Obituary

Episode 1: So off we go. Our female protagonist/lead is the death notice writer in small town Ireland. Surprisingly a topic of huge interest around these parts. Funerals are more than an "Irish Wake". You meet people you haven't seen in years. Great chance to place your bets on who might be next. Our grave yard punter is an enigma. That's unusual.

The organ Elvira works at.. is.. another surprise laying off staff.

Spoiler: I'm Irish. And know all about this morbid fascination with the dead. Sure no better man than Joyce himself wrote a classic called "The Dead".

The premise of this show is clever. Have to give the writer (West of Ireland native Ray Lawlor) props for the idea. This virgin of TV production has a something that could run and run. Everybody dies. You can't defame the dead. The obituary can go anywhere.

The cast of characters are good. Production good. Ok it's a little slow. But in modern binge watching that's not a bad thing. It kinda lures you in. It will get better.

Ireland's byways and lay-bys are full of great material. I'm always reminded of an Irish classic "The Butcher's Boy". Shows the town clown in the most brutal way.

Evil deeds are a foot.

I'm staying with *The Obituary* Will you???

P. S. I would't have told Mr. Lawlor any secrets Castlebar.. He'll tell the world...

Ah, thank God there is finally a show worth watching lately. It's smart, clever and witty - those who came before and gave this 1 out of 10 stars (Well, just one of you) probably logged off Hulu to go and watch the next SpongeBob SquarePants release.

This is dark, not too dark, but it just works. Ireland, misty clouds, grey skies but in this series it's always blue skies and sunshine- especially when our protagonist is out and about. That smile, that wry grin when Elvira realizes she has to continue... it gives me goosebumps. I love it. I want more.

This series re-designs whatever genre you found it in, and I love that. The comedy is dark, the drama is light, the stories are believable. These are the crazy stories that could befall any one of us. Misfortune bound out of human weakness, the failed attempts to fix them. Every one of the main characters has stuffed up and for that we can relate to each of them. They are human and make human mistakes with incredible consequences. Just like in real life.

Don't come here looking to get your heartstrings pulled.

This show is not warm and fuzzy, but it is stylish, smart, and extremely well-acted. Also has a great soundtrack, and doesn't rely on gore/ shock. It prioritizes wit and plot.

Save a few moments of asking just 1% too much belief suspension, this show is perfect. Im sure it will survive a few re-watches. I suspect there are telling details to be caught the second & third time around. I could change my mind on the last 1%.

We've seen anti-hero shows before, but this one is the most sophisticated. It trusts the viewer to understand. It's better than Dexter, Based on a True Story, etc. It's Wednesday for the real world (which is to say, darker.)

Not warm and fuzzy at all. Very cold.

It's a backdrop of a quiet and rather alcoholic-fuelled quaint Irish town which is very beautiful and old. A romantic setting against an unromantic script and storyline!

A romance of journalism and morbality is the concept. A local paper hires a young up-and-comer called 'Elvira Clancy'; played by Siobhán Cullen; whose job is to write the local obituary pages!

Yes there is a speficied job for just the Obitruary pages! This seems obsurd to me as journalists normally cover more than just one criteria.

Still it sets the scene for the grim outlook and the script unravels. Her boss; Hughie Burns; played by David Ganly; has no idea of her actual goings-on. He's happy with the literature quest except until he can't afford to keep her on staff due to finance problems.

This is an ongoing issue for small print local journalism. It's very hard to keep afloat and financially ticking-over. So many printed newspapers don't last. They rely on local businesses to sustain them with advertising revenue.

Then the story goes insane with a LOT of twists and if I mentioned those it would be giving the gist away. I enjoyed the show and it was a nice pace. It was dark and witty and the humour was throughout.

It's a descent show and refreshing compared to some garbage on tv these days. A solid 7/10! Great to see the lead protagonist being a women as well when so many of these dark roles are played by men!

This series is so, well, very Irish - in the best possible ways. Yes, the series is grey, as noted by the previous reviewer and it fits the mood not just of the title of the series, but of the town and the lives therein.

And then things start poppin when the editor of the town newspaper changes things up. That one sentence flips the towns' world and we get to view all the twists and turns along with all the shadows and learn all townspeople secrets.

Great characters and story lines. The cinematography is subtle, like the colors of the winter sea and landscape.

If you want flashy - this isn't the one. If you want subtly funny and smart - give this one a go. You just might enjoy it!