Five sisters, two life insurance investigators and a dead husband. These are the decidedly awkward foundations upon which Sharon Horgan’s latest twisted comedy is built, a series which combines dark humour and decidedly sinister themes.
An adaptation of the Flemish series Clan, Bad Sisters is written by, and stars, the Bafta Award-winning Motherland and Catastrophe actress. A complex dive into the unwavering bond of sisterhood, it is a gripping story with at its heart a host of contrasting personalities.
“The subject of sisters is something that’s been explored really well in other shows, but here, the sheer number of the sisters and the connections between them, is what got to me,” says Horgan, herself one of five siblings.
“Who looks after who? What’s the relationship between the eldest and the youngest? How does the middle child feel? It’s endlessly interesting to me.”
Bonded at a young age by the untimely death of both parents in a freak accident, the Garvey quintet’s connection is one they believe to be steadfast.
Except that all changes when one of the sisters, Grace (played by Anne-Marie Duff), finds herself estranged as a result of her sociopathic husband John Paul Williams’ coercive behaviour. When John unexpectedly winds up dead, everything changes. With his widow grieving, John’s life insurers arrive on the scene, launching a rather unorthodox bid to uncover malicious intent.
“I love the passion of these sisters, how they would do anything for each other,” says Horgan. “And, in fact, they do – they would kill for each other.”
While eldest sister Eva (Horgan) remains the family’s level-headed matriarch, we rewind the clock and witness her siblings’ scheming over the group’s annual Christmas swim.
What starts as a frustrated off-the-cuff quip about John’s demise quickly gathers momentum, developing into what can only be described as a murderous plot.
After all, killing the root of the problem seems the only viable way to save their sister from increasing isolation.
“We’re used to seeing these sorts of relationships in very gritty realism, so there is an element of this that is a sort of thriller-y caper,” says Duff, 51, who stars alongside Brooklyn actress Eva Birthistle and Normal People’s Sarah Greene.
“To have a very abusive relationship as the sort of spinal column of that story is clever, because it challenges the genre in a way, which is fun, but also heightens the stakes. It’s not an art heist or a bank robbery. It’s the rescuing of a woman. That’s what makes it very sly and clever.”
Bad Sisters, Apple TV+, from Friday
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