---
title: "Such Brave Girls"
year: 2023
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/such-brave-girls"
fi1m_id: "such-brave-girls"
imdb_id: "tt18974452"
tmdb_id: 239614
wikidata_id: "Q123495660"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-12"
updated: "2026-09-20T21:38:21.591307+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."
---

# Such Brave Girls (2023)

Created by Kat Sadler · MPA TV-MA · Comedy, Drama

## Identity

Such Brave Girls

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/such-brave-girls
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** such-brave-girls
- **IMDb ID:** tt18974452
- **TMDB ID:** 239614
- **Wikidata ID:** Q123495660
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18974452/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/239614, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123495660

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 81 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* Three women in need of help, none of whom should be trusted to provide it

> The first series of Kat Sadler’s family comedy is filthy, funny and well worth the discomfort. Its self-absorption occasionally becomes tiring; Louise Brealey’s appalling mother keeps us watching.

## Synopsis

Josie (Kat Sadler) and Billie (Lizzie Davidson) are sisters trying to find their way through growing up, mental-health struggles and family trauma. Their mother, Deb (Louise Brealey), has needs of her own and little inclination to put herself second. Family life becomes a source of embarrassment and self-inflicted trouble as the three women deal with one another. Written by Sadler, the series approaches their difficulties through domestic comedy, awkward encounters and gross-out humour. Freddie Meredith plays Seb, Jude Mack plays Sid and Sam Buchanan plays Nicky, with Paul Bazely appearing as Dev.

## Review

The first series of *Such Brave Girls* is a dark family comedy worth recommending to anyone who can bear a sustained lack of tact. Writer and star Kat Sadler takes mental-health struggles and family trauma into territory where good intentions count for little. Her characters want sympathy and are poorly equipped to give it. Across six episodes, the humour is frequently filthy and sometimes exhausting. Much of the trouble is self-inflicted, which gives the jokes somewhere uncomfortable to go.

Sadler plays Josie, with Lizzie Davidson as her sister Billie and Louise Brealey as their mother, Deb. The writing gives all three enough selfishness to be funny without making them interchangeable. Its best insults work because we can hear people trying to protect their own importance, even when the subject ought to command some care. Sadler is especially good at making an unpleasant response arrive before we have settled on the appropriate sympathetic one.

Brealey is the strongest reason to persevere when the discomfort threatens to become the whole joke. Deb’s narcissism is appalling, but Brealey gives it enough comic conviction that the character never feels like an exercise in diagnosing bad parenting. We found ourselves laughing at her when we wanted to be cross with her. What did it was the certainty of her selfishness: Brealey makes putting herself first seem entirely reasonable to Deb. The daughters’ need for care becomes more painful in her company.

Sadler and Davidson give the sisters a convincing familiarity, and their chemistry keeps the show from turning into a collection of insults. We believe that these women belong to the same family even when being related seems to have done them little good. Their embarrassment matters beyond the next punchline, so the self-inflicted struggles retain some weight. As the comedy allows more affection into these relationships, neither performer loses the awkwardness that made the sisters interesting.

Simon Bird and Marco Alessi direct, with Edward Tucker responsible for cinematography. The directors use the ensemble well, letting the women be unpleasant without making every offence feel like a bid for attention. That matters in a programme whose gross-out humour could easily become a competition to offend. At its strongest, the comedy lets a cruel remark tell us something about the person making it, and trusts the actors to supply the rest.

The weakness is repetition. Sadler sometimes spends too long on the sisters’ self-absorption. Once the family has established how little patience anyone has for another person’s troubles, further demonstrations can feel redundant. Brealey helps, though she cannot make every return to the family’s grievances feel necessary. The six-episode run is brief enough; the writing could still be tighter.

A comedy about mental health has to let its people matter beyond their difficulties, and this one does. The affection that emerges is welcome because we have had ample reason to dislike the family, and the performances make that change of feeling credible. It is a good choice for company that enjoys an awkward laugh and does not need immediate reassurance afterwards. Anyone hoping for a restorative evening of kind relatives listening patiently should choose something else.

*Fi1m score 82, published 12 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are uniformly positive. Most critics agree that this is a dark, scabrous family comedy that manages to be brutal and funny at the same time, and that it takes mental health and family trauma seriously without a trace of sentiment. The praise clusters on the writing, particularly the sharp, quotable one-liners, and on the performances: Louise Brealey as the mother is singled out more than once, and the chemistry between the two sisters is held up as the show’s anchor. Several critics note that it moves from self-absorbed cringe comedy into something with more heart.

The spread is narrow, and nobody dislikes it. The reservations are mild. The Telegraph finds it bogged down in Gen Z self-absorption, though it says the show grew on them, and The Times, reviewing the second series, finds it joyless as often as it is funny. Both still come down on the positive side. The American outlets are warmest; the British broadsheets are cooler.

## Straight answers

**Is Such Brave Girls worth watching?**

*Such Brave Girls* is worth watching for anyone who can bear six episodes of filthy, tactless family comedy, and we scored it 82. Kat Sadler's writing and Louise Brealey's appalling mother keep it funny, though the sisters' self-absorption is sometimes stretched too far. Anyone hoping for kind relatives and reassurance should choose something else.

