When Saoirse Monica Jackson talks about the new Netflix series HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST, there’s an unmistakable excitement that immediately transports you back to the chaotic energy of DERRY GIRLS. Lisa McGee, the creative genius behind that beloved show, has returned with something entirely different yet distinctly her own. Described by McGee as “a murder mystery – but funny” in a recent BBC interview, the eight-part series centers on three lifelong friends whose lives are upended in the most unexpected way. Saoirse, played by Roísín Gallagher from THE DRY, Robyn, brought to life by Sinéad Keenan of UNFORGOTTEN, and Dara, portrayed by Caoilfhionn Dunne from A THOUSAND BLOWS, have been inseparable since their school days. Now in their late thirties, their bond remains unbreakable until they receive an email announcing the death of the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang. A series of eerie events at the wake convinces them foul play is involved, setting off an epic and hilarious odyssey across Ireland as they attempt to piece together what really happened while confronting the truth about their own shared past.

The series arrives on Netflix on Thursday, February 12th, landing perfectly on Galentine’s Day, that wonderfully invented holiday from PARKS AND RECREATION where Leslie Knope celebrated female friendship the day before Valentine’s Day. Jackson shares anecdotes about filming across Ireland that paint a picture of a production filled with the same warmth and authenticity that made DERRY GIRLS such a phenomenon. There’s a memorable story about a keycard mix-up during filming that had the entire cast in stitches, the kind of real-world chaos that somehow always finds its way into McGee’s storytelling. Working with McGee again feels like coming home, Jackson explains, because there’s an understanding of rhythm and tone that makes everything feel effortless even when the material demands precision.

What makes HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST so compelling is its refusal to be just one thing. It’s a murder mystery wrapped in comedy wrapped in thriller elements wrapped in a profound celebration of female friendship. The show asks what happens when the people who know you best suddenly have to reckon with secrets that threaten to unravel decades of shared history. McGee has always had a gift for capturing the absurdity of real life, for finding humor in heartbreak and humanity in chaos, and this series promises to showcase those talents in ways we haven’t seen before. The Irish landscape becomes a character itself, the physical journey mirroring the emotional one as these three women traverse familiar and unfamiliar terrain in search of answers. Based on McGee’s track record, HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST promises sophisticated storytelling wrapped in irresistible entertainment, proving once again that stories about women, friendship, and the messy beautiful reality of being human will always find an audience ready to embrace them.