Atmosphere Over Urgency, for Better and Worse

Read Time:4 Minute, 49 Second

TV SERIES REVIEW
Irish Blood
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Genre: Drama, Mystery
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 6 x 41m episodes
Writer(s): Christina Ray, John Krizanc
Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Jason O’Mara, Dearbhla Molloy, Simone Kirby, Ruth Codd, Wendy Crewson
Where to Watch: arrives on DVD January 12, 2026, following its UK debut on Sky Witness. The full series will be available to buy and keep on digital from December 29, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: IRISH BLOOD feels familiar; a successful outsider pulled back into a past they were taught to forget. What separates the series from the series it pays homage to is its deliberate prioritization of emotional inheritance over procedural checklists. This is not a show obsessed with clever twists or puzzle-solving for its own sake. Instead, it's interested in the long-term consequences of abandonment, secrecy, and the lies families tell in the name of protection.

Alicia Silverstone is the core of the series, portraying Fiona Sharpe, a Los Angeles divorce lawyer whose ruthlessness is shaped by unresolved childhood wounds. From the opening episode, the show establishes Fiona not as a detective by trade, but as someone conditioned to interrogate stories, motivations, and intentional omissions. That distinction matters because IRISH BLOOD never pretends she is particularly skilled at navigating danger. Her investigation is fueled by emotional necessity rather than expertise, which makes her both compelling and frustrating in equal measure.

Some of Silverstone’s more recent performances have been divisive, to say the least, but within the series, it works; she knows what she's striving for and nails the character. Fiona is intentionally rigid, guarded, and often blunt. The performance leans into those qualities rather than softening them for audience comfort. When the character makes questionable choices, the writing frames them as extensions of unresolved trauma rather than lapses in intelligence. That distinction does not excuse every decision, but it does give them some logic within the series.

The supporting cast provides much of the series’ depth. Jason O’Mara brings a quiet, withheld presence to Fiona’s estranged father, a man defined more by absence than action. Dearbhla Molloy and Simone Kirby help ground the Murphy family dynamic, offering performances that suggest decades of history beneath even the smallest exchanges. Ruth Codd stands out as Garda Róisín Doherty, whose understated curiosity and moral steadiness provide a counterweight to Fiona’s volatility. Their partnership is one of the series’ most effective elements, precisely because it never becomes overly sentimental.

IRISH BLOOD leans into a romanticized but restrained portrayal of rural Ireland. The coastline, villages, and interiors are presented as imposing rather than postcardlike. The scenery reinforces the sense of isolation and stagnation that define the story. The show understands that place is not just a backdrop, but a participant in the secrecy it depicts.

Narratively, the series explores these stories at a measured pace that won't appeal to everyone. The mystery is less about identifying a single culprit and more about peeling back layers of misdirection, half-truths, and intentional omissions. This approach gives the show cohesion but occasionally undercuts urgency. There are stretches where momentum stalls, particularly in the middle episodes, as the story circles familiar ground without meaningfully advancing the central conflict.

That said, the series demonstrates a strong grasp of tone. IRISH BLOOD consistently balances personal drama with criminal intrigue without tipping 100% into either category. It understands that the most damaging revelations are not always the most violent or shocking, but those that reframe a lifetime of assumed truths. When the series is at its best, it allows those realizations to land, trusting the audience to grasp their importance without overemphasizing them.

There’s an undeniable confidence in IRISH BLOOD's understanding of its audience. This is not a broad appeal thriller chasing mainstream urgency. It is a character-driven mystery designed for viewers who value emotional context as much as plot mechanics. Its success lies less in surprise than in aggregation, allowing small moments, glances, and withheld information to build a sense of unease over time.

By the final episode, IRISH BLOOD has carved out a clear identity. It offers a grounded, often melancholic examination of how personal history and criminal legacy intertwine. The promise of a second season feels justified not because every question remains unanswered, but because the emotional consequences of those answers have only begun to surface.

For viewers drawn to slow-burning mysteries rooted in character rather than spectacle, IRISH BLOOD delivers a thoughtful, if occasionally uneven, experience that understands the power of restraint and the danger of inherited silence.

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[photo courtesy of ACORN MEDIA INTERNATIONAL]

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