Michael McElhatton, Sam Keeley and Thommas Kane Byrne join returning cast members Roisin Gallagher, Ciarán Hinds, Pom Boyd, Siobhán Cullen and Adam Richardson.
RTÉ and ITV Studios, in partnership with award-winning production company Element Pictures (Normal People, Conversations with Friends, Dublin Murders), a Fremantle company, have today announced that filming has commenced on the second series of comedy-drama The Dry. The series is produced by Element Pictures, in association with Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland, RTÉ, and ITV Studios.
The eight-part comedy drama written by BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Nancy Harris (Dates) and directed by Paddy Breathnach (Viva, Rosie) will see the return of Roisin Gallagher (The Fall) as recovering alcoholic Shiv Sheridan, accompanied by an array of new cast arrivals. Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones) joins the series as Finbar, Bernie’s new close companion, whilst Thommas Kane Byrne (Derry Girls) plays Billy, Ant’s new nemesis. Could real love also finally be in the air for Shiv, with the arrival of charming barista Alex, played by Sam Keeley (Kin)? Additional newcomers include Seán Doyle (Normal People), Helen Norton (Cracks) and Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club).
Familiar faces also reprising their roles include Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) as Tom, Pom Boyd (Vanity Fair) as Bernie, Siobhán Cullen (Origin) as Caroline, Moe Dunford (Vikings) as Jack, Adam Richardson (Intruder) as Ant and Emmanuel Okoye (Conversations with Friends) as Max. The second series will stream exclusively on RTÉ One, RTÉ Player and ITVX next year whilst the first series is available to watch on RTÉ Player, which has almost 700,000 streams to date, and ITVX now.
The second series picks up seven months on from the events of the first, meeting the Sheridans in their new normal. To all outward appearances, it seems like the family is relatively content, but are the Sheridans really happy with this new status quo, or have they just rearranged their dysfunction to fit into a new groove of denial?
“I am thrilled to be jumping back into Shiv’s shoes once more,” said Roisin Gallagher. “It has been a joy to work with the returning cast from series one, and this time we’ve welcomed some new faces to share the chaotic shenanigans of the Sheridan’s life. I cannot wait to see where this next chapter takes us, there are so many more hilarious twists and turns in her continuous battle to stay sober.”
Executive producer Emma Norton at Element Pictures added: “We all fell in love with the Sheridan family in season one and so it’s a huge treat to get to spend more time in their company. Nancy has a hilarious and heartbreaking arc for this season and Paddy is leading our wonderful Irish cast and crew, to bring this fantastic new chapter to life.”
“We have all loved joining Shiv on her journey and getting to know her bonkers family the Sheridans,” said Nana Hughes, Head of Scripted Comedy. “Our viewers are looking forward to reuniting with this amazing cast of characters next year.”
Dermot Horan, Director of Acquisitions & Co-Productions for RTÉ commented: “RTÉ is delighted to be able to invite our viewers back into the manic, hilarious, but at times very recognisable Sheridan household. The first series really resonated with both our viewers on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and it forms an important pillar in our strategy to work with the best Irish writing, acting and directing talent.”
This follows the first series’ recent success at the 2023 IFTAs, with Ciarán Hinds winning Actor in a Supporting Role - Drama and Sarah Lynch winning Best Original Score.
Emma Norton, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe are serving as executive producers for Element Pictures, alongside Nancy Harris and Paddy Breathnach. Ingrid Goodwin will be producing. ITV Studios handles global distribution for The Dry. Filming is taking place in and around Dublin.
