The "Bad Sisters" are back, and they're better than ever.

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The 'Bad Sisters' Are Back, and They're Better Than Ever"

Consider This from NPR
Release Date: November 22, 2024
Host: Mary Louise Kelly
Guest: Sharon Horgan, Creator and Star of Bad Sisters
Duration: 9 minutes and 14 seconds

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Introduction to Bad Sisters

The episode opens with Mary Louise Kelly inviting listeners into the darkly comedic world of the Garvey sisters from the Apple TV series Bad Sisters. Kelly reminisces about meeting the sisters two years prior when the show debuted, highlighting its central plot: four Irish sisters conspiring to murder the fifth sister's husband.

Notable Quote:

• Mary Louise Kelly [00:00]: "If you, like me, are ready for a hefty dose of black comedy, may I invite you to catch up with the Garvey sisters?"

Season One Recap and the Unexpected Continuation

Sharon Horgan, both the creator and actress in Bad Sisters, joins Kelly to discuss the show's unexpected continuation into a second season. Originally, the series was not intended to extend beyond its first season, which concluded with a seemingly perfect ending as the youngest sister, Grace, appears to move on from her tumultuous past.

Notable Quote:

• Sharon Horgan [03:00]: "You don't just kill a man and move on."

Exploring the Aftermath in Season Two

Horgan elaborates on the narrative thrust of the second season, set two years after Grace's husband dies. Although Grace appears to have found new love and is preparing for marriage, the repercussions of past events linger, sowing seeds for new conflicts and challenges.

Notable Quotes:

• Horgan [02:23]: "It's two years on from that. And, you know, we join the sisters when they are getting on with their lives as best they can."
• Mary Louise Kelly [02:58]: "She looks so beautiful."

The Fragility of Sisterhood and Trust Issues

A central theme in the new season is the testing of the sisters' bond. The introduction of secrets and underlying tensions raises questions about the trustworthiness among them. Horgan discusses how the characters grapple with isolation and hidden truths, leading to dramatic shifts in their relationships.

Notable Quote:

• Sharon Horgan [04:10]: "It feels like a dangerous but very interesting, deep area to explore."

Introducing Angelica: A New Dynamic

Season two introduces Angelica, portrayed by Fiona Shaw, adding a new layer of complexity to the story. Angelica, a Northern Irish woman, disrupts the sisters' dynamics with her traditional values and desire for human connection, embodying both vulnerability and a propensity to cause turmoil.

Notable Quotes:

• Horgan [05:10]: "She is just slightly generationally removed and also geographically, she's a Northern Irish woman."
• Mary Louise Kelly [06:16]: "She's just the definition of passive aggression and upping your business."

Balancing Dark Themes with Humor

Despite the season's dark undertones, the show maintains its comedic edge. Moments of levity, such as Eva introducing her "menopause coach," provide a counterbalance to the intense drama, showcasing Horgan's skill in blending humor with serious topics.

Notable Quotes:

• Mary Louise Kelly [06:36]: "There are moments when I was laughing out loud."
• Sharon Horgan [07:06]: "I had started seeing a lady online. Not what I would call a menopause coach, but they do exist."

Authenticity and Audience Connection

Horgan emphasizes the importance of staying true to the story and characters rather than tailoring content to appease specific audiences. This authentic approach has resonated deeply with viewers, particularly women who have experienced similar struggles, reinforcing the show's impact.

Notable Quotes:

• Horgan [08:00]: "You have to write what's interesting to you and what you hope is gonna appeal."
• Mary Louise Kelly [08:24]: "If I find this funny, the rest of you should get on board."

Conclusion and Future Directions

As the episode wraps up, Horgan expresses her commitment to delivering unexpected yet truthful storylines, ensuring that the second season of Bad Sisters continues to engage and resonate with its audience. The collaboration between Kelly and Horgan highlights the show's blend of dark comedy, intricate character development, and emotional depth.

