TV Show review
January 4, 2018 · 23 min · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Derry Girls is a comedy-drama about five teenagers at a Catholic girls' school in 1990s Derry who juggle school, crushes, family, and friendships while the Troubles wind down. Created by Lisa McGee from her own life, it mixes absurd teen antics with light historical backdrop. The show includes a lesbian character's coming-out arc and a gay priest subplot, both played for period humor without modern lectures or identity messaging.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Derry Girls.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent lesbian teenager Clare comes out and later dates a woman, plus a gay priest subplot, creating visible LGBTQ+ presence in a Catholic school; casting stays historically accurate to the setting with no quotas or identity signaling in lead roles.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional teen lines reference the Troubles, sectarian divides, and RUC prejudice, all delivered through comedy without activist speeches or modern framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Historical Catholic-Protestant sectarian identities and personal coming-of-age stories, including natural LGBTQ+ arcs, form the backdrop, but friendship and humor remain the clear focus over ideology.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Light comedy pokes at strict Catholic nuns, a priest leaving for same-sex love, and historical police bias as era details; no broader modern anti-Western, anti-patriarchy, or systemic attacks.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Almost none; the show earned broad praise for comedy and heart with only rare online gripes about "woke" elements in later seasons that never gained traction.
Creator track record context
Lisa McGee builds comedy from personal Northern Irish experiences with emphasis on levity and community over activism; no pattern of identity politics or DEI work. Michael Lennox has no public political or activist record.
Production
