--- title: "Bad Sisters" year: 2022 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/bad-sisters" fi1m_score: 78 critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-09-17T04:18:37.561926+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T04:19:05.571693+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bad Sisters (2022) Created by Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, Brett Baer · MPA TV-MA · Drama, Crime **Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 77 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* Five sisters, one dead brother-in-law, and an insurance firm too broke to let him stay dead > Sharon Horgan’s black comedy about five sisters, one dead husband and the insurers who cannot afford an accident is sharp, warm and, in Claes Bang’s JP, properly frightening. It is also ten episodes for a story that wanted eight. ## Synopsis Grace Reilly (Anne-Marie Duff) is burying her husband, John Paul ‘JP’ Williams (Claes Bang), on the coast outside Dublin, and her four sisters stand at the grave trying to look sorry. Eva Garvey (Sharon Horgan), Ursula Flynn (Eva Birthistle), Bibi Garvey (Sarah Greene) and Becka Garvey (Eve Hewson) have watched JP run their sister’s house and her life for years, and in the months before the funeral they decided he had to go. In the weeks after it, two brothers from a failing insurance firm, Thomas Claffin (Brian Gleeson) and Matt Claffin (Daryl McCormack), cannot afford the payout and start asking how a healthy man died. ## Review John Paul ‘JP’ Williams (Claes Bang) is dead, and his wife Grace Reilly (Anne-Marie Duff) is burying him on the coast outside Dublin while her four sisters stand at the grave and fail to look sorry. Eva Garvey (Sharon Horgan), Ursula Flynn (Eva Birthistle), Bibi Garvey (Sarah Greene) and Becka Garvey (Eve Hewson) have wanted him gone for years, and the series runs on two tracks: the months in which they tried to arrange it, and the weeks afterwards in which two brothers from a failing insurance firm, Thomas Claffin (Brian Gleeson) and Matt Claffin (Daryl McCormack), go looking for a reason not to pay. Horgan made it with Dave Finkel and Brett Baer, from the Flemish series *Clan*, and the ten episodes began on 19 August 2022. It is funny, well acted and properly frightening, and about two episodes longer than it needs to be. The frightening part is Bang. JP calls his wife “Mammy” in front of company, decides what she wears and where the money goes, and keeps a small, patient cruelty in reserve for each of her sisters. He does not shout. He explains, kindly, why they are wrong, and then makes sure of it. We were frightened of him inside two scenes, and it was not a threat that did it but the way Duff’s Grace laughs a beat after he does, having checked his face first. Some critics found him a cartoon. We think a man who is never once wrong in his own house is exactly what this monster looks like from inside, and Bang never winks. The sisters are the reason to watch. Horgan gives Eva the tiredness of the one who has always been in charge. Birthistle’s Ursula has a husband, Donal Flynn (Jonjo O’Neill), who deserves better. Greene’s Bibi wants JP dead and says so. Hewson’s Becka is a mess in a way the writing allows to be charming. They swim together off the rocks in the cold, they talk over each other, and the scripts, by Horgan and eight other writers, trust that four women arguing in a kitchen is worth as much as a plot turn. It usually is. When they are together we laughed more than at most comedies that were only trying to be comedies. Seven cinematographers and eight editors worked across the ten episodes, and we could not tell you where one handed over to the next. The coast is shot in grey and green with the sea nearly always in the corner of the frame, and Candida Otton and Mark Geraghty’s design draws the line the story needs: the Garvey family house is old, cluttered and warm, JP’s is glass, stone and hard light. Camille Benda keeps Grace in pale, careful clothes that look chosen for her. Over the titles PJ Harvey sings Leonard Cohen’s ‘Who By Fire’ while a house of ordinary objects turns itself into a set of traps, and it sets the tone better than any scene. Harvey and Tim Phillips’s score under the episodes is sparer. What does not work is the second track. Gleeson and McCormack are good company, and Matt’s romance with Becka is played sweetly by two actors who know it is a bad idea, but the insurance plot exists to give the flashbacks a reason and keeps having to be reminded of it. Thomas’s wife Theresa Claffin (Seána Kerslake) is pregnant and the firm is broke, and we are told so more often than is useful. The sisters’ attempts on JP settle into a rhythm of plan, botch and regroup that the writers vary less than they think, and by the eighth hour we were counting how many remained. Ten episodes is a long time to keep one man alive on purpose. This is broader and more plotted than [*Catastrophe*](https://film.one/tv/catastrophe-2015), and it is Horgan’s most generous ensemble: Michael Smiley, as JP’s neighbour Roger Muldoon, gets a strand about a lonely, decent man we did not expect and would not lose. Most critics rate it about where we do. The few who found the thriller thin have a point. It is not the part we came for. It is a 15 certificate, for the language and for what JP does. Watch two episodes at a time, with someone who has a sister. It ends where it should. *Fi1m score 78, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Bad Sisters a good deal, and several call it among Sharon Horgan’s best work. The praise gathers around the writing, which most find sharp and well paced, and around the five sisters, whose chemistry and believable family dynamics are the thing nearly every review singles out. Critics enjoy the way it runs a murder mystery and a farce side by side, and most find the mixture of pain and comedy handled with heart rather than cruelty. The reservations are about the thriller half. A few reviews find the crime plot thinner than the family material, leaning on coincidence or on familiar genre habits. The Telegraph goes furthest, arguing that the generic crime drama dilutes Horgan’s comedy, and The Hollywood Reporter finds it easy to watch but too empty to satisfy. The Times thinks the villain overly cartoonish. The spread is wide, from mixed to warm, with no one dismissing it outright. ### Reviews we read (12) - **Empire**, Olly Richards (90/100, inferred): The review calls it one of Horgan’s best, noting how it balances a clever murder-mystery with hilarious farcical comedy through tight writing, exceptional acting, and sympathetic chaotic characters. