Bad Sisters (TV series)

Bad Sisters (originally titled Emerald) is an Irish black comedy television series developed by Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, and Brett Baer. Set in Dublin and filmed on location in Ireland, it is based on the Flemish series Clan, which was created by Malin-Sarah Gozin. The first two episodes aired on 19 August 2022. Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season on 8 November 2022.^[1]

Bad Sisters
Genre	Black comedy Thriller
Based on	Clan by Malin-Sarah Gozin
Developed by	Sharon Horgan and Dave Finkel & Brett Baer
Starring	Sharon Horgan Anne-Marie Duff Eva Birthistle Sarah Greene Eve Hewson Claes Bang Brian Gleeson Daryl McCormack Assaad Bouab Saise Quinn
Opening theme	"Who by Fire" by Leonard Cohen, performed by PJ Harvey
Country of origin	Ireland
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Sharon Horgan Dave Finkel Brett Baer Faye Dorn Clelia Mountford Dearbhla Walsh Bert Hamelinck Michael Sagol Malin-Sarah Gozin
Running time	49–58 minutes per episode
Production companies	Caviar Merman ABC Signature
Release
Original network	Apple TV+
Original release	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19) – present (present)

Premise

The five Garvey sisters—Eva, Grace, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka—live in present-day Dublin. After Grace's abusive, controlling husband John Paul dies unexpectedly, the sisters find themselves at the centre of a life insurance investigation. The series flips between timelines—one before John Paul's death, in which Grace's sisters plot to murder their brother-in-law, and another after his death, in which a determined insurance agent tries to prove the sisters' malicious involvement to save his struggling business.

Cast

Main

• Sharon Horgan as Eva Garvey, the eldest sister of the Garvey family. Protective of her younger sisters, having taken care of them after their parents' death, she is single, with her infertility having affected her past relationships. She comes into conflict with John Paul over his treatment of her sister Grace and niece Blánaid. Eva and John Paul are co-workers at an architectural firm, and further conflict arises when both apply for the same promotion
• Anne-Marie Duff as Grace Williams, the second eldest sister of the Garvey family. John Paul's wife and Blánaid's mother, she is controlled and routinely belittled by her husband, from whom she has minimal independence. Her relationship with her sisters becomes distant due to her continual need to defend her husband's poor behavior
• Eva Birthistle as Ursula Flynn, the middle sister of the Garvey family. Wife to Donal and mother of three children, one of whom has Down syndrome, she works as a nurse and is having an extramarital affair with her photography instructor Ben. She comes into conflict with John Paul after he discovers her affair, threatens to inform her husband, and tricks her into sending him a nude photo
• Sarah Greene as Bibi Garvey, second youngest sister of the Garvey family. A lesbian, she is married to Nora and mother to an adopted son. She lost her right eye in a car crash caused by John Paul. She is the impetus for the sisters' decision to murder John Paul
• Eve Hewson as Becka Garvey, youngest sister of the Garvey family. A massage therapist with aspirations to open her own studio, she comes into conflict with John Paul after he reneges on his agreement to invest in her business. Becka begins a relationship with Matthew Claffin, not realizing that he and his half-brother are investigating John Paul's death
• Brian Gleeson as Thomas ("Tom") Claffin, insurance agent at Claffin & Sons, which holds John Paul's life insurance policy. Thomas has recently taken over the family business, which his father mismanaged before committing suicide. Knowing that the settling the claim will bankrupt the business, he is determined to avoid a payout by proving the Garvey sisters guilty of foul play
• Daryl McCormack as Matthew ("Matt") Claffin, half-brother of Thomas. Formerly a bassist in a London band, Matthew comes to work at Claffin & Sons after his father's death. He begins a relationship with Becka, not realizing she is a suspect in his insurance investigation
• Assaad Bouab as Gabriel, Eva and John Paul's co-worker. He develops a friendship with Eva, which she mistakes as romantic interest. He reveals to her that he is gay, although not out at work
• Claes Bang as John Paul ("JP") Williams, Grace's husband, Blánaid's father, and a co-worker of Eva. A controlling and abusive man, he exerts complete control over his wife and daughter's lives and comes into conflict with the rest of the Garvey sisters. He is recently deceased at the beginning of the series, but the circumstances of his death are uncertain

