Featured Image Credit: RTÉ One
Topics: TV And Film, Tyla Recommends
Kya Buller
I think it's safe to say we've fallen hook, line and sinker for gritty Irish crime dramas of late.
We simply fell in love with Kin, which first aired in 2021 and is available to watch on Netflix.
Starring Aidan Gillen as well as Clare Dunne, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Emmett J. Scanlan and Sam Keeley, Kin tells the story of a fictional crime family in Dublin who found themselves at odds with a formidable drug gang.
The result was truly edge-of-your-seat stuff, and critics and viewers both loved it.
Advert
And who could forget about Love/Hate?
The gritty drama first aired in 2010 but is a lot of people's favourite show of all time and all 28 episodes are still available to watch on ITV.
Much of the cast are now well-known faces, including Happy Valley's Charlie Murphy, Avengers' Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Misfits' Robert Sheehan, Peaky Blinders and Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen, Oscar-nominated Ruth Negga and a much younger Barry Keoghan.
The drama is centred on the life of Darren Treacy (Sheehan) who is attempting to live a much more peaceful life away from crime and drugs. But the death of his brother leads to a life in the mafia and a revenge-mission.
But, if you've already devoured Kin and Love/Hate, all is not lost.
Viewers are urging fans of the above to settle in and enjoy Smother, an Irish thriller set in a small town along the coast of County Clare.
It centres around Val Ahern (Dervla Kirwan, who won awards for her performance) as a mother of three daughters.
Val is committed to protecting her family no matter the cost and when her husband Denis (Stuart Graham) is found dead, Val undertakes an investigation to find out what really happened.
Check out the trailer:
Lucy Mangan reviewed Smother upon its 2021 release for the Guardian and praised the 'addictive' series, writing: "It has a seemingly effortless mastery of a large cast of characters, warm intelligence pervading everything, and promotes the gorgeous general sense of being held for the duration in a very safe pair of hands indeed."
Social media users have also piled on the praise.
One wrote: "An absolutely breathtaking Irish TV-series from the equally breathtaking County Clare in the west of Ireland."
Another said: "Just watched Smother. Brilliant! Gripping and addictive. Loved it."
A third added: "Wow what a brilliant series, worth a watch."
Smother is available to watch for free on UKTV Play.