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Lisa McGee fans rejoice, because the award-winning screenwriter and Derry Girls creator’s newest venture has just been commissioned by Netflix.
How To Get To Heaven From Belfast was first announced back in August 2023, when it was originally set to air on Channel 4, but due to changes in editorial direction and rising costs, the streaming giant swooped in. Produced by Hat Trick Productions, the eight-part series is being described as a comedy thriller following longtime friends Saoirse, Robyn and Dara as they reconnect at the wake of an old friend.
The official synopsis reads: “Clever, chaotic TV writer Saoirse, glamorous, stressed-out mother of three Robyn and dependable, inhibited carer Dara have been a tight-knit group since school. Now in their late 30s, but still as close as ever, these three friends are about to embark on the most thrilling adventure of their lives.”
“When an email arrives, telling them about the death of the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang, Greta, a series of eerie events at her wake set them on a dark, dangerous and hilarious odyssey through Ireland and beyond as each tries to piece together the truth of the past. A show about friendship, memory and what happens when life doesn’t turn out quite like you’d expected.”
Across the eight episodes, these women embark on an adventure that takes them from their native Belfast—a city filled with ghosts—to the wilds of rural Donegal, all the way across Ireland as they search for the truth and battle with the chaos of their own lives along the way.
Following a familiar friend group formula reminiscent of that of Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James’, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast moves the coming-of-age tale along a couple of decades, and sounds to be invoking just enough elements of the surreal to make us instantly intrigued.
Joining forces once again with Derry Girls director Michael Lennox, McGee will be on executive producer duties with Caroline Leddy (Derry Girls, The Inbetweeners), Liz Lewin (Derry Girls, The Lovers) and Jimmy Mulville.
The soul crushing part? It looks a lot like we won’t see a release of How To Get To Heaven From Belfast until at least 2025. So, as we gorge ourselves with yet another rewatch of Derry Girls, we can find comfort in the fact that production begins later this year. Watch this space.