Recurring

• Yasmine Akram as Nora Garvey, Bibi's wife
• Peter Coonan as Ben, an artist and photography instructor who is having an affair with Ursula
• Lloyd Hutchinson as Gerald Fisher, Eva and John Paul's boss
• Seána Kerslake as Theresa Claffin, Thomas's pregnant wife
• Nina Norén as Minna Williams, John Paul's mother who suffers from dementia
• Jonjo O'Neill as Donal Flynn, Ursula's husband who works as a paramedic
• Saise Quinn as Blánaid Williams, Grace and John Paul's 12-year-old daughter
• Michael Smiley as Roger Muldoon, Grace and John Paul's neighbor who leads a local youth church group
• Barry Ward as Fergal Loftus, a Garda inspector

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Teleplay by	Original release date
1	"The Prick"	Dearbhla Walsh	Sharon Horgan and Dave Finkel & Brett Baer	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
Before John Paul's death, the Garvey sisters hold a holiday party at Eva's house, where John Paul insults and angers almost everyone. The next day, he refuses to let Grace meet her sisters at the Forty Foot for the Garvey family's annual Christmas morning swim. The other sisters lament how much Grace has changed due to "the prick" John Paul. When Ursula says John Paul will die eventually of natural causes, Bibi says they could "give nature a helping hand." The sisters jokingly suggest ways to kill their brother-in-law. In the present, the sisters gather for John Paul's funeral. Running late, Becka steps in front of a motorcyclist, Matt, causing him to swerve and crash. Matt and his half-brother Tom, insurance agents for John Paul's life insurance policy, attend the funeral and talk to Grace and her sisters. Matt later meets Becka again at a bar, not realizing she is Grace's sister, and she gives him her number. Tom explains to Matt that the family business will go bankrupt if they have to pay out on John Paul's substantial life insurance policy. The Claffin brothers must prove foul play in order to avoid a payout.
2	"Explode a Man"	Dearbhla Walsh	Dave Finkel & Brett Baer	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
In flashback, Ursula has sex with her photography instructor Ben. Walking through Dublin afterwards, Ursula and Ben meet John Paul, who regards them with suspicion. Eva takes Blánaid shopping in advance of her confirmation ceremony. John Paul later notices a bra in Blánaid's bedroom and confronts Grace about buying inappropriate lingerie for a child. Blánaid reveals she asked her aunt Eva to buy her a bra because she couldn't ask her parents. At the confirmation after-party, John Paul accuses Eva of sexualising and grooming Blánaid, while Grace accuses Eva of stealing her moment by buying her daughter's first bra. John Paul mocks Eva's infertility and calls her a "frigid bitch." Eva and Bibi then plot to blow up John Paul while he is staying at his remote cabin in Wicklow after a hiking trip. Eva buys concert tickets for Grace and Blánaid to see Lizzo on the same night. When they believe John Paul to be asleep, Eva and Bibi sneak into the cabin, turn on the gas, and light a candle. The cabin soon explodes and they hear John Paul screaming. Unable to sleep due to his painfully blistered feet, he went outside to call Grace and was unharmed. In the present time, Matt and Tom interview Eva and suspect that she is hiding something.
3	"Chopped Liver"	Dearbhla Walsh	Sharon Horgan	August 26, 2022 (2022-08-26)
In the present, Matt and Tom interview Ursula. In flashback scenes, John Paul spies on Ursula as she emerges from a hotel with Ben and kisses him. John Paul confronts her, threatening to tell her husband Donal unless she ends the affair. When Ursula tells Eva and Bibi, they reveal their murder plot, but Ursula declines to become involved. At the family's Easter gathering, John Paul furtively checks Ursula's phone and finds a sexting exchange with Ben. After changing Ben's number in her phone to his own, he tricks Ursula into sending him a nude photo. He forwards the image and her sexting messages to Donal. Ursula races to the hospital where she and Donal work, retrieves his phone from his locker, and deletes the messages before Donal can read them. After this incident, Ursula commits to Eva and Bibi's plan and acquires poison to make John Paul's death look like cardiac arrest. Eva switches poisoned liver with the liver in Grace's fridge, knowing Grace and Blánaid will be unharmed because only John Paul eats it. However, Grace drops the liver on the floor while preparing dinner and feeds it to their dog. The next morning, Grace tearfully calls Eva to tell her the dog has died. In the present, Becka and Matt go on a date and kiss.
