Bad Sisters

The Garvey sisters can argue with each other perfectly well without outside help. Their real problem is Grace's husband, whose ability to spoil a gathering is matched by his influence over her life. Bad Sisters turns that family predicament into a darkly funny mystery.

Sharon Horgan and the ensemble make the sibling relationships convincing through interruptions, old irritations and the assumption that everybody knows exactly what everybody else means. That familiarity is essential. Without it, the thriller would simply be a collection of escalating schemes; with it, the sisters have something recognisable to protect.

Claes Bang makes the husband difficult company without requiring the surrounding show to become equally joyless. The comedy allows a release from the tension, although the underlying behaviour is taken seriously. The Dublin coastal setting gives the family somewhere to breathe between increasingly uncomfortable encounters.

It is a good choice when you want an involving investigation without surrendering humour or affection. Derry Girls offers a much lighter kind of Irish ensemble comedy, while Mare of Easttown puts family ties under heavier investigative pressure.