Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Drinking, language, female friendship in hilarious mystery.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST's Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) have been pals since they were in school together, and stayed close despite their life paths diverging in their 30s. But when each is contacted by a relative of their other bestie, Greta (Natasha O'Keeffe), they learn that their old friend has suddenly, shockingly died after a falling accident. Or did she? Because when our friend group turns up in Greta's native town of Knockdara, they find mystery upon mystery. Does this have something to do with the Very Bad Thing that happened in their pasts and they've been trying to forget ever since?
Is It Any Good?
Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee excels at assembling groups of female friends with great chemistry and then giving them funny things to say, a talent that carries over to her new mystery. Like Derry Girls, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is set in its creator's home country, Ireland, but the tone is different from McGee's breakthrough. Though there's still plenty of sharp, witty, bonkers comedy, Belfast interjects suspense and mystery by centering on past mistakes that have come to haunt the current lives of our three main characters. But though there are guns and chases and tragic deaths, Belfast's vibe feels more Scooby Doo than grim, thanks to the riotous interplay among our trio of besties. Dara, Saoirse,m and Robyn really feel like longtime pals, and the dark secrets they share take nothing away from the brilliant moments when the three are sleuthing/bumbling their way through Belfast's mysteries to the strains of 2000s UK chart-toppers (most of which will be new to American viewers: get that Spotify playlist ready!).
As she did in Derry Girls, McGee populates Belfast's world with deliciously odd side characters, like a disgruntled waitress Lucy (Niamh Finlay), Kerr Logan as a perpetually cheerful hotel manager, and James Martin as a Sherlock Holmes obsessive making rent by working at a convenience store. Derry Girls fans will be happy to see Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Ardal O'Hanlon turn up in small, significant roles. But Belfast is at its fizzy best when we're with our main characters, who shout at each other in a familial, fond way when together, but suffer when apart: Dara has been caring for her aging, cranky mom; Robyn is resentfully stuck at home taking care of three screaming kids; Saoirse, a TV writer who feels like the avatar for McGee, hates the star of her show and her husband-to-be, in that order. Speaking of Saoirse, a pointed storyline has her ruminating on how hard it is to write endings for TV shows. But Belfast pulls it off.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about creator Lisa McGee's choice to set this series and her American breakthrough, Derry Girls, in Northern Ireland. Do you know about what's called The Troubles? How much do The Troubles contribute to each show, if at all?
Many shows maintain a consistent tone: they start as a comedy/mystery/drama and stay that way. Does How to Get to Heaven from Belfast maintain a single tone? What tones do you detect? How does the show switch between them? What visual or audible clues are you given to understand what you're watching?
The soundtrack for this series features a lot of hits from the 2000s in Ireland, like "The Ketchup Song" and "Sound of the Underground." Why do you think this choice was made? Does it matter that these songs aren't familiar to most American viewers?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 12, 2026
- Cast : Roisin Gallagher , Caoilfhionn Dunne , Sinéad Keenan
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : March 6, 2026
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