4	"Baby Becka"	Josephine Bornebusch	Karen Cogan	September 2, 2022 (2022-09-02)
Becka pitches her massage therapy business plan to John Paul and is delighted when he agrees to help her. Resenting their neighbor Roger's frequent visits, John Paul joins an online forum for Roger's church group, posing as a 10-year-old boy. Blánaid criticizes Grace for having no job or pursuits outside the home, unlike her friends' mothers. Minna shows Becka an old photo album containing pictures of John Paul dressed in his sister's clothes; Becka learns that John Paul used to drown frogs in milk. After Becka puts a non-refundable deposit for a studio rental on her credit card, John Paul sends Grace to tell Becka that he never intended to help her financially. Upset by John Paul's betrayal, Becka talks to Ursula, who tells Becka about her affair and how John Paul tricked her into sending him a nude photo. After John Paul and Grace lose a pub quiz to Eva and Bibi, John Paul publicly castigates Grace. Becka confronts John Paul about the loan in the pub toilets. After the other sisters learn that John Paul has a nude photo of Ursula, Eva confronts him and breaks his phone. Eva reluctantly agrees that Becka can become involved in the plot to kill John Paul. In the present, Matt and Tom go to meet with the youngest Garvey sister to inquire about John Paul's death; Becka and Matt are both surprised to see each other.
5	"Eye for an Eye"	Josephine Bornebusch	Ailbhe Keogan	September 9, 2022 (2022-09-09)
The Garvey sisters are invited to go paintballing for John Paul's birthday. Flashing further back, John Paul drives recklessly to terrify Bibi, knowing her parents died in a car accident. John Paul crashes the car, costing Bibi her right eye and leaving him with a hole in the back of his skull. Bibi, a decorated archer, plots to kill John Paul by shooting frozen paintballs through the soft spot in the back of his head. While she is aiming, Becka pushes her. Bibi misses John Paul and blinds another man in one eye. She is devastated to have inflicted the same injury on someone else. Eva goes on dates with her coworker Gabriel. They go back to Gabriel's houseboat and kiss, but when Eva moves to undress, Gabriel confesses he is gay. In the present, Matt and Tom interview Bibi, whose wife Nora reveals they both hated John Paul. Tom's wife tells Matt how to access a locked drawer at the Claffin & Sons office, where he discovers his father's suicide note. Having believed his father died of an accidental overdose, Matt angrily punches Tom for concealing this information and the brothers argue. Tom reveals that their father used his clients' insurance premiums to fund his lifestyle, without filing their policies. John Paul's policy, with a death benefit of €875,000, has never been filed.
6	"Splash"	Josephine Bornebusch	Daniel Cullen	September 16, 2022 (2022-09-16)
John Paul returns home to see Grace dancing in their garden with their single neighbor, Roger. John Paul makes an anonymous complaint that Roger is a pedophile, which leads to Gardai arresting and questioning Roger and seizing his computer. The Garvey sisters come up with a new plan to drug John Paul and have him drown in his bathtub. They sneak into his house and drug his nasal spray; he returns early, which forces them to hide. After he takes the nasal spray, he passes out on his bed. The sisters prepare to move him into the bathtub, when he awakes suddenly. In a drugged state, he urinates in his closet, then gets into his car and drives to the marina. The sisters watch as he gets onto his boat, but falls overboard.
7	"Rest in Peace"	Rebecca Gatward	Perrie Balthazar	September 23, 2022 (2022-09-23)
