‘Derry Girls’ Creator’s Comedy Thriller Finds a New Home

Lisa McGee, creator of Derry Girls, is already working on her next project—but after a close call at Ireland’s Channel 4, the show has found a new home at Netflix.

McGee’s new series, How to Get to Heaven From Belfast, tells the story of three friends trying to get to the bottom of the death of the fourth member of their group. The series, which will run for eight episodes, was originally announced by Channel 4 in August 2023. However, Variety reports that Channel 4 cited funding issues and “changes in editorial direction” in its decision not to move forward with the series.

Now that Netflix has picked up the series, though, it will start shooting in Northern Ireland later this year.

How to Get to Heaven From Belfast explores themes similar to Derry Girls

Derry Girls, the three-season sitcom that launched McGee’s career as a TV writer, tells the story of four teenage girls living through the Troubles of Northern Ireland. Erin, Clare, Michelle, and Orla get up to all kinds of trouble as they make their way through high school, navigate family life, and watch Northern Ireland try to work towards peace around them. As we’ve written here at The Mary Sue, the show is a pitch-perfect blend of raucous comedy, pathos, and social commentary.

How to Get to Heaven From Belfast looks like it will continue McGee’s exploration of female friendships. Here’s the show’s official synopsis:

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.

(featured image: Netflix)