‘Bad Sisters’ Season 2 Fails to Revive the Same Flair That Made It a Hit
The classic case of making a follow-up to a TV show that didn’t need one
The first season of Bad Sisters was lightning in a bottle. Based on the Belgian series (Clan) hardly anyone saw, it was quirky and irreverent and profound thanks to a massive dose of sticky Irish charm that permeated the show from top to bottom. Razor-sharp humor, domestic abuse, and murder mystery rarely fit together as well as they did in Season 1. Yet what truly made Bad Sisters a hit was the compelling badass-bitch characters, the Garveys. Five unrelenting and fierce women who had to get away with murder because they had no other way out. And they provided sound reasons for us to root for them from our couch each week. Their story was complete, but more importantly, perfectly wrapped up in ten episodes without leaving any (I repeat any, none, zero, nada) loose end.
Therefore, Bad Sisters did NOT need a follow-up.
But as with many other similarly successful debut seasons of TV shows — like Big Little Lies, Bloodline, After Life, and on and on — that should’ve been mini or limited series with a single season, the Irish remake got an unnecessary continuation, too. And for about an episode and a half, it feels fun and satisfying to welcome the Dubliners into our home again after two years. Unfortunately, as soon as the first “SHOCKING” twist arrives, you can immediately tell that something stinks here.
First of all, Clan didn’t have a second season (for a reason), so writer-creator Sharon Horgan and Co. had to come up with something entirely fresh this time around. Though the writers attempted to recreate a similar thread of storylines that worked well in Season 1 (Season 2 also has a murder at its center), they kind of backed themselves into a corner. Meaning: the new setup feels contrived and cheugy from the get-go. I won’t spoil it, but I’ll say there’s an unexpected early loss that not only hurts far less than intended but also feels artificial (once you watch the double premiere, you’ll understand what I’m talking about).
It's clear that particular death is only there to serve as an excuse for a new batch of eight episodes (which were provided for review). You go along with it, hoping it’ll bring something intriguing and intense like it has before, but it never really amounts to anything riveting or worthwhile. Instead, it makes a mockery of the Garveys, who begin to make increasingly dumber and nonsensical decisions, one after another, until they stop being genuine characters and turn into their own caricatures.
In Season 1, the sisters were appealing and compelling because they all had individual problems and separate lives from each other. They struggled with relationships (both personal and professional), made poor decisions detrimental to their emotional and mental well-being, and constantly kept secrets from one another. Season 2 wants to revive that same dynamic but throws it out the window the minute it doesn’t sit well with the central mystery. Here, the Garveys solely function as real characters when they’re together as a team, as if they no longer have lives on their own.
They have quasi-struggles: Eva (Sharon Horgan) having a hard time with loneliness and hitting 50, Bibi (Sarah Greene) and her girlfriend trying to have another kid, Becka (Eve Hewson) dating a dull bloke, Ursula (Eva Birthistle) stealing drugs at work, and Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) picking and marrying another man she doesn’t know well enough. These are problems the writers quickly abandon whenever they feel like it and only bring up again if they don’t obstruct the main plotline.
This means the sisters are almost always together, helping and covering for stupid mistakes that keep landing them in trouble with the law. They never work, even though they live in luxurious and idyllic houses, and seem to exist in a universe that barely punishes them for either of the crimes they commit on a regular basis. Nothing really has a consequence regardless of how bonkers the stunts they pull (and there are many questionable ones, I assure you) since that would take away from the thrill of watching them spiral into worse and worse situations in the name of protecting “The Family.” This becomes the most ridiculous reasoning when they repeatedly claim they’re doing all this to protect Grace’s daughter, Blanaid (Saise Quinn), who we barely see even though she’s supposed to be with her aunt(s) most of the time.
Despite all these shortcomings, what still works is the smooth chemistry between the actresses. Though their banter and teasing aren't as well-rounded and balanced as before, their unequivocally Irish nature and humor deliver the much-needed silliness, vocabulary, and cultural jokes that made the series so unique and amusing in the first place. It's just a shame the material they're given now lets them down more often than not.
I need to emphasize this once again: stop making follow-ups for shows that were clearly made for one season and one season only. Otherwise, you end up with a watered-down, mediocre, and totally unnecessary installment like Bad Sisters Season 2.
The first three episodes of Bad Sisters Season 2 are streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes arrive every Wednesday.
I’m finally back after a pretty stressful period of moving and starting a new life from scratch. Thank you for your patience. I have some new ideas that I’m still brainstorming and tinkering with, but I’m planning to announce them soon. Horror Aughts and An Hour of Peak TV will continue, too.
Last week, I also reviewed Taylor Sheridan’s latest cowboy melodrama Landman for Looper.