Obituary

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!

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...

Meet Elvira (Siobhan Cullen) a normal girl, apart from she's obsessed with death, who has just been accepted for her perfect job as an obituary writer. But she soon finds out that obituary writers don't get paid very well especially in the small town where she lives because not many people die. So Elvira decides to start killing people, but so she doesn't get caught she makes the deaths look like accidents or suicides and only kills people that deserve it.

I enjoyed this series, because it's funny in a dark way and there are several parts were Elvira nearly gets caught and this adds tension and also sometimes adds to the comedy. But I do think there should have been more murders and at times I did find the series a bit slow.

The pace of the series also wasn't helped by this side plot where a new reporter (Emerson - Ronan Rafferty) is investigating a mysterious murder that happened 5 years ago. Although this side plot does lead to a good twist at the end I often found it uninteresting.

Although overall I enjoyed this series and I would happily watch a second series if they made one.

I love it! It's like the female version of Dexter, just not as bloody. Superb acting across the board! The storyline was well thought out & kept me interested every minute. It's a dark & compelling series with twists and turns.

Siobhán Cullen stars as Elvira, the main character & does a great job of maintaining her demeanor as a dark, almost soulless person. Like Dexter, Elivera still has a good side as well.

It's listed as a "dark comedy" but there's not that much comedy involved. Although there were a few scenes that did make me laugh. All in all I recommend the series & am anxious for another season!!

I have watched this after watching the Bodkin series with the same lead actress, and it feels somewhat connected in spirit - not plot-wise, but more like in sense of characters and general setting. Which is actually a good thing, as I've enjoyed the atmosphere.

Overall, I think it's a great little show that hopefully gets a continuation. There's a lot to like about it - distinct characters, significant backstory development, coherent storyline throughout the season, smart and sharp narrative and great cast doing great job. I did thoroughly enjoy it.

There are certain downsides, mostly in the general story and uneven decisions taken in the plot - not too serious, but some lines felt left dangling and some stories untold or rushed. But it's well worth viewing overall.