Notable Quotes:

• Horgan [08:24]: "That's all I can do and then cross my fingers. Cross everything."
• Mary Louise Kelly [09:07]: "Thank you so much. This has been an absolute delight."

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Produced by Katherine Fink, edited by Sarah Handel and Courtney Dorning, with Sammy Yenigun as Executive Producer.

For more insights and updates, support NPR's journalism through Consider This+ at plus.npr.org.

Transcript

[Mary Louise Kelly]

If you, like me, are ready for a hefty dose of black comedy, may I invite you to catch up with the Garvey sisters?

[Sharon Horgan]

Where the hell's Becca? Becca. Get off, you lazy cow.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

We met them two years ago when the TV show Bad Sisters made its debut. It revolved around the antics of four sisters in Ireland who are hellbent on murdering the husband of the fifth sister. And believe me when I tell you, he had it coming.

[Sharon Horgan]

There's all kinds of ways people can die by accident. All kinds of unfortunate mishaps. I was thinking something at work. An industrial accident. Working an open plan architectural firm. What am I going to do? Apricot. And today, the roof terrace, the fire escape. Yeah, we're not doing anything like that. We're doing it again. We're doing it with poison this time, like normal women.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

These scheming sisters you just heard are Bebe Garvey, played by Sarah Green, and Eva Garvey, played by Sharon Horgan. Horgan is also the creator of Bad Sisters. Two years ago, she told me about the process of deciding how to end the show. What that she wanted viewers to take away.

[Sharon Horgan]

Do you know, I just really wanted them to feel it. I wanted it to take them on a sort of roller coaster, and I wanted to emotionally sort of wring it out of an audience. I wanted there, of course, to be a surprise. Yeah, I wanted it all, actually. I was very greedy. I wanted everything.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Everything and then some. Because turns out, Bad Sisters did not end there. Consider this. The Garvey sisters are back for season two. More banter, wickedness and secrets. We catch up with creator and star Sharon Horgan to find out what's in store. From npr, I'm Mary Louise Kelly. It's Consider this from npr. The Apple TV series Bad Sisters debuted two years ago. There were laughs, there was murder, and that. That could have been it for the Garvey sisters because the show was not originally intended to have a second season. But as creator and star Sharon Horgan puts it, you don't just kill a man and move on. Sharon Horgan, welcome.

[Sharon Horgan]

Hi. Thanks for having me.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Set the stage for us for what is happening with the Garvey sisters as the second season takes off. We're focused on Grace. She is the sister whose husband did indeed die in the first season.

[Sharon Horgan]

He did die. That's putting it very politely. Thank you. Yeah, it's two years on from that. And, you know, we join the sisters when they are getting on with their lives as best they can. But the sort of aftershock of what happened is still very much with them. Grace is getting married and, yeah, she's found new love.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

She looks so beautiful.

[Sharon Horgan]

She has found new love.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

She's happy. And that you give it like 10 minutes before it all falls apart.

[Sharon Horgan]

Well, that's it. We kind of conclude a group of things to happen that would sort of provide the perfect storm for someone who's so fragile and vulnerable. Anyway, I mean, we left the first season with her sort of jumping into the water, and she's sort of found her freedom and moved on. But like I said, you don't really. And it was a lovely sort of fairy tale ending, but at the same time, life isn't like that. And I'm just delighted we got a chance to go further with this story. It's about this, you know, sisterhood that comes together and sort of battles to protect each other.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

What you just described, the bond among these sisters, it is the organizing force of the show. And yet another thing you do in this new season is introduce the notion that they are quite sure if they can trust each other. At one point, one of the sisters, Bebe, says, I'm thinking things I. I don't want to be thinking about my sister. What was that like to write? Tell me.

