20 Best TV Shows Of 2019

The Irish Troubles doesn’t seem like the ideal time to set a coming of age comedy, but Derry Girls handles it with ease. The show is a classic sitcom in many ways, riffing off familiar themes of friendship and parents, but adding in new aspects like religion, the Orangemen and the constant threat of bombing.

It’s a show entrenched in Irish culture, though at the same time so much of it is universal. Centred around four Irish schoolgirls and one boy, cousin to one of the girls and sent to the all girls school to avoid being bullied at the boys school. He’s English, you see. Poor lad.

Though the Troubles form a formidable back drop, most of it is simply about growing up around a close knit family who don’t have a lot of money. It’s hilarious and despite the dark era, isn’t afraid to be sweet. It walks an incredibly thin tightrope with ease and deserves huge respect.