Before Nicola Coughlan became Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown, she was Clare Devlin on Derry Girls, a coming-of-age comedy series about four Irish girls and one Anglo-Irish boy growing up in Northern Ireland during the closing years of The Troubles. It airs on Channel 4 in the UK, but it gained worldwide popularity once Netflix started carrying it. The pandemic delayed the third season, but it is finally coming out, three years after season two (just like Barry).
Even though Derry Girls brushes up against tragic history, it is an easy comfort watch. The girls—and James—are hilarious, but the real MVP is Siobhan McSweeney as the irascible Sister Michael, headmistress of an all-girls and one boy Catholic high school in Derry. Honestly, I could watch “best of Sister Michael” compilations for hours. She is the perfect counterpoint to the horny enthusiasm of the girls—and James—and she gives the best reaction shots, bar none. There is no official release date yet for series three, or news on when it will hit Netflix for the rest of us, just that it’s “coming soon”, but between this, Barry, and maybe Ted Lasso if season three makes it before the end of the year, 2022 will be a great year for third-year comedy series.