[Sharon Horgan]

Well, I mean, it was really interesting, actually. And it was something that when we were mid production on the first season, we realized, you know, could be something kind of tantalizing in a way, the sort of isolation that someone like Grace finds herself in. And so we felt that there was a huge amount of secrets there that we could explore and sort of blow open. But the idea of them sort of questioning Grace and her actions was an act, actually. It was horrible to write and sort of upsetting. And the scene when Grace sort of realizes that that's what they're saying because she has held things too close to her chest and because she hasn't let them in, it just felt like a dangerous but very interesting, deep area to explore.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

You introduce a new character in this season, a nosy, sneaky busybody named Angelica, played by the great Fiona Shaw. What's she bringing to the show?

[Sharon Horgan]

Oh, my God. What isn't she bringing? She is a delight. We're all obsessed with her. You know, I wanted to introduce someone who sort of begins to upturn the apple cart and someone who's just slightly generationally removed and also geographically, she's a Northern Irish woman. And I think, you know, for a woman of her generation at that time in that part of Ireland, it was kind of more difficult to Have a career or to have independence. And she's sort of limited in a lot of ways. And it's very interesting to have a character like that sort of look at the Garveys with their freedom, with their bodies and with their language and sort of think that can't be right. But also someone who's just, like, looking for human connection. So she's a massive contradiction. She's a hurt person who wants to hurt.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

She's just the definition of passive aggression and upping your business. Handing you a chocolate while stabbing you in the back.

[Sharon Horgan]

That's it. Patting you on your head and giving you a biscuit while ruining your life. No, she was an absolute joy. I mean, I can't tell you, there was times when she would do a take and we would just break into applause because we were, you know, so riveted to everything she did. She was an absolute joy.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

It's fair to say this season is really dark. Characters die who I really didn't want to die, but there were moments, many, when I was laughing out loud. There's one where your character, Eva, introduces her menopause coach.

[Sharon Horgan]

How are you blessed to know this family, Eileen? Through Eva, we've been working together on her menopause coach. Menopause coach. Is that real?

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Like, is that a thing? Is that real?

[Sharon Horgan]

People are so obsessed with this. It makes me laugh. You know, a lot of me went into Eva this time round, like myself at that particular time. She starts getting fit. She decides to throw a bit of her disposable income at, like, sorting her hormones out. And I had started, you know, seeing a lady online. Not what I would call a menopause coach, but they do exist. And, you know, I thought, I need to get Eva in this great place for, or at least a place of, you know, improvement and working her life.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Out and looking after herself.

[Sharon Horgan]

Yeah, exactly. Before I absolutely ruin her life to.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Give you an excuse to get a trainer in real life, I guess.

[Sharon Horgan]

Well, there you go.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Preparation. There you go.

[Sharon Horgan]

Yeah.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Did it feel risky, though, menopause humor? Did you worry whether anyone besides, I don't know me, fellow middle aged woman, whether we would laugh?

[Sharon Horgan]

No, not at all. I didn't really. And in fact, I think if you think too deeply about what specific audience members are gonna be liking or disliking, then you're sort of. You're heading for a fall kind of thing. You have to write what's interesting to you and what you hope is gonna appeal, but at the same time, it just has to always be about the story, and it has to be about the characters.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That's such good advice for so many things. Like, you can't worry about whether this is gonna be a crowd pleaser or not. If I find this funny, the rest of you should get on board.

[Sharon Horgan]

Well, that's it. You know, I mean, saying that I felt a responsibility because people were so lovely about the first season and particularly women getting in touch and women who've been in those terrible relationships and felt seen. I didn't want to mess it up. Then that's down to me to just work hard to make sure the story goes places that is both unexpected but also truthful, you know, so that's all I can do and then cross my fingers. Cross everything.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Cross everything. Thank you so much. This has been an absolute delight.

[Sharon Horgan]

Oh, thank you so much for having me.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Sharon Horgan. She is the creator and star of Bad Sisters, which you can find on Apple tv. This episode was produced by Katherine Fink. It was edited by Sarah Handel and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. Thanks to our CONSIDER THIS plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. You can Learn more at plus.NPR.org It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.