Compare How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Season 1 vs The Paper, Season 2

The leads stay recognizably themselves even while making disastrous choices. Reviewers appreciated that later scenes tend to explain apparent contradictions through history, personality, and the long habits of friendship.

Ned’s characterization is a sore point for some critics, who find his ethics, competence, and behavior contradictory enough to make the season’s central relationship harder to trust.

The friendship does more than trade insults: the women are pushed to own their choices and repair damaged trust. Reviewers found that reckoning genuine, especially when the story connects present behavior to older wounds.

The season draws sharp criticism for treating fabricated quotes and manipulated photos too lightly, with one reviewer especially bothered by the lack of meaningful repercussions.

McGee's rapid-fire dialogue is a major strength: sharp, profane, layered, and often devastatingly funny in the same breath. Its speed can demand concentration, but reviewers repeatedly say the banter crackles.

At least one critic finds the season short on memorable, quotable lines even when the writing is otherwise clever or likable.

The 40- to 50-minute format gives the mystery room to expand, but one reviewer found that length less inviting for casual comedy rewatches. Shorter episodes would have made it easier to throw on again.

The roughly 20–25 minute episodes are praised for keeping jokes moving without making the newsroom stories feel crammed.

The finale earns credit for a clever turn and for resolving major questions, but the reaction is far from unanimous. Other reviewers found it perplexing, tonally split, or less satisfying than the stronger start.

The finale is praised as hopeful and memorable, with Esmeralda’s undercover material singled out as one of the season’s funniest moments.

The closing hook creates interest in another season, but it also frustrated one reviewer because renewal was uncertain. The tease works as a continuation device more than as a fully comforting stopping point.

The unresolved Ned-and-Mare ending is treated as a useful setup for another season, leaving their relationship in a deliberately unsettled place rather than closing it off.

The mystery is engaging but often asks a lot of the viewer. Some found the knots involving, while others needed notes or complained about identities, side plots, false leads, and late-season complications becoming confusing.

One major criticism is that the central relationship becomes so ambiguous that the reviewer cannot tell what direction the show wants the audience to follow.

The crime plot is often proudly absurd, yet reviewers found the friendship, arguments, and emotional reactions surprisingly authentic. Even improbable situations can feel grounded when the women start talking like people who have known one another for decades.

The journalism portrayal sharply divides reviewers: one calls it an accurate picture of digital-era news, while another finds its ethics and newsroom behavior badly divorced from reality.

The tonal juggling is the season's biggest fault line. Some reviewers admired how comedy, dread, grief, and absurdity flow together; others felt the series became stressful, inconsistent, or like two different shows by the finale.

The show’s blend of warmth, cringe, and broad farce works for some reviewers but feels wobbly or over-sanitized to others, especially when darker or more bizarre behavior lacks a sharp comic payoff.

The script draws emphatic praise for its wit, character conflict, and ability to make chaos feel natural. Even when the plot is criticized, the actual scene writing and comic construction are often treated as first-rate.

One strongly positive review credits the season’s smart writing with consistently delivering the laughs.

The central trio's chemistry is the clearest point of agreement. Their bickering, affection, old grudges, and effortless rhythm make the decades-long friendship feel lived in and often carry the show when the mystery wobbles.

Chemistry is one of the season’s biggest divides. Many reviewers find the ensemble increasingly comfortable and Ned and Mare warm or natural together, while others see little spark or feel the romance weakens once they become a couple.

Quick cuts are used deliberately for comic effect and were praised as part of the show's energetic technique. The editing helps reinforce the frantic rhythm rather than simply documenting it.

The quicker mockumentary cutaways are specifically praised for improving comic timing and helping short reaction moments land more effectively.

Beneath the jokes, reviewers found a meaningful emotional current about grief, regret, friendship, and the lives the women did not end up living. Small lines and exchanges often linger after their immediate punch line.

Alongside the satire, the season is praised as heartfelt, giving its newsroom comedy a warmer emotional layer.

Friendship, memory, guilt, identity, trauma, midlife disappointment, Catholic inheritance, and the stories people tell about themselves all give the caper extra weight. Reviewers often found the emotional and cultural ideas richer than the literal whodunit mechanics.

The local-journalism premise gives the comedy real substance for many reviewers, especially around ethics, resources, and public trust. Others think the show retreats into safe sitcom territory just as those ideas become interesting.

The early run is commonly described as propulsive and addictive, while the later stretch divides opinion. Some liked the escalating road-trip energy; others felt the mystery stretched, repeated itself, or lost momentum near the end.

Season-level momentum is mixed: one reviewer thinks the back half improves substantially, while another feels the final stretch stumbles after a strong run.

The dramatic material can be intimate and emotionally sharp, especially when grief, memory, and friendship take precedence over spectacle. The main criticism is that the serious mystery sometimes sits awkwardly beside the show's zany default mode.

The central relationship is handled as an intentional balancing act, with the season taking risks by moving Ned and Mare forward quickly and then testing the relationship.