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/bad-sisters/) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The series is a wonderfully cathartic, perfectly paced and hugely witty revenge fantasy about five sisters plotting against a monstrous husband. Its brilliant cast and sharp direction make it a fine addition to women-led stories on TV. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/aug/19/bad-sisters-review-sharon-horgan-pitch-black-comedy-is-murderously-good) - **The i Paper**, Emily Baker (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the series as one of Sharon Horgan’s best, highlighting its engaging thriller plot with laughs and an unpredictable storyline centered on the close-knit Garvey sisters plotting against an abusive brother-in-law. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/bad-sisters-apple-tv-review-sharon-horgan-1803441) - **The AV Club**, Lauren Chval (B+): The series delivers good dark fun with sharp writing and strong performances that bring the five sisters to life. It mixes murder-mystery tension with fierce familial love and wit, though some coincidences and pacing quibbles arise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/bad-sisters-show-review-apple-tv-plus-sharon-horgan-1849393244) - **Radio Times** (4/5): The critic finds it the most fun dark comedy of the year, commending Horgan’s skill at blending awkward and painful elements with humor and heart in this adaptation about five sisters dealing with an odious brother-in-law. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/bad-sisters-review/) - **IndieWire**, Steve Greene (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the Apple TV+ dramedy a sharp family story about sisters covering up lies but notes that it spreads a little thin in places. The strong cast and Irish setting help carry the murder-mystery premise centered on abusive brother-in-law JP. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/bad-sisters-review-apple-tv-show-sharon-horgan-claes-bang-1234753748/) - **The Times**, Liam Fay (70/100, inferred): Sharon Horgan’s gleefully gothic thriller is an amusingly black-hearted revenge fantasy with well-realised sister dynamics, though the villain is overly cartoonish. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/bad-sisters-review-here-be-comic-book-monsters-8t37slf2b) - **Variety**, Caroline Framke (Critic's Pick): The review highlights how the series smartly combines Big Little Lies-style drama with Irish wit, praising the finely honed humor, ensemble chemistry, and empathetic take on family relationships amid the abuse and mystery. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/bad-sisters-review-apple-1235344640/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Angie Han (60/100, inferred): The critic describes it as entertaining enough to binge but too empty to truly satisfy, noting the shallow thriller elements despite the fun setup around the sisters and the suspicious death. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/bad-sisters-sharon-horgan-apple-1235196409/) - **The Telegraph**, Marianka Swain (50/100, inferred): The series has strong family dynamics and a compelling villain but relies too much on generic crime drama tropes, diluting the Sharon Horgan-style comedy. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/bad-sisters-apple-tv-review-great-villain-gone-sharon-horgan/) - **Paste**, Allison Keene (9.1/10): The critic praises the series as a murderous delight that manages the murder-comedy genre with aplomb. They single out the excellent writing and portrayal of the women with humor and heart, along with the cast's chemistry. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/bad-sisters/bad-sisters-review) - **NME**, Gary Ryan (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the series must-see comedy and gold standard telly from Sharon Horgan. They single out the well-observed family dynamics and naturalistic relationships among the sisters. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/bad-sisters-review-sharon-horgan-apple-tv-3287159) ## Details - **Created by:** Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, Brett Baer - **Creator:** Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, Brett Baer - **Director:** Dearbhla Walsh, Rebecca Gatward, Stacey Gregg, James Griffiths, Josephine Bornebusch - **Teleplay:** Sharon Horgan, Ailbhe Keogan, Brett Baer, Perrie Balthazar, Dave Finkel, Karen Cogan, Paul Howard, Malcolm Campbell, Daniel Cullen - **Cinematography:** David Pimm, Tim Palmer, G. Magni Ágústsson, Maja Zamojda, Evelin van Rei, Tony Slater Ling, Nicole Hirsch Whitaker - **Editor:** Isobel Stephenson, Derek Holland, Catherine Creed, Matthew Gray, Fin Oates, Mike Holliday, Anne Sopel, Robert Kirkwood - **Music:** PJ Harvey, Tim Phillips - **Production design:** Mark Geraghty, Candida Otton - **Costume design:** Camille Benda - **Producer:** Johann Knobel, Catherine Magee - **Cast:** Sharon Horgan as Eva Garvey; Eva Birthistle as Ursula Flynn; Sarah Greene as Bibi Garvey; Eve Hewson as Becka Garvey; Brian Gleeson as Thomas Claffin; Daryl McCormack as Matt Claffin; Claes Bang as John Paul 'JP' Williams; Jonjo O'Neill as Donal Flynn - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 19 August 2022 - **Genres:** Drama, Crime - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZUrhfCl0Xc ## Where to watch in the US - Apple TV: streaming, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Clan* (2012): The Flemish original: same sisters, same dead brother-in-law, colder and quicker about it. - *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Fi1m 91: Dennis Price murders his way through a family tree with perfect manners. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md) - *The Trouble with Harry* (1955): Hitchcock’s Vermont comedy about a corpse nobody wants and everybody keeps burying. - *Catastrophe* (2015): Horgan and Rob Delaney’s marriage comedy, smaller, ruder and just as honest about love. - *Big Little Lies* (2017): Women, a death, a coastline and a husband who should have known better. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/bad-sisters