How to Get to Heaven from Belfast – A Dark Comedy Odyssey from the Creator of Derry Girls

Lisa McGee returns with a genre-blending series about friendship, guilt and an unanswered death. What begins as a reunion quickly turns into a dangerous search for the truth.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a television series that uses dark comedy to explore what happens when the past refuses to stay buried. Created by Lisa McGee, the story follows three women in their late thirties whose shared history is jolted back to life by the death of a former school friend. As doubts surface about what really happened, their attempt to find answers draws them into a chain of events that tests loyalty, memory and how well they truly know one another.

Friendship, Secrets and Dark Laughter

At its heart, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a story about friendship and long-buried secrets, delivered with a distinctly Northern Irish comic flair. The premise brings together Saoirse, Robyn and Dara – inseparable pals since their Catholic school days – for an unexpected reunion. When they attend the wake of their estranged fourth friend, Greta, bizarre events convince them that her death isn’t what it seems. Determined to investigate, the trio are drawn into a clandestine mission that spirals into a chaotic odyssey across Ireland. In true McGee fashion, the tone shifts seamlessly from laugh-out-loud banter to moments of genuine tension. One minute the friends bicker over mundane life choices (even “arguments about eyelash extensions”), and the next they’re tiptoeing through creepy clues and possible conspiracies. It’s a balance of irreverent comedy and intrigue: think Scooby-Doo-style sleuthing with a grown-up twist, or a Knives Out whodunit spiked with Irish wit. Throughout the escapade, the show mines humor from the women’s very ordinary midlife struggles colliding with extraordinary circumstances. Yet underlying the farce are relatable themes of memory, guilt and how much we owe our old friends – even if that means keeping a pact to “bury a body” for each other.

Despite the outlandish setup, McGee ensures the emotional stakes feel real. The three leads carry decades of shared history, and the series examines how their youthful traumas and loyalties have aged with them. Flashbacks to the friends’ teenage years gradually reveal the incident that bound – and perhaps scarred – their younger selves. It’s a tale of how time, and a few painful secrets, can fray even the tightest bonds. But it’s also a celebration of the kind of lifelong female friendship where love and exasperation go hand in hand. McGee has described the project as the show she’s “always wanted to make,” a mash-up of her two favorite genres – mystery and comedy – and that passion shows in the tonal tightrope Heaven from Belfast walks. The series manages to be warm-hearted and mordantly funny, all while keeping viewers guessing about what really happened to Greta and what the trio might be hiding themselves. Undertones of dark folklore and horror add a slight edge (the title alone hints at questions of mortality), yet the overall spirit remains lively and “deadly” fun.

How To Get To Heaven From Belfast - Production Still Image — How To Get To Heaven From Belfast – Production Still Image

From Derry to Belfast – McGee’s Creative Leap

The creative pedigree behind How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a major part of its buzz. Lisa McGee’s previous series Derry Girls became a global phenomenon for its hilarious yet heartfelt portrayal of teens in 1990s Northern Ireland. Here, McGee reunites with director Michael Lennox – who helmed Derry Girls – to tackle a very different era and genre. The new show transplants McGee’s talent for sharp dialogue and cultural specificity into a contemporary mystery format. It’s a leap from convent school comedy into a madcap detective adventure, and yet her voice remains recognizable. Fans of Derry Girls will find familiar elements: crackling banter, strong female camaraderie, and an authentic Northern Irish backdrop complete with local quirks. But McGee consciously pushes into bolder territory here. She has cited inspirations ranging from classic detective series like Columbo to the absurdist action of The A-Team. In fact, she jokingly calls her trio of heroines a “female, Northern Irish A-Team” – though by her own admission, “a rubbish one.” Indeed, part of the show’s charm is that Saoirse, Robyn and Dara are far from slick investigators. They bumble through clues and stumble into danger with endearing amateur enthusiasm, which only heightens the comedy. McGee uses this contrast to upend the polished detective trope – these women feel like real people thrown into ridiculous scenarios. And some scenarios are truly over-the-top: without spoiling specifics, the series features everything from secret symbols in spooky old houses to an explosive car chase and even a stray yacht. It’s an ambitious blend of surreal comedy and thriller set-pieces that McGee and her team execute with aplomb. Netflix’s backing appears to have given the production scope to amplify the action and mystery elements far beyond what a typical British whodunit might attempt. Still, amid the elaborate plot twists and stunts, McGee never loses sight of the relatable core of the story – the evolving dynamics between three flawed, funny women who might have been very different people had they not grown up together.