The central friendship and buried-secret mystery give the season a strong narrative engine, and most reviewers stayed invested. The recurring caveat is sprawl: side plots, identities, and escalating conspiracy can become more complicated than the emotional core needs.

Storytelling reactions range from praise for a stronger investigative spine and relationship progression to complaints about half-baked arcs, random weekly plots, and a central romance that absorbs too much oxygen.

Flashbacks, road-trip detours, and overlapping clues often keep the mystery lively and reveal character along the way. Repeated scenes and a recurring trouble-clue-escape pattern made the structure feel formulaic to some binge viewers.

The best episodes are praised for starting with simple workplace problems and escalating naturally into chaos. A harsher take says the story-of-the-week structure feels empty when the larger mission fades.

The humor is frequently described as laugh-out-loud, quick-witted, dark, and unmistakably Irish, with the trio's insults doing much of the work. A smaller group felt the laughs thinned out as the series became busier and darker.

Comedy is the biggest fault line. Many reviewers call Season 2 funnier, sharper, or laugh-out-loud effective, while others find the broad farce scattershot, safe, or simply not funny enough.

The adult friends are given meaningful midlife frustrations, old wounds, and evolving self-understanding, with Saoirse especially well developed. Some reviewers wanted more depth for Dara, Greta, and a few supporting figures.

Season 2 gets credit for moving relationships forward, giving Mare growth, and deepening several recurring characters. Detractors argue that some arcs remain stagnant or recycle the same relationship conflicts.

This is widely described as a hard show to stop watching, and several reviewers tore through all eight episodes quickly. The main drag on the binge is repetition and a season some felt could have been shorter.

The season is widely described as easy to keep watching; multiple reviewers call it an easy binge, and one said they simply did not want to stop.

Opinion splits sharply here. One critic saw familiar shows being reworked and rehashed, while another argued that McGee turns the genre mash-up into an exception through meta storytelling and a distinctive comic voice.

Some critics applaud the season for moving past stale will-they-won’t-they formulas, while others feel it still recycles too many familiar Office-style patterns.

Having all eight episodes available at once suits the bingeable story, but one reviewer worried that the drop-everything release could also make the series easy to miss. The concern is discoverability, not the viewing flow itself.

The all-at-once episode drop is criticized as making the season easier to consume quickly but also easier to forget.

For many reviewers, the comedy-mystery-thriller blend is exactly the appeal: strange, dark, funny, and unpredictable. The dissenters found the same mixture overstuffed, uncertain of its identity, or weaker when the crime mechanics took over.

For supporters, this is a warm workplace sitcom with real ideas and strong laughs; detractors argue that too many jokes miss for the show to fully satisfy as a comedy.

Eight episodes is the most repeated structural complaint. Multiple reviewers independently suggest the story could lose one or two installments—or simply be six episodes—without sacrificing its core mystery or character work.

The ten-episode season is repeatedly seen as too short for such a large ensemble, forcing the show to choose between romance, journalism, and supporting characters.

A sizeable group finished wanting more time with the trio and explicitly hoped for another season. That enthusiasm is tempered by a few reviewers who either disliked the characters or worried that the final tease could become frustrating if the story stopped there.

Interest in another season is notably high. Multiple reviewers explicitly want Season 3 or several more seasons, even when they acknowledge flaws in the current run.

Derry Girls echoes, cameos, mural nods, and Easter eggs delighted many fans without preventing this series from developing its own identity. A few critics thought the callbacks lingered too long or made the follow-up feel derivative.

Season 2 is generally seen as more confident outside The Office’s shadow, but reviewers disagree on how fully it has escaped familiar archetypes, callbacks, and relationship patterns.

The central mystery reaches a real resolution, and several reviewers found the ending effective or satisfying enough. Others thought it was tepid, anticlimactic, overly perplexing, or too eager to leave certain characters available for more.

The finale is viewed positively for giving the investigation a workable conclusion while ending the romance on a hopeful, continuation-friendly note.

The show often moves at a breathless clip, which many reviewers found electric and addictive. Others reported a sluggish middle, overstimulation, or moments that needed more room to land.

Pacing is contested: one reviewer likes how quickly episodes move, while another finds the episodes sluggish and underpowered.

Rewatch appeal is mixed. One reviewer thought a second viewing could reward the dense plotting, while another would not revisit it because the long comedy-thriller episodes are less casual than a short sitcom.

Rewatchability is a clear weakness in the more skeptical reviews, which see the season as pleasant comfort viewing but far below The Office’s repeat-viewing pull.

The dominant response is that the show is enormously entertaining, with reviewers calling it a belter, a rush of joy, great craic, and one of the year's best. Even several mixed reviews concede that the trio makes it very watchable.

Most reviewers find the season pleasant, charming, or genuinely funny, with several calling it a strong comfort watch. A smaller group sees it as merely fine or too forgettable to rise above crowded comedy competition.

