Derry Girls mixes coming-of-age with laughs. Set in 1990s Derry, Northern Ireland, it follows five teen girls. They deal with all sorts of teenage drama while navigating a tense political landscape. Witty humor shines through. Characters feel real. It captures growing up in a time and place that is anything but ordinary. You might even find yourself laughing out loud or saying, ‘Oh, that’s so me!’

Meet the characters from Derry Girls

Mary Quinn

Mary is the grounded, sardonic mum who somehow runs on caffeine and grim determination — a domestic legend, honestly. She’s practical to a fault, will plan your funeral and your tea rota in the same breath, but also has this weird soft spot for terribly romantic telegrams (don’t ask why, she won’t admit it). She pretends not to be impressed by melodrama but will low-key judge you for wearing the wrong shade of navy. Also, she collects receipts like they’re little life trophies and will definitely win any argument by citing obscure facts about curtains.

Sister Michael

Sister Michael is the deadpan, no-nonsense teacher you both fear and secretly admire; she’s got the stare that ends rebellious careers. She rules the school with a sarcastic bible-thump and a penchant for dramatic silences, but the cracks show — she’ll let a tiny mercy slip if you’re good at pretending you meant it. She’s terrifyingly competent (and suspiciously into volleyball or something?) and sometimes you get the sense she once had a wild phase involving a leather jacket — maybe I’m making that up, maybe not. Her one-liners are surgical; she could ruin your day with a look and then bake you biscuits out of spite.

Sarah McCool

Sarah is the quietly eccentric artist type who floats around in thrift-store glamour and mutters about her latest avant-garde project, which may or may not involve glitter and jam jars. She’s dreamy and kind of aloof, the sort who speaks in half-sentences and poetry lines that make you feel simultaneously insulted and inspired. She lives in a tent? A shed? Definitely somewhere with lots of plants and possibly a papier-mâché pelican. She’s weirdly protective of her family and will unleash an oddball rant about the emotional meaning of hairpins if you cross her.

Clare Devlin

Clare is the anxious perfectionist who is actually the moral compass of the whole gang, and also low-key hilarious when pushed out of her comfort zone. She plans meticulously (labelled snack drawers, I’m serious), worries about reputations and ethics like it’s a full-time job, and will scold you for being messy with your feelings. But! She can also surprise you with a savage clapback or a spontaneous dare that she’ll regret instantly and then analyse for three weeks. She’s prim but not unkind, and secretly keeps a notebook of embarrassing memories that she refuses to burn.

Erin Quinn

Erin is the dramatic, diary-writing narrator type who believes she’s the center of a historical epoch and will tell you so at length. She’s earnest, painfully idealistic, wants to be a revolutionary poet/journalist and will organize a protest about something very specific (like the school tuck shop chocolate bar policy). She’s lovable and frustrating in equal measure — the kind of person who loudly announces a plan and then immediately needs reassurance. Also she keeps starting creative projects she never finishes and has an inexplicable collection of coloured pens.

Michelle Mallon

Michelle is chaos wrapped in charisma; she roars into a room, insults you affectionately, and then buys you crisps — a national treasure, honestly. She’s fearless, fiercely loyal, and has this brilliant, corrosive humour that will dismantle your ego and make you laugh while it happens. She hates authority (obviously) and yet will occasionally do something shockingly tender, like rescue a stranger’s cat or cry over a soap ad. She says she hates books but can recite plotlines from every action film ever and will quote Shakespeare for dramatic effect just to prove a point.

Orla McCool

Orla is gloriously weird and utterly unbothered by social norms, the aunt who invents jobs and names pets after planets (or was that the other way round?). She drift-works, does odd crafts, and has a voice like honey dipped in confusion; she’s really into mysterious hobbies that change weekly. She’s both childlike and cryptic, offers sage advice that makes no sense until it does, and somehow is both terrified of sirens and once went to a goth club for the vibe. She’s pure heart with a side of inexplicable eccentricity and probably owns seven lucky scarves.

James Maguire

James is the polite, bewildered English lad stuck in a Northern Irish tornado and doing his best not to be flattened by it, and you can’t help but root for him. He’s earnest, a little shy, and has this soft, bewildered smile that says “what did I just walk into?” He’s trying to fit in, sometimes succeeds spectacularly and sometimes ends up baffled in the corner with a packet of crisps. Also he has a surprising stash of embarrassing poetry and an uncanny talent for turning up at exactly the wrong moment — which is basically the perfect entry into Derry chaos.