A Cast of Familiar Faces and Fresh Talent

Bringing these characters to life is a cast that mixes rising Irish talent with beloved veterans. Róisín Gallagher stars as Saoirse, a clever but chaotic TV writer whose life hasn’t quite hit the heights she imagined. Gallagher recently made an impression in Irish dramedies (The Dry, The Lovers), and here she leads with a natural warmth and razor-sharp timing. Opposite her, Sinéad Keenan plays Robyn, a once-rebellious spirit now overwhelmed as a mother of three. Keenan – known for intense dramas like Little Boy Blue and her current stint on Unforgotten – flexes her comedic muscles as the glam but frazzled Robyn, grounding the absurd situations with genuine emotion. Rounding out the trio is Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara, the dependable caregiver whose quiet exterior hides an inner steel. Dunne, familiar from gritty fare (Love/Hate, Industry), brings depth to the role of the group’s moral compass. Together, the three actresses share an easy, lived-in chemistry; their characters bicker and banter like the old friends they are, which makes their on-screen bond convincing. McGee has praised the cast’s chemistry and comic instincts, noting that they capture the specific rhythm of Northern Irish humor essential to the show’s tone.

Beyond the core trio, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast boasts an ensemble that will delight fans of Irish and UK television. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, breakout star of Derry Girls, makes an appearance – a fun passing of the torch from McGee’s last generation of misadventurous friends to this new one. Comedy legend Ardal O’Hanlon (of Father Ted fame) pops up in a role that nods to his irreverent roots, while Bronagh Gallagher (a Derry native known for The Commitments and Pulp Fiction) brings her charismatic presence to the mix as a character aptly nicknamed “Booker.” Meanwhile, Michelle Fairley – internationally recognized as Catelyn Stark from Game of Thrones – adds dramatic heft as the enigmatic Margo, a figure connected to the past tragedy. And Kin actor Emmett J. Scanlan and Peaky Blinders alum Natasha O’Keeffe are among those portraying the “sinister-looking characters” our heroines encounter on their journey. This blend of comedic and dramatic actors mirrors the show’s tonal blend, ensuring that each outrageous situation is balanced with sincere performances. The local casting also grounds the series in authenticity; most of the actors hail from Ireland or Northern Ireland, enriching the dialogue with genuine accents and cultural flavor.

Northern Irish Soul, Global Appeal

While How to Get to Heaven from Belfast delivers plenty of twists and laughs, it also serves as a love letter – of sorts – to Northern Ireland and the idiosyncrasies of its culture. The story begins in Belfast, a city still marked by its history (“the pain of the past plastered on every mural,” as one synopsis evocatively notes), then ventures to the “mythic wildness” of rural County Donegal and beyond. This geographic journey gives the series a rich sense of place, from city streets to misty coastlines, and subtly weaves in the region’s folklore and religious heritage. McGee uses setting almost as another character: the characters’ Catholic school upbringing at “Our Lady of the Sorrows” looms in their shared memories, and the title’s tongue-in-cheek question – how does one get to heaven from Belfast? – suggests a playful wink at the area’s traditional pieties. Yet, just as Derry Girls resonated far beyond Derry, the themes here are handled in a universal way. Midlife disappointment, enduring friendship, and confronting one’s past are experiences not bound by any one locale. That universality, paired with McGee’s culturally specific humor, is exactly what made her previous work cross borders so effectively. It’s a formula Netflix is clearly betting on again: a locally grounded story that can speak to audiences everywhere.

In fact, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast arrives at a time when genre-bending series are increasingly in vogue and streaming platforms are hungry for fresh voices. Comedic mysteries in particular have seen a boom – from ensemble whodunits on the big screen to witty crime capers on TV. McGee’s series rides that wave, offering a distinctly Irish take on the amateur detective trend popularized by shows like Only Murders in the Building and dark comedies like Dead to Me and Bad Sisters. However, it sets itself apart with its blend of Celtic charm, female camaraderie and unflinching silliness. The show embraces the idea that ordinary people can blunder into extraordinary adventures, and it delights in upending expectations at every turn. For Netflix, which scooped up the project after its initial Channel 4 development, it’s also part of a broader push to showcase stories from outside the usual Hollywood or London settings. Recent years have proven that authentic regional content – whether from Belfast or Bogotá – can captivate global subscribers. And with Lisa McGee’s proven track record, Heaven from Belfast comes with built-in credibility.

As the series launches, it carries the pressure of being McGee’s follow-up to an modern classic. But early glimpses suggest that rather than trying to repeat Derry Girls, she has crafted something bold and new while retaining her unique voice. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast promises a ride as “wild, weird and wonderful” as the friendships at its core – a show where the “craic” gets truly deadly. More importantly, it underscores a growing truth in entertainment: some of the most exciting stories emerge when creators dare to mix tones and break molds, all while staying true to their roots. In bridging heartfelt comedy with thriller twists, and local nuance with universal themes, McGee’s new series could very well hit that sweet spot – guiding viewers on a journey that’s both deeply Irish and delightfully unpredictable. If her Derry girls conquered the world, these Belfast women just might be next.