Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Derry Girls’ Season 3 on Netflix, The Final Season Of The Hilarious Irish Series

The final season of the Irish phenom is here on Netflix (and without much marketing). It’s been a three-year hiatus since Season 2, and the new season aims to capture the previous magic and pick up where we left off. Does it succeed?

DERRY GIRLS SEASON 3: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A montage of images — like a photo of the four girls, fires in the city, all out war — fill the screen with a somber voiceover about hope. When the camera zooms out, our favorite gang is back together before the school year begins, trying to create an Oscar-winning uplifting video just because some German kids did the same thing about the Berlin Wall.

The Gist: Set in 1990s Ireland, Derry Girls follows four Irish teen girls and 1 reluctant English boy as they navigate the conservative Irish Catholic school they attend, their often kooky family and friends, and their uncertain futures beyond their small town.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The ’90s high school setting, equipped with social circles and school hierarchies, might remind you of Freaks and Geeks.

Our Take: The funniest show on TV is back for its final season. After three years off the air, there was a chance that the show had lost its luster or wouldn’t be as biting as it was. But thankfully, those fears are unmoored. The show is as fantastic as it always was, which only makes me sad that this is the final batch of episodes we’ll ever get.

What makes the show such a delight are the super specific characters and their dynamics with one another. The girls are excellent in conveying their long-term friendship with occasional jabs and huffs, but it’s the adults that add the icing on the cake for the world of the show. There’s an unspoken rivalry between Erin’s dad and grandfather, while her uncle is the perfect lovable weirdo. The show is so good at striking a balance between all of the eccentric personalities in the room.

In season 3, the girls’ future is at stake. It’s a fitting end to the chapter and thankfully it hasn’t lost any of its charm, punchy dialogue, or hilarious performances during the time off. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show yet, now is an excellent time to start — I’d just advise those who aren’t well-versed in the Irish accent to use subtitles so you can catch every detail.

Sex and Skin: Nothing in the first episode.

Parting Shot: The girls get their grades after worrying about them all episode. All is well until a police officer shows up with James’s camcorder.

Sleeper Star: There’s a fun guest star in the first episode that I won’t spoil, but as always you can count on Jamie-Lee O’Donnell as Michelle to say the most outrageous but hilarious things.

Most Pilot-y Line: The best bits on Derry Girls are when the girls are infighting and slinging insults back and forth. A particularly funny one comes when Clare (Nicola Coughlin) is freaking out about her test scores, blaming the girls for her supposed failing grades. “I was a scholar when I met you!” she yells, close to tears. “You were 3,” Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) rebuffs.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The final season hasn’t lost a step in providing hilarious scene settings and rapid fire dialogue.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.