**How long is Such Brave Girls, and what is it rated?**

*Such Brave Girls* is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and drama series.

**Where can I watch Such Brave Girls in the US?**

*Such Brave Girls* is streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Such Brave Girls, and is it suitable for children?**

*Such Brave Girls* is not violent or frightening, but it is not for children: the humour is frequently filthy and gross-out, and it deals with mental-health struggles and family trauma without softening them. Its US rating is TV-MA and it has no UK certificate. Adults and older teenagers who can take sustained discomfort are the audience.

**How does Such Brave Girls compare to Nighty Night?**

*Such Brave Girls* and [*Nighty Night*](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night) are both cruel comedies built around a woman who believes sympathy belongs to her, but Kat Sadler's series lets more affection in, while Julia Davis's is the more relentless and the funnier. Deb is appalling; Jill Tyrrell is a monster. Choose *Such Brave Girls* for family awkwardness with some warmth, *Nighty Night* for pure comic cruelty.

**What should I watch after Such Brave Girls?**

After *Such Brave Girls*, try [*Nighty Night*](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night) (2004, Fi1m 82): For more appalling behaviour from someone convinced that sympathy belongs to her. Then [*Life Is Sweet*](https://film.one/film/life-is-sweet) (1990, Fi1m 84): Another troubled family, with more everyday tenderness beneath the exasperation; and [*Muriel's Wedding*](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding) (1994, Fi1m 81): Social humiliation, selfish decisions and a heroine whose desperation keeps the comedy painful.

### Reviews we read (6)

- **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the woman-led, female-written sitcom for its scabrous, unflinching tone and ability to be both brutal and hilarious while plumbing dark subjects like mental health and family trauma. It singles out the unsentimental ruthlessness and the performances, particularly Louise Brealey as the mother, as key to its triumph. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/22/bbc-such-brave-girls-review-properly-brutal-and-properly-funny)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the series a hilarious and laceratingly self-aware take on British trauma comedy, driven by scathing scripts and strong ensemble chemistry. They single out the sharp, quotable one-liners and the way the show evolves from solipsistic humor into something more soulful. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/such-brave-girls-review-kat-sadlers-hulu-series-puts-a-fresh-spin-on-british-trauma-comedy-1235753136/)
- **IndieWire**, Proma Khosla (85/100, inferred): The series is a sharp, dark, laugh-out-loud debut about two sisters and their dysfunctional mother. It delivers cringe humor at its finest. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/such-brave-girls-review-hulu-family-comedy-1234935380/)
- **The Telegraph** (70/100, inferred): The review describes the gross-out sitcom as mixing Inbetweeners-style comedy with dark mental-health themes but notes it can feel bogged down in Gen Z self-absorption; it grew on the critic somewhat and singles out the mother character and one sister's performance for being particularly entertaining. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2023/11/22/such-brave-girls-bbc-three-review/)
- **The Times** (70/100, inferred): The review finds the second series of the bleak family comedy both joyless and hilarious. It praises the return of the Bafta-winning show created by Kat Sadler. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/such-brave-girls-series-2-review-how-can-something-so-bleak-be-so-funny-djjkxw3dn)
- **Paste**, Tyler Doster (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the series as a sharp, hilarious six-episode coming-of-age comedy about two dysfunctional sisters and their narcissistic mother, highlighting its grounded absurd humor and strong lead performances. They single out the authentic sisterly chemistry and the way it finds heart amid awkward, self-inflicted struggles without losing its comedic edge. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/what-to-watch/such-brave-girls-where-to-watch-hulu-bbc-three-underrated-tv-shows-to-stream-review)

## Details

- **Created by:** Kat Sadler
- **Creator:** Kat Sadler
- **Director:** Simon Bird, Marco Alessi
- **Writer:** Kat Sadler
- **Cinematography:** Edward Tucker
- **Producer:** Catherine Gosling Fuller
- **Cast:** Kat Sadler as Josie; Louise Brealey as Deb; Lizzie Davidson as Billie; Freddie Meredith as Seb; Jude Mack as Sid; Sam Buchanan as Nicky; Carla Woodcock as Bianca; Amy Trigg as Claire
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA
- **Release (the US):** 22 November 2023
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoy_V7lH4m0

## Where to watch in the US

- Hulu: streaming, uhd
- Disney+: add-on, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-12.*

Also available in: AU, CA, GB, IE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Nighty Night* (2004), Fi1m 82: For more appalling behaviour from someone convinced that sympathy belongs to her. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night.md)
- *Life Is Sweet* (1990), Fi1m 84: Another troubled family, with more everyday tenderness beneath the exasperation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/life-is-sweet.md)
- *Muriel's Wedding* (1994), Fi1m 81: Social humiliation, selfish decisions and a heroine whose desperation keeps the comedy painful. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding.md)
- *Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown* (1988), Fi1m 84: Distressed women, disastrous relationships and farce with considerably more room to breathe. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown.md)
- *Shiva Baby* (2020): Family scrutiny and mounting embarrassment, concentrated into an afternoon nobody would volunteer for.

---
© 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/such-brave-girls