How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is an Irish comedy thriller series for Netflix created by Lisa McGee and produced by Hat Trick Productions. The series premiered on 12 February 2026.
When three close friends from Belfast receive the news that the estranged fourth member of their teenage friend group has unexpectedly died, they travel to County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland to pay their respects. Strange events at the wake and a long-kept secret threatening to come out propel the trio into investigating their friend's mysterious death, but the amateur sleuths quickly find themselves in over their heads.
The eight-part series was created by Lisa McGee. In August 2023 the series was announced to be executive produced by Caroline Leddy, Liz Lewin, and Jimmy Mulville for Hat Trick Productions and Channel 4. In March 2024, the series moved to streaming service Netflix. Michael Lennox is the director.
On 1 July 2024, Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne were cast in the lead roles. Younger versions of the main characters were cast with Emma Canning, Emily Flain, Chara Aitken and Maria Laird fulfilling the roles. The cast also includes Jeanne NàÃÂinle as well as Emmett J. Scanlan, Tom Basden, Ardal O'Hanlon, Michelle Fairley, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Josh Finan.
Filming began in Belfast in July 2024. Other filming locations include the Harbourview Hotel (formerly Londonderry Arms) in Carnlough, (County Antrim), (County Louth), Saint John's Point (County Down), Mamore Gap and Inishowen, County Donegal, Dublin, and Malta.
Hat Trick Productions also produced Lisa McGee's previous series Derry Girls. Actors Sinéad Keenan, Emmett J. Scanlan, Maria Laird, Peter Campion, Ardal O'Hanlon, Bronagh Gallagher and Saoirse-Monica Jackson worked on both series, as did several other cast and crew members. The Derry Girls mural in Derry appears in a scene in episode 8.
The series was released on Netflix on 12 February 2026. The age rating for the series is "15" in the UK and "TV-MA" in the US.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 95% approval rating based on 39 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Stretching its tone in different directions without ever snapping, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is another triumphantly funny and proudly Irish series from creator Lisa McGee." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 79 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast was praised by critics.