How to Get to Heaven from Belfast

Last updated

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
Genre
Created by Lisa McGee
Starring
Music bySion Trefor
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Ireland
Original languagesEnglish
Irish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
ProducerBrian J. Falconer
Cinematography
  • Ashley Barron
  • Nathalie Pitters
  • Daniel Stafford-Clark
Editors
  • Lucien Clayton
  • Nigel Williams
  • Ed Coltman
Running time47–56 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Netflix
Release12 February 2026 (2026-02-12)

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is an Irish comedy thriller series for Netflix created by Lisa McGee and produced by Hat Trick Productions. The series premiered on 12 February 2026. [1]

Contents

Premise

When three close friends from Belfast receive the news that the estranged fourth member of their teenage friend group has unexpectedly died, they travel to County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland to pay their respects. Strange events at the wake and a long-kept secret threatening to come out propel the trio into investigating their friend's mysterious death, but the amateur sleuths quickly find themselves in over their heads. [2] [3]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"The Wake" Michael Lennox Lisa McGee February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Old pals Dara, Robyn, and Saoirse head to a small Donegal town for a school friend's wake, and to make sure a long-held secret stays buried.
2"The Secret"Michael LennoxLisa McGeeFebruary 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Reeling from the crash, the gang vows to leave Greta and the past well alone, until mysterious red letters and an old notebook pull them right back in.
3"The Ghost"Michael LennoxLisa McGeeFebruary 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
As a storm rages towards Knockdara, Saoirse, Dara, and Robyn set up camp in the hotel, again. Liam probes deeper into another old friend of Greta's.
4"The Girl From Sagres" George Kane Tobias Beer February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
After some stellar sleuthing, the trio's search for answers takes them to a five-star resort in Portugal, where they're not the only ones on a mission.
5"The Box"George Kane Bronágh Taggart February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Desperate to outrun Booker, the three friends scramble around St. Patrick's Day Dublin. After Andrew's bombshell, Liam has a bone to pick with Saoirse.
6"Separate But Inseparable"George Kane Ava Pickett February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Already in a tight spot, a confession ratchets up the tension between Robyn, Saoirse, and Dara. An exasperated Booker gets back on the box's trail.
7"Outlaws, Liars and Fallen Angels"Rachna SuriLisa McGeeFebruary 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Booker, Feeney, and the Midwife receive a summons to Derry. At a Belfast police station, risky gambits, surprise reunions and smoke breaks transpire.
8"Anagnorisis"Rachna SuriLisa McGeeFebruary 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Having come this far, Saoirse, Dara, and Robyn know there's no going back. Will they finally uncover the terrifying truth ... and manage to stay alive?

Production

The eight-part series was created by Lisa McGee. [4] In August 2023 the series was announced to be executive produced by Caroline Leddy, Liz Lewin, and Jimmy Mulville for Hat Trick Productions and Channel 4. [5] In March 2024, the series moved to streaming service Netflix. Michael Lennox is the director. [6]

On 1 July 2024, Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne were cast in the lead roles. [7] Younger versions of the main characters were cast with Emma Canning, Emily Flain, Chara Aitken and Maria Laird fulfilling the roles. [8] The cast also includes Jeanne Ní Áinle as well as Emmett J. Scanlan, Tom Basden, Ardal O'Hanlon, Michelle Fairley, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Josh Finan. [9] [10]

Filming began in Belfast in July 2024. [11] [12] [13] Other filming locations include the Harbourview Hotel (formerly Londonderry Arms) in Carnlough, (County Antrim), (County Louth), Saint John's Point (County Down), Mamore Gap and Inishowen, County Donegal, Dublin, and Malta. [14] [15]

Hat Trick Productions also produced Lisa McGee's previous series Derry Girls . Actors Sinéad Keenan, Emmett J. Scanlan, Maria Laird, Peter Campion, Ardal O'Hanlon, Bronagh Gallagher and Saoirse-Monica Jackson worked on both series, as did several other cast and crew members. [16] The Derry Girls mural in Derry appears in a scene in episode 8. [17]

Release

The series was released on Netflix on 12 February 2026. [1] The age rating for the series is "15" in the UK [18] and "TV-MA" in the US. [19]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 94% approval rating based on 32 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Stretching its tone in different directions without ever snapping, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is another triumphantly funny and proudly Irish series from creator Lisa McGee." [20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 79 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [21]

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast was praised by critics. [3] [22] [23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Find Out How to Get to Heaven from Belfast in the Trailer Now". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  2. ↑ Scott Byrne, Ruari (22 August 2024). "How To Get To Heaven From Belfast: New comedy-thriller by Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee to air on Channel 4". Buzz.ie. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 Mangan, Lucy (12 February 2026). "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast review – if you see nothing else this year, watch this". The Guardian.
  4. ↑ Shafer, Ellise (21 August 2023). "'Derry Girls' Creator Lisa McGee Sets Comedy Thriller Series 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' at Channel 4". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (22 August 2024). "Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee announces new comedy thriller". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Shafer, Ellise (15 March 2024). "'Derry Girls' Creator Lisa McGee's New Series 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' Moves to Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Ritman, Alex (1 July 2024). "'Derry Girls' Creator Lisa McGee Unveils Lead Cast for Netflix Comedy Thriller Series 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  8. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (12 February 2026). "'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast' Review: Lisa McGee's 'Derry Girls' Follow-Up Is a Chaotic, Wildly Entertaining Netflix Mystery". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  9. ↑ Wilkinson, Amber (7 May 2025). "Rising Stars Ireland 2025: Jeanne Ní Áinle (actor)". Archived from the original on 7 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  10. ↑ Warner, Sam (22 October 2025). "Kin and MobLand's Emmett J Scanlan in newly-confirmed cast for Netflix's Ireland-set comedy thriller". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 22 October 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  11. ↑ Calnan, Ellie (14 August 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. ↑ Coleman, Maureen (1 July 2024). "How To Get To Heaven From Belfast: Derry Girls writer's new Netflix show begins filming in NI". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  13. ↑ "New series from Derry Girls creator to begin filming in Belfast". RTE. 19 March 2024. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Antrim coast hotel transformed for new Netflix series from writer of Derry Girls". loveballymena. 1 July 2024. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  15. ↑ de Semlyen, Phil (12 February 2026). "Where was 'How to Get To Heaven From Belfast' filmed? The Irish locations behind the Netflix murder mystery". TimeOut. Archived from the original on 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Derry Girls (TV Series 2018–2022) - Full cast & crew - IMDb. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2026– via www.imdb.com.
  17. ↑ Connellan, Shannon (12 February 2026). "'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' has a perfect 'Derry Girls' Easter egg". Mashable. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  18. ↑ "How To Get To Heaven From Belfast | BBFC". www.bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "How to Get to Heaven From Belfast". Netflix. Retrieved 18 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ↑ "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  21. ↑ "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  22. ↑ Valentine, Jasmine (12 February 2026). "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast review: Derry Girls creator is 2 for 2 as new Netflix show pairs Irish wit with unhinged trauma — and it works". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 19 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  23. ↑ Berman, Judy (13 February 2026). "'Derry Girls' Creator Turns to Crime Drama in Netflix's Intriguing 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast'". TIME. Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
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