Netflix has commissioned an eight-part series by Lisa McGee, writer of the Emmy-award winning show Derry Girls. Last week, the streaming service announced How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, which will follow three women in their late thirties as they grapple with their estranged school friend’s death and embark on a “dark, dangerous and hilarious odyssey through Ireland”.
The streaming service has described the protagonists as “clever, chaotic TV writer Saoirse, glamorous, stressed-out mother of three Robyn and dependable, inhibited carer Dara”.
McGee is set to executive produce the series, joined by fellow Derry Girls alumni Michael Lennox, Liz Lewin and Caroline Leddy. Lennox, who directed all three seasons of Derry Girls, will also direct How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. Leddy’s previous producing credits include hit-show The Inbetweeners.
Although the series was initially announced by Channel 4 in summer 2023, Variety reported that the channel would not be going ahead with making the series due to “rising costs” and “changes in editorial direction”. When news of the project was first released, in August, McGee confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that “There is a character from Derry in it before I get banned from the old hometown”.
In 2023, McGee won the BAFTA for Best Writer of a Comedy series and the IFTA for Best Script (Drama) for the final season of Derry Girls.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast will begin filming in Northern Ireland this summer.