The sisters watch as Gabriel, from his nearby houseboat, dives into the water and rescues John Paul, who later awakens in a hospital under suspicion of trying to commit suicide. He insists that someone is trying to kill him. John Paul returns to work, where he and Eva interview for the same promotion. John Paul tells Gerald about Eva's previous mental health struggles and alcoholism in an attempt to convince him not to give her the promotion. Becka gives a massage to Minna, John Paul's mother, when she mentions the freezer in their basement that John Paul always goes to. After Minna falls asleep, Becka investigates the walk-in freezer, where she finds the frozen corpse of George, John Paul's father, hidden beneath taxidermy specimens. In the present, Thomas convinces Inspector Loftus to approve the exhumation of John Paul's corpse. He tells Matt to stay away from Becka. Matt ignores Becka's calls and stands her up on their date plans.
8	"The Cold Truth"	Rebecca Gatward	Paul Howard	September 30, 2022 (2022-09-30)
In a flashback, John Paul visits his father George, who is working in his basement taxidermy studio. John Paul asks for a loan of several thousand euros to meet expenses, but his father refuses. George then begins choking on a glass taxidermy eyeball. John Paul considers performing the Heimlich maneuver, but instead lets George die and hides the body in the walk-in freezer. Becka decides to kill John Paul by locking him in the same freezer. At work, John Paul gets the promotion over Eva, which causes Gabriel to confront John Paul. John Paul, who had observed Gabriel on a date with another man, tells Gabriel that Eva had revealed that he is gay. Upset, Gabriel leaves work and tells Eva he does not wish to speak to her. Becka hides in a closet, and when she sees someone go in the freezer, she locks the door. In the present, Inspector Loftus and a Garda team exhume John Paul's body. Matt visits Becka, who tells him she sat home the previous night waiting for him. They then share that they have real feelings for each other and initiate sex, but Matt cannot achieve an erection. When he goes to the kitchen for a glass of water, Becka checks his phone and sees a text from Thomas saying that John Paul's body has been dug up. Becka rushes to the cemetery, where she sees the Garda team around John Paul's grave. She alerts Eva, Ursula, and Bibi, who panic and worry about going to prison. Eva finds out that Becka has been sleeping with Matt Claffin and quarrels with Becka and her other sisters.
9	"Going Rogue"	Rebecca Gatward	Sharon Horgan & Ailbhe Keogan	October 7, 2022 (2022-10-07)
John Paul arrives at a gathering at Eva's house, and Becka realizes that she did not lock him in the freezer. She races to Minna's house, only to find that Minna was frozen to death in the freezer. Becka escapes and watches John Paul discover his mother's body; he moves it to her bed and calls the police to say that she had died in her sleep. He hides his father's body in the pond behind their house. Becka is distraught, and believes that she killed Minna. John Paul and Grace go up to their newly-rebuilt cabin and invite the rest of the Garvey sisters to meet up with them the following day. The sisters all go their separate ways, and wake up with suspicious circumstances. They go to the cabin, where they find a crying Grace saying that John Paul is dead.
10	"Saving Grace"	Rebecca Gatward	Sharon Horgan	October 14, 2022 (2022-10-14)
John Paul and Grace have a night in. While there, Roger arrives and confronts John Paul, saying that he knows it was him who framed him for pedophilia. Roger says he forgives John Paul and walks away; Grace sees him through the window. Grace and John Paul have dinner and she attempts to have sex with him; when he refuses, he blames his erectile dysfunction on when Eva seduced him. He reveals that he raped Eva but attempted to blame her. Grace grabs his pyjamas and strangles him. She goes downstairs and begins knitting; she watches a movie where a character is killed by their scarf becoming entangled in the axle of their car. She and Roger dress John Paul, put him on an all-terrain-vehicle, and wrap a scarf around his neck and the axle, making it look like that was his cause of death. She admits this to her sisters. Matt, investigating the death, finds the movie and the yarn, and realizes how John Paul's death was staged. Becka attempts to commit suicide over guilt in Minna's death, but her sisters stop her. They discuss how Grace killed John Paul, only for Matt to overhear their conversation. He burns the evidence, and they agree to not make a claim on their life insurance policy. Grace and Blánaid move in with Eva.

