Why you need to be excited by ‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’
If that sentence alone made you pause, good. Because yes, Lisa McGee, the genius behind Derry Girls, just flipped the switch and decided to go full murder mystery. Netflix’s How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is on the way this Feb, and let’s just say… this is not a soft launch. It begins with a funeral and then goes on into turning into into a murder mystery.
It’s a weird pill to swallow, but tell us that you are not excited. We have all done a million reruns of Derry Girls, and the true fans always wanted the creator to bring more of her on screen. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is also going to have three main female leads, and if you thought this was going to be another sweet Irish comedy with girls gossiping at church, no. This one is going to have enough twists to keep you hooked.
And the best part is that the show totally feels like Lisa McGee. Sure, the premise and genre have changed, but it has that same biting dialogue and the same bonding in friendships we admired Derry Girls for. You still get women at the centre and still get banter. But now? You also have to guess a murderer.
So, whether you were in it for the jokes or just here because someone said “Derry Girls”, this new series might just be the highlight of your February this year.
What is the plot?
So what actually happens in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast? At the centre of this eight‑episode comedy‑thriller is a tight‑knit trio of friends named Saoirse, Robyn, and Dara who have been inseparable since school. They are in their late 30s now, and life did not quite turn out the way they imagined. Their careers, relationships, parenthood, anxieties… basically everything has left its mark.
But then an email arrives telling them that the fourth member of their old gang has died. That is when everything changes. They go to her wake, and in the turn of events, before you know it, solemn becomes strange. The whole event turns a bit eerie, and years of buried secrets start slipping out.
Before you know it, the funeral turns into a puzzle that takes them on the road through Ireland and beyond in the search for truth to uncover what truly happened. In short, imagine Derry Girls energy but turned into a darkly funny, twisty road trip to solve a murder mystery.
Who’s in the cast?
You will take one look at the cast and know that some real work was put behind it. You get Roísín Gallagher as Saoirse, who plays a person who talks fast and thinks faster. Then we have Sinéad Keenan playing Robyn, a confident woman who can’t get her own life to sit still. And the third member is Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara, who looks composed until she is not. Please tell us that the character description alone has convinced you to add this to your watchlist.
Additionally, we also have Michelle Fairley (yes, Game of Thrones), Bronagh Gallagher (Pulp Fiction), and After Life’s Tom Basden. Even Saoirse Monica Jackson is going to appear for a cameo.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, and it is pure Lisa McGee energy. You have the tone flips and that signature chaotic energy to it. There is mystery and panic, and there is, like, a whole lot of Derry Girls energy, only if they were grown-ups.
When does How to Get to Heaven from Belfast release?
The show releases on February 12th. All eight episodes. And trust us when we ask you to clear your schedule. Because we are sure once you start, you won’t get up without bingeing it.