Smother is an Irish thriller drama series written by Kate O'Riordan and directed by Dathaí Keane.[1] It stars Dervla Kirwan as Val Ahern, a mother who is determined to protect her family at any cost.[2] The series is produced by BBC Studios and Treasure Entertainment for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, and premiered on 7 March 2021 on RTÉ One. A second series was announced in April 2021 and had its premiere on RTÉ One on 9 January 2022. It aired in the UK by Alibi in June 2021. The series airs in Norway on TV2.[3] A third series, to air in 2023, was announced after the second series finale in February 2022.
| Smother | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
|
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Composer | John McPhillips |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production locations | Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland |
| Cinematography | Cathal Watters |
| Editors | Dermot Diskin, John O'Connor |
| Production companies |
|
| Distributor | RTÉ Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | RTÉ One |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 7 March 2021 (2021-03-07) – present |
Set in a small town on the wild and rugged coast of County Clare, Val Ahern, a devoted mother, is determined to protect her family and particularly her three daughters—Jenny, Anna and Grace—at any cost. When Val's husband Denis is found dead at the foot of a cliff near their home the morning after a family party, Val attempts to investigate the events that unfolded the night before.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Ireland viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Dathaí Keane | Kate O'Riordan | 7 March 2021 (2021-03-07) | N/A |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Dathaí Keane | Kate O'Riordan | 14 March 2021 (2021-03-14) | N/A |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Dathaí Keane | Tom Farrelly | 21 March 2021 (2021-03-21) | N/A |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Dathaí Keane | Daniel Cullen | 28 March 2021 (2021-03-28) | N/A |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Dathaí Keane | Ursula Rani Sarma | 4 April 2021 (2021-04-04) | N/A |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Dathaí Keane | Tom Farrelly | 11 April 2021 (2021-04-11) | N/A |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Ireland viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Dathaí Keane | Kate O'Riordan | 9 January 2022 (2022-01-09) | N/A |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Dathaí Keane | Kate O'Riordan | 16 January 2022 (2022-01-16) | N/A |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Dathaí Keane | Tom Farrelly | 23 January 2022 (2022-01-23) | N/A |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Dathaí Keane | Sonya Kelly | 30 January 2022 (2022-01-30) | N/A |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Dathaí Keane | Ursula Rani Sarma | 6 February 2022 (2022-02-06) | N/A |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Dathaí Keane | Tom Farrelly | 13 February 2022 (2022-02-13) | N/A |
Filming began in February 2020 in and around Lahinch.[4][5] On the series' way of writing and storytelling, lead actress Dervla Kirwan said that "it's been a long time since anything this well written about an Irish family has come my way. In Smother, [Kate O'Riordan] has created a riveting thriller that will wake the world up to contemporary Ireland and rewrite an outdated narrative that has been peddled about the Irish for years."[6] She also relates the series' setting to the character in the series, in particular to the Ahern family:
Even if you just look at their beautiful house, which is also a character in our story — it dominates the skyline, the horizon of that village. It's all about corruption, privilege and wealth, and how that breeds a dysfunction. That dysfunction acts as a poison, creating a sense of entitlement in those women. They lie and cheat to get what they want, and their behaviour's upheld by their privilege. They're all a piece of work, as we'd say in Ireland. They're all quite dark, really damaged women.[7]
In March 2020, production was halted due to social restrictions being imposed nationwide to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the filming halt, cast member Niamh Walsh states:
Actors are basically idiot children. We blunder round the world feeling feelings for money – those of us who are lucky enough to get paid to do it. Sure, we'll sell you the fear or excitement or whatever hanging off the cliff edge requires, but we are absolutely the last step in the process. Before any of those feelings can be caught on camera, this invisible army has to mobilise to make it happen.[8]
On 4 April 2021, it was revealed that comedian Kevin McGahern has joined the cast in episode 5, portraying Michael Foley.[9]
On 26 December 2021, it was announced that former Coronation Street star Dean Fagan will be starring as Denis Ahern's estranged son in the show's second series.[10][11]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFTA Film & Drama Awards | Best Drama | Production Team | Nominated |
| Best Director – Drama | Dathaí Keane | Nominated | |
| Best Script – Drama | Kate O'Riordan | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Dervla Kirwan | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Gemma-Leah Devereux | Nominated | |
| Seána Kerslake | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Éanna Hardwicke | Nominated | |
| Best Score | John McPhillips | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Cathal Watters | Nominated | |
| Best Costume | Triona Lillis | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Hugh Fox, Fionán Higgins & Mark Henry | Nominated |