Derry Girls might be over, but series creator and writer Lisa McGee has something else up her sleeve.
According to Variety, McGee’s upcoming comedy thriller series, How to Get to Heaven From Belfast, had originally landed at the UK’s Channel 4, but has now found a new home in Netflix.
A representative for Channel 4 provided an explanation to the outlet, clarifying that they “loved” the new series and “offered a substantial license fee to be its U.K. home.”
“Unfortunately due to changes in editorial direction as the development process progressed, coupled with rising costs and the recent cooling in the U.S. co-production market, it became impossible to get the right international partner and funding plan in place,” they continued. “We wish Lisa and Hat Trick Productions all the best and look forward to working together on future projects.”
News that McGee’s new series is heading to Netflix not only fittingly arrived around St. Patrick’s Day, but also nearly two years after the third and final season premiered in the UK, and almost a year and a half after its US release graced us with comedy gold.
Here’s what we know about How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
Described as “a show about friendship, memory and what happens when life doesn’t turn out quite like you’d expected,” the new eight-part show will surround “clever, chaotic TV writer Saoirse, glamorous, stressed-out mother of three Robyn and dependable, inhibited carer Dara,” the three of whom “have been a tight-knit group since school,” per the show’s description (via Variety).
“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,” the synopsis also reveals.
There is no official release date, as Variety reports that filming will begin in Northern Ireland later in 2024. As speculated by British GQ, this may mean that we won’t see How to Get to Heaven From Belfast until next year.
Unfortunately, there have yet to be any casting announcements. Maybe we’ll see some Derry Girls fan favorites join forces with McGee once again?