Touted as the “Female Inbetweeners”, Derry Girls is definitely worth your time. It’s a sitcom set in 1990s Northern Ireland (in Derry, funnily enough) that centres on the day-to-day life of 16-year-old Erin, her family and friends. With the Troubles as a backdrop, Erin and her friends seem even more ridiculous and frivolous than just any old gang of teenage girls. The struggles of adolescence are universal, no matter what the political climate. Each character is endlessly endearing, from resident space cadet Orla, to English punching bag James they’re perfect sitcom fare. They never learn, and they never grow.
A special mention to Saoirse-Monica Jackson’s turn as Erin. Jackson is perfectly cast bringing comedy through her pitch perfect delivery and comic physicality with an expressiveness that screams teenager. The girl’s got a funny face and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible, to see the way she scoffs at the clueless adults in her life is to see how hilarious she is. Talent surrounds her with the older generation getting a fair share in the funny, Aunt Sarah and Sister Michael winning the most laughs.
The first series flies by, incredibly binge-able and leaving you pining for more.
The first series flies by, incredibly binge-able and leaving you pining for more. Channel 4 has already commissioned a second series and if the last episode is anything to go by, not only will the top-class comedy continue but there will also be room for a little drama. The last episode of the series teases a continuing and developing storyline for one of the girls and it’s an exciting prospect. Derry Girls packages itself as a fairly typical sitcom but there’s a lot more under the surface. Offering a genuinely funny and honest depiction of teenage girls with an undercurrent of 90s nostalgia and a thread of drama pulling it all together, Derry Girls should be top of your list right now.