makes for a relatively stress-free viewing experience, even during moments of relative drama. You are bound to enjoy whatever misadventure Michelle has managed to convince everyone to undertake. The teenagers learn to handle the painfully awkward scenarios in which they find themselves. For instance, in one episode, Michelle pours drinks at the local fish and chips joint proprietor, Fionnula’s, home. They inadvertently set a very angry Fionnula’s curtains ablaze and are tasked with cleaning her shop as punishment. Throughout the series, the four friends (and James) struggle to navigate their identities (and hilarious experiences) — a journey of self-exploration specific to teenagers.
In another episode, the Thornhill College students have to go on a teambuilding retreat with an all-boys Protestant school in order to be a leader in promoting peace and tolerance between the Catholics and the Protestants. Erin and her cohort are nervous and hesitant, and in anticipation of the field trip, they speculate about their counterparts with outlandish theories based on negative stereotypes of Protestants.
They would soon find that they share more in common than they had originally thought. To Michelle’s delight, they find that the Protestant boys are actually kind of cute. To compensate for their prejudice, the girls bubble over with offensive backhanded compliments, making the Protestants look very normal and making themselves seem crazy. In this clever and funny commentary, the Catholics wind up perpetuating their own stereotypes and learning a valuable lesson about assumptions and character.
Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls offers appeasing 90s nostalgia and provides fun insight into Irish culture, as evidenced by the cool Irish slang and small-town affects. The witty, fast-paced banter is fun, engaging, and incredibly clever. Derry Girls’ central themes are friendship and identity, focusing on the uproarious interactions between friends as they resolve their trivial issues and bond over harassing James for being English.
On April 12, season three was finally released to Channel 4 after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately for American and Australian viewers, the series has not yet received a Netflix release date. In the meantime, you certainly have some time to catch up on seasons one and two on Netflix.
