Five Irish crime dramas on my watchlist if you like House of Guinness

This psychological drama starring Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson is seriously chilling. Jamie plays Paul Spector, a superficially ordinary family man in Belfast who leads a macabre double life – murdering young women in the area. Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, played by Gillian, steps in to take control of the case.

While the set-up sounds like your typical crime drama, Jamie's portrayal of a family man is so convincing that, as a viewer, you’re conflicted about his complex character. It’s no surprise that The Fall won the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Television Drama in 2014 – the story is gripping across all three seasons. 

I appreciate it is a bit of a stretch adding Peaky Blinders to this list given its Birmingham setting, but the Irish are so woven into the story arc, I feel my decision can be justified. When it first aired in 2013, I was probably too young to understand fully the grey industrial world of gang crime, but after watching House of Guinness, I can definitely see the appeal. The series centres on Thomas Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer, 28 Years Later), as he leads a dangerous gang in the aftermath of World War I and faces opposition from Inspector Chester Campbell (an implacable and ruthless Irishman), who seeks to shut them down.

Written by Stephen Knight, this show became a massive hit over six seasons – and a seventh is on the way.

Set in Belfast, this gripping drama follows new police recruits Grace, Annie, and Tommy as they learn to cope in a high-pressure environment – dealing with criminal gangs while struggling to know who they can really trust. There are currently three seasons of the cop drama, and it won Best Drama Series at the 2025 BAFTA TV Awards – so you know it’s worth watching. 

Part of its strength lies in the layered character development – it’s not just about action. For example, Grace is a former social worker who changes careers to join the police force. With action, drama, and complex characters, it’s giving strong Line of Duty vibes – with an Irish twist.

Anything starring James Nesbitt promises incredible acting – I’m a huge fan of The Missing (a classic BBC crime drama but not an Irish one!), in which he played Tony Hughes – so The Secret is very high on my watchlist for autumn. Based on the true crime book Let This Be Our Secret, James plays dentist Colin Howell, who harbours a dark, murderous side. When he meets Hazel, he convinces her they’re meant to be together – leading to the pair murdering their respective spouses. The deaths are staged as suicides, but soon, suspicions begin to surface. 

This Northern Irish drama won Best Drama at the 2016 Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards – and it definitely gives off The Fall energy. A must-watch.

Whenever there’s a female-led Irish series, I’m all in – as I was with Derry Girls. The twist in Bad Sisters is that it has a darker, comedic edge. Set in Dublin, the story follows the five Garvey sisters, who always look out for one another. But when their toxic brother-in-law dies, they find themselves at the centre of a life insurance investigation. Starring Sharon Horgan – who also co-created the show (Motherland) – and Eve Hewson (Behind Her Eyes, The Perfect Couple), Bad Sisters received four Primetime Emmy nominations in 2022.

It sounds like an epic watch to me…