Production

Development

In September 2021, it was officially announced Sharon Horgan would co-write, produce and star in what was then titled Emerald for Apple TV+ as developed by her production company Merman. Malin-Sarah Gozin, the creator of the series' inspiration Clan, joined the project as an executive producer alongside Bert Hamelinck and Michael Sagol for the Belgian Caviar Films. Other producers were Faye Dorn and Clelia Mountford for Merman as well as Brett Baer and Dave Finkel.^[2] The series was created as part of Horgan's Apple TV+ deal.^[3]

Casting

The cast was initially believed to include Assaad Bouab, Eve Hewson, and Brendan Gleeson in early reports.^[4] The cast was later confirmed in March 2022, with Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, and Sarah Greene, and Hewson set to star alongside Horgan. Claes Bang, Brian Gleeson, Daryl McCormack, Bouab, and Saise Quinn complete the ensemble.^[5]

Filming

Principal photography took place in 2021. Cast and crew were reported filming in and around Dublin at locations such as Sandycove, the Forty Foot, Howth, and Malahide in August.^[6] They would also film in Belfast.^[7]

Title sequence

The title sequence depicts a physical Rube Goldberg style machine made from dangerous objects and props from the show that foreshadow narrative elements in the main storyline.^[8] The sequence was mostly hand-made,^[8] designed and made by Peter Anderson Studio.^[9][10] The theme music is a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Who by Fire" performed by PJ Harvey.^[11]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 52 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Dark secrets are a family affair in Bad Sisters, a riotously funny murder mystery that makes fine use of its gifted ensemble while exemplifying creator and star Sharon Horgan's penchant for salty warmth."^[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".^[13] IndieWire graded it B and says:

Aside from a few minor red herrings, “Bad Sisters” sets a trajectory and sticks to it for much of the run. As a dramedy of errors, “Bad Sisters” doesn’t always feel like the freshest or most elegant execution. But as a family showcase, the engine is there to power this show through an ordeal of any length.^[14]

The Hollywood Reporter called it "Fun but Empty" and said:

...it’s a bit of an oddity — easy to breeze through but a little too mordant to be sincere, a little too heavy to be hilarious, a little too sour to be purely fun.^[15]

The Atlantic called it "a semi-comic murder caper" and said:

The setup of Bad Sisters is deliberately absurd, a throwback to sillier shows such as Desperate Housewives and Why Women Kill. The ease with which the Garvey sisters decide to kill John Paul, and their resoluteness when their attempts repeatedly and catastrophically fail, are pure fantasy.^[16]

Variety (magazine) said:

Bad Sisters is less about the mystery than its cutting, empathetic take on all the relationships that tangled into such an overwhelming knot along the way.^[17]

Accolades

The series received two nominations at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, namely Best Drama Series and Best Actress in a Drama Series for Horgan.^[18]

References

1. Porter, Rick (8 November 2022). "'Bad Sisters' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
2. Otterson, Joe (21 September 2021). "Sharon Horgan to Star in, Co-Write, and Produce Apple Dark Comedy Series". Variety. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
3. Clarke, Stewart (19 December 2019). "'Catastrophe' Creator Sharon Horgan Cuts Exclusive First-Look Deal With Apple". Variety. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
4. Richardson, Jay (21 September 2021). "Sharon Horgan writes and stars in Apple TV+ series Emerald". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
5. Andreeva, Nellie (24 March 2022). "Sharon Horgan's Dark Comedy Series For Apple TV+ Reveals Title, Cast & First-Look Image". Deadline. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
6. "Reeling in the years with Emerald Isle ProductionsTM". Independent.ie. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
7. Falvey, Deirdre (11 August 2021). "Is that Sharon Horgan in the Forty Foot? 'Swim to her!'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
8. Frazbelina (14 October 2022). "Bad Sisters Ending Explained". IGN Southeast Asia. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
9. "Bad Sisters Title Seqeunce". Peter Anderson Studio. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
10. Gilbert, Matthew (22 September 2022). "As title sequences go, 'Bad Sisters' is in good company". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
11. Ryan, Gary (1 July 2022). "Sharon Horgan on working with PJ Harvey for new 'Bad Sisters' theme". NME. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
12. "Bad Sisters: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
13. "Bad Sisters: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
14. Greene, Steve (19 August 2022). "'Bad Sisters' Review: Sharon Horgan's Murder Mystery Is a Sharp Family Story Spread a Little Thin". IndieWire. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
15. Han, Angie (16 August 2022). "'Bad Sisters' Review: Sharon Horgan's Apple TV+ Series Is Fun but Empty". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
16. Gilbert, Sophie (1 September 2022). "The Wrath of a Woman Without Any Options". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
17. Framke, Caroline (19 August 2022). "With 'Bad Sisters,' Sharon Horgan Smartly Combines 'Big Little Lies' With Irish Wit: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
18. "Television Nominations Announced for the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards". Critics Choice Awards. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.

External links

• Bad Sisters at IMDb