The Dry is the latest series to land on ITV's streaming service, ITVX. The comedy-drama, from the producers of Normal People, celebrates the joyful chaos and dark absurdities of family life in a series that is all about recovery.
The series, which originally went out on BritBox, stars Roisin Gallagher in the lead role of Shiv Sheridan, Ciarán Hinds, Pom Boyd, Siobhán Cullen, Moe Dunford and newcomer Adam Richardson. Speaking about how the show balances comedy and drama, Roisin said: "There’s a fine line between drama and comedy on this show, which is being coined as a dramedy. #
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Something that the director Paddy Breathnach does so well is to capture the delicate balance between the humour of Irish people, Irish culture and the social dynamic that we find the family in and the dramatic elements of the story. The humour sits very closely beside grief, addiction, trauma and all those big issues."
Here's everything you need to know about The Dry from the cast to filming locations, episodes and more.
What is The Dry about?
A synopsis reads: "From the producers of Normal People, this moving comedy-drama is an irreverent, sharp and funny depiction of a family in various forms of denial. The story centres on 35-year-old Shiv,the eldest daughter, as she returns to Ireland for her grandmother’s wake, taking a break from London and her ‘career’ (with a small ‘c’) in art.
"Shiv is six months sober, and it is fair to say her life is not going as planned. Shiv’s family – who have never really dealt with or talked about the damage caused by the sudden death of her adored elder brother, not to mention her parents failing marriage or Shiv’s own chaotic behaviour – are wary of having her back.
"To make matters worse there’s also her charmer of an ex-boyfriend Jack, who has the uncanny knack of always appearing when she’s at her most vulnerable. His charming presence reminds Shiv of the excitement and thrill of excess from her youth – to call him a trigger would be an understatement.
Can Shiv come to terms with her true addiction and the realities of her life, amid a dysfunctional yet loveable family who are each individually facing their own demons?"
The Dry full cast list
Roisin Gallagher (Shiv Sheridan)
Pom Boyd (Bernie Sheridan)
Ciarán Hinds (Tom Sheridan)
Siobhán Cullen (Caroline Sheridan)
Adam J. Richardson (Ant Sheridan)
Moe Dunford (Jack)
Eoin Duffy (Rory)
The Dry filming locations
The Dry is set in Dublin, speaking about filming in Ireland, actor Ciarán said: "I haven't filmed in Ireland until this year since about 2009. I've done theatre and I know that the industry here has been building up very strongly, north and south. Weirdly a lot of the work you do as a film actor is about going away: you go away to location, and I've been all over the place. But for some reason, even though my home isn't in Dublin, I felt like I was coming home to work on this.
"Paddy Breathnach I know him as a filmmaker. So that attracted me very much to the project. And then they gave me the stuff to read and I thought was fantastic.Written by Nancy Harris… there's so much energy in it. There’s a delicate tone that we haveto achieve between the humour and the truth and the issues but the balance is perfect."
How many episodes of The Dry are there?
There are eight episodes in the series, all of which are available to binge on ITVX from Thursday, March 23. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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