Four sisters setting out to murder their emotionally and physically abusive brother-in-law may not sound like very humorous subject matter, but such is the premise of Apple TV+’s delectably dark comedy “Bad Sisters.” Adapted from the Flemish series “Clan,” the highly addictive show (which was just renewed for a second season) makes for one sinisterly hilarious binge!
Set in Dublin, Ireland, the prig at the center of the tale is John Paul Williams (Claes Bang), aka “The Prick” or “the racist, homophobic, sadistic, bigoted son of a prick,” as he is colorfully described in episode two. While his wife, Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), puts up with his constant maltreatment, her siblings decide to go a different route by hatching a plan to kill him. The only caveat? They’re horrendously bad at murder, bungling their way through several attempts to off JP over the course of ten episodes.
Created and executive produced by Sharon Horgan, who also stars as eldest Garvey sister Eva, the story is laid out through a shifting timeline that flashes back and forth across several months. And though we know at the outset that JP ultimately winds up dead, how he meets his well-deserved demise is the show’s central mystery – one that leaves audiences, as well as the two dogged agents in charge of the deceased’s life insurance policy, guessing to the very end.
With its dynamic chronology, murderous theme and haunting coastal setting, “Bad Sisters” has been drawing comparisons to “Big Little Lies” ever since its debut this past August. And that is no accident. Horgan told GQ that she looked to the hit HBO show for aesthetical inspiration, explaining, “Well, I mean, weirdly, when we were talking about what our take on it would be and the idea of wanting to really elevate things visually, we referenced ‘Big Little Lies.’ But for me, ‘Big Little Lies’ was escapism, it was beauty, you know, whereas we wanted this to feel as grounded and real as you could with four sisters trying to kill a man over and over. It was really important to me that it didn’t feel aspirational or glamorous.” Well, mission most definitely not accomplished because the onscreen world that Horgan and her production team created is entirely envy-inducing! From Eva’s picturesque seaside idyll to the striking modern manse where Bibi Garvey (Sarah Greene) lives to the adorable lakeside pad belonging to JP’s mother (which is no stranger to the screen), the landscape of “Bad Sisters” is a cinematic dreamland! I challenge you to watch and not immediately start Googling the cost of flights to Ireland!
Shot all throughout the Dublin area, in such places as Howth, Malahide and Skerries, as well as in London, England, Horgan tells GQ the production team “made up their own geography” for the story, weaving together a thoroughly inviting backdrop.
