Get Lucky: The 7 Best Irish Shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video To Watch on St. Patrick’s Day

Get lucky through St. Patrick’s Day and beyond with some of the best shows featuring Irish talent both in front of and behind the camera.

From Liam Neeson and Saoirse Ronan to James Joyce and Sally Rooney, Ireland truly boasts some of the world’s best actors, writers, and creators. But while films, plays, and novels may not feel accessible to everyone, TV is truly a medium for the masses, and Irish television in particular has a lot to love.

Whether you’re a fan of comedy, drama, romance, or something in between, Irish shows definitely offer something for everyone, and our list of the standouts are sure to get you in the St. Paddy’s Day spirit. So without further ado, here are seven Irish-led shows that stand out as some of the top titles streaming now.

1. Derry Girls

   One of the biggest breakout comedy series of the last few year is Derry Girls, which follows the friend group consisting of Catholic secondary school students Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla McCool (Louisa Harland), Clare Devlin (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle Mallon (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), and Michelle’s English cousin and honorary Derry Girl, James Maguire (Dylan Llewellyn), as they all come of age in Derry, Northern Ireland in the 1990s. Set to the backdrop of the final years of the Troubles, the Derry Girls have no shortage of embarrassing encounters, hilarious situations, and heartfelt moments that make this a must-watch title for all.

   Where to watch Derry Girls

3. Bad Sisters

   Bad Sisters is an Emmy-nominated Irish black comedy series that revolves around the five Garvey sisters, Eva (Sharon Horgan), Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson), who grew up extremely close to one another after losing their parents at a young age. Now well into adulthood, the siblings continue to uphold their promises to protect one another, even if they must go to great, and even deadly, lengths to do so. So when Grace’s abusive husband, John Paul (Claes Bang), dies unexpectedly, it’s no surprise that the Garvey sisters find themselves at the center of a life insurance investigation. The real question is what really happened, and why.

   where to watch Bad Sisters

4. This Way Up

   Though the series takes place in London, This Way Up is, at its core, Irish, since it stars and is written by Irish comedian and actress, Aisling Bea. The comedy-drama follows a single Irish woman named Áine (Bea) who resides in London working as an ESL teacher, whilst recovering from a nervous breakdown. Though Áine runs into her fair share of work and life troubles, she’s supported through it all by her protective older sister, Shona (Sharon Horgan), who seems to have it all together on the surface, while actually going through her own potentially life-altering dilemmas and events. This Way Up is a charming family dramedy bolstered by its central Irish dynamic duo in Bea and Horgan.

   where to watch This Way Up

5. Normal People

   Based on the award-winning Irish author Sally Rooney’s hit 2018 novel of the same name, Normal People is an Emmy-nominated 2020 romantic-drama miniseries that follows Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal), from their days as secondary school students in County Sligo to university students at Trinity College Dublin. Despite their different social and economic statuses, the two forge an unlikely yet strong connection with one another that turns into a complex relationship spanning several years and formative periods of their young adulthood.

   where to watch Normal People

6. Extraordinary

   Created by Northern Irish screenwriter and comedian Emma Moran, Extraordinary is an exceptionally charming superhero comedy series that takes in a version of our word where nearly everyone is born with a superpower that manifests at age 18. Irishwoman Jen (Máiréad Tyers), however, is 25-years-old and still has not developed any powers, leaving her desperate to find one as she struggles to come to terms with her current reality. Sharing a flat in London with her longtime best friend, Carrie (Sofia Oxenham), Carrie’s boyfriend, Kash (Bilal Hasna), and a shapeshifter dubbed Jizzlord (Luke Rollason), Jen gets into all sorts of misadventures on the road to figuring out what makes her, well, extraordinary.

   where to watch Extraordinary

7. Catastrophe

   While it is technically a British show, Catastrophe is ultimately quite multicultural, thanks to its creators and stars the Irish Sharon Horgan and American Rob Delaney at the very top, while also featuring talent from Australia, France, and more. Sharon Morris (Horgan) is an Irish woman working as a primary school teacher in London when she meets visiting American advertising executive Rob Norris (Delaney) at a pub. The two engage in a several day-long fling before Rob returns home to Boston, only for him to decide to move to London permanently upon discovering that Sharon is unexpectedly pregnant with his child. What ensues is a lovable sitcom that highlights the unpredictable messiness of reality that can still lead to something spectacular if given the opportunity, time, and effort to foster it.

   where to watch Catastrophe

8. LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland

   Now this is a show that’s as Irish as it gets, even down to specific references that viewers from other countries may not understand but can still surely enjoy. Hosted by the incredible Graham Norton, LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland takes 10 of Ireland’s best comedic talent and puts them in one room together for six hours with the only rule is that they can’t laugh or smile. Each star will pull out all the stops to make their fellow participants laugh until there is only one person left standing to win a €50,000 donation to the charity of their choice in addition to the title of “Last One Laughing.”

   Where to watch LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland