Derry Girls

Bibliographic Information:  

• Title: Derry Girls 
• Director: Lisa McGee 
• Publisher: Netflix   
• Copyright Date: 2018  

Genre: Teen, Family, Comedy  

Awards or Honors:  

Watch Level: TV: MA  

Plot Summary: Derry Girls follows the complicated life of Erin Quinn, a 16-year-old girl, and her friends and family living in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 1990s. Erin deals with crushes on boys, living with an argumentative family, and living close to the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. While on the bus to school on the first day, Erin and her friends attempt to bully a younger student to get better seats. They are called to the principal’s office at school and get detention. While in detention, the nun watching them dies, and the principal walks in on them as they are trying to leave in a compromising situation. Their parents are called to the school, and the episode ends with the girls in lots of trouble.    

Author Background: Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee is a Northern Irish born in Derry. She is married to English actor Tobias Beer, who she met in 2013 and married in 2015. She has two children and has spoken in the past about how hard it is to balance the line between work and having a life outside of writing and creating shows (Cox, 2020). Derry Girls has catapulted her and the show’s actors into fame throughout Ireland and has changed her life.   

Her first job was as a playwright at the National Theatre in London. She later worked for the BBC’s Being Human and Channel 4’s Indian Summers. Her most recent production is The Deceived, which is a darker show about a Cambridge Professor dealing with ghosts and a haunted house. One of her main skills is observing people and writing accurate and detailed dialog people will understand and appreciate (Cox, 2020).   

Critical Evaluation: Derry Girls give viewers a look at life for teenage girls in Derry, Northern Ireland. While the girls end up in lots of serious situations, the element of comedy and ridiculousness of their situations drive the show and make it enjoyable. The plot of the show could have been a serious drama involving The Troubles, bullying, and sex, but the show uses comedy to address serious issues while keeping people entertained. Each episode is only 25 minutes and feels like an act in a play. Each episode addresses a different issue or problem in the overall series. The dialog is sharp and quick-witted, with lots of sarcasm, insults, and one-liners between characters. Most of the actors are Irish or Northern Irish and are not well known in America. One of the bigger names in the series is Ian McElhinney, who was in Game of Thrones. Many of the actors are at the beginning of their careers or in their first few roles. The scenes are filmed in Derry and Belfast, and the show gives the viewer the feel of being in Northern Ireland.   

Creative Use Library Program: This show could be an introduction to learning about Irish history and The Troubles of the 1990s. The backstory and plot deal with living and being normal under political upheavals and social disharmony. Learning about Irish history and then watching the show could help create an educational component and understand some of the show’s more serious aspects. It’s also a fun movie night program if you just wanted to focus on just watching the show.   

Book Talk: Erin Quinn is a 16-year-old girl living in Derry, or Londonderry, Northern Ireland, depending on what side you are on. She deals with wild friends, a house filled with her annoying family, going to an all-girls Catholic school, and growing up during The Troubles. It doesn’t help she and her friends are blamed for a nun’s heart attack and nearly always end up in compromising situations trying to salvage their day. Despite it all, she uses her wits, dark sense of humor, and luck to make it through the day.   

Potential Challenge Issues: There would likely be some challenge issues as it is rated MA and they talk about sex, abortion and there are some fights. This show would be for older teens who might be dealing with some of these issues. I would encourage people to focus on the fact it’s a comedy and makes light of serious situations. The show is from a teen perspective. I would encourage people concerned about the show to watch it and recognize the humor.   

Reason for Inclusion: I included this show because it is a comedy that provides a humorous aspect of life for a teenage girl. It is for teenagers and provides examples of what life was like for teens in Ireland a generation ago. The show is also popular and became a hit in America even though it was made for Ireland. I thought teenagers would like it and enjoy the funny skits and situations the main characters get into. I think teenagers would find it funny and relatable.   

Cox, E. (2020, August 1). Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee on creating the Irish Spice Girls and working with Paul Mescal in The Deceived. RadioTimes. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-08-01/derry-girls-lisa-mcgee-writer-big-rt-interview/

Derry Girls. (2020). IMBb. Retrieved Nov. 15, 2020, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7120662/