When Lisa McGee, the creator of the cult hit Derry Girls, stepped onto the Belfast set of her new Netflix series, it was hard not to notice the familiar faces. Sinéad Keenan, Caoilfhionn Dunne, and Roisin Gallagher, the central trio of Derry Girls, had all returned for another project with the same creator. But this time, the stakes were different. This was How to Get to Heaven From Belfast, a crime drama that would pit McGee's comedic talents against the darker, more intense world of murder mysteries.
A New Path for Derry Girls' Mastermind
Mcgee's journey into the world of crime drama mirrors that of several other prominent TV creators in recent years. Donald Glover, Sterlin Harjo, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge have all pivoted to crime from more genre-specific shows, and the results have been fascinating.
Meghan O'Keefe, TV critic for TIME, notes that "many of the past decade's smartest TV creators have turned to a life of crime, seeking to push the boundaries of their storytelling and explore new themes in the process."
The Unpromising Setup
The premise of How to Get to Heaven From Belfast may seem familiar at first glance: a woman returns to her hometown for the wake of an estranged friend, only to have her life turned upside down by a decades-old mystery. But it's only after witnessing the central trio's dynamic at work that you realize this is no ordinary whodunit.
At the core of the show is Saoirse, a television crime writer played by Roisin Gallagher, who finds herself at the center of the mystery. As she navigates the complex web of relationships between her and her friends, McGee's unique voice shines through.
The Heart of the Show
Through a series of interconnected storylines, McGee explores the way in which we construct our identities around simplistic narratives. The show's central theme is one of trauma, but it's also a scathing commentary on the way we manipulate real people and the truth itself.
"It's a fascinating head trip to send the characters on," O'Keefe writes, "at the same time as they're motoring around the emerald countryside and beyond, scrambling to figure out what actually happened to their friend and, of course, stop their potentially ruinous secret from getting out."
The Darker Side of Belfast
While the show's darker themes may overshadow its earlier promise, it's clear that How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is a bold experiment from McGee. And though it may not succeed at everything it tries, it's still a must-watch for fans of the creator's earlier work.
In the end, Derry Girls remains McGee's magnum opus, but How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is a welcome expansion of her range and a testament to her commitment to exploring the complexities of human experience.
As McGee has proven time and time again, there's no one better at crafting lovable, complicated characters and gallows humor than the Derry Girls creator. Whether or not this marks a permanent shift in her creative direction remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is a wild ride worth taking.
Meghan O'Keefe is the TV critic for TIME. Follow her on Twitter @megkeefe.
This article has been edited for length and clarity. Read the full review on TIME.com.
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