One roundup highlighted a wave of four- and five-star notices and a very high critic aggregate, matching the generally enthusiastic tenor across much of the coverage. Critical dissent centers more on plotting and tone than on the cast.

Early critical reaction is described as largely positive, especially around the comedy and stronger identity, but the same coverage acknowledges notably harsh dissent.

Most reviewers found the series highly enjoyable and easy to recommend, with several calling it a must-watch or hoping it finds a larger audience. A minority saw its sensory overload and tonal excess as likely to make it a love-it-or-hate-it watch.

One reviewer calls the series an underrated gem that deserves more attention, suggesting strong appeal for viewers willing to invest in its character-driven newsroom comedy.

The leads' messy flaws are part of the design, and many reviewers found their chaos endearing or outright lovable. Others found the bickering trio difficult to believe as best friends or not likable enough to sustain another season.

Many reviewers find the newsroom increasingly warm, likable, and easy to spend time with, though a few actively dislike major characters or find certain romantic behavior toxic.

The pubs, roads, villages, police stations, cultural references, and eccentric locals create a vivid Irish world. Some reviewers wished the increasingly large conspiracy and supporting cast had been explored as deeply as the setting itself.

New characters and a broader newsroom ecosystem help the season feel like its own populated comedy world rather than a thin extension of Dunder Mifflin.

Performance quality is one of the safest bets here. Reviewers repeatedly call the ensemble excellent or brilliant, with the actors selling both the manic comedy and the heavier emotional turns.

Performances are generally viewed as a strength: the cast is described as solid and increasingly comfortable, with the second season giving several actors more room to settle into their roles.

Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne are repeatedly identified as the engine of the series. Their timing, emotional range, and ability to play off one another keep the story afloat through its messier stretches.

The leads are a major asset, with Domhnall Gleeson praised as a strong comic anchor and the central performances helping carry the season even when stories wobble.

The bench is unusually strong, with several tiny roles earning specific cheers and guest performers making vivid impressions quickly. A few mystery figures are underwritten, but the performers themselves are rarely the problem.

The supporting cast is one of the clearest strengths, with Lisa Gilroy, Sabrina Impacciatore, Tim Key, Jon Lovitz, Melvin Gregg, and others repeatedly singled out for laughs and scene-stealing energy.

The Belfast and Donegal speech is part of the fun, with slang, wisecracks, and Derry-accented digs adding a strong sense of place. One reviewer even recommends subtitles so none of the craic slips by.

The larger action set pieces add momentum without having to carry the series. One reviewer specifically liked that the comedy and character clashes remain the main attraction even when the show gets bigger.

Ireland is photographed with real atmosphere, from lovely scenery and striking locations to vibrant or ominous visual shifts. Even mixed reviews often acknowledged how good the series looks.

At least one small continuity choice earned explicit praise: damage to the women's car remains visible instead of magically disappearing after the mishap. That kind of follow-through helped the chaotic road trip feel coherent.

The series is repeatedly praised for feeling unmistakably Northern Irish and Irish, from Catholicism and language to pop culture, geography, humor, and the lingering aftereffects of the Troubles. Several reviewers saw that specificity as one of its richest qualities.

Direction drew direct praise for keeping the chaos visually lively and emotionally legible. Michael Lennox is singled out as captivating, while another review applauds the fish-eye choices and comic quick-cut technique.

The oversized ensemble is a recurring frustration. The cast is frequently praised, but romance-heavy plots and limited episode space leave several supporting characters sidelined or fighting for attention.

The foul-mouthed slang and dense local wisecracks are treated as part of the show's comic identity rather than a drawback. One reviewer recommends subtitles simply to catch every fast-moving line.

The season earns praise for a well-articulated debate about public shaming and how media judgment can spill from private behavior into public consequences.

Rather than recreating the Troubles directly, the series brings their cultural aftereffects into the present through memory, language, borders, Catholicism, and inherited caution. Reviewers praised that contemporary framing for being both specific and understated.

The opening is an immediate hook: reviewers call it a doozy, sharply funny, and fascinating. It establishes danger, friendship, and mystery quickly enough to make several viewers want to keep going almost at once.

The best twists repeatedly overturn expectations without feeling arbitrary, and several reviewers praised how earlier assumptions are reframed. Their sheer frequency can create whiplash, but unpredictability is a major part of the fun.

The season is praised as a worthwhile successor to The Office because it increasingly develops its own comic identity rather than functioning only as a nostalgia extension.

The Joe Burrow-related episode thread is singled out as absolutely hilarious, giving the season’s sports material a strong comic payoff.

The show scatters enough danger, clues, eerie imagery, and withheld information to keep most reviewers curious. Suspense is strongest when tied to the women's past; the more labyrinthine conspiracy material can blur that focus.

Booker stands out as an enjoyably vivid threat within the oddball ensemble. Her menace, visual presence, and blunt attitude make the antagonist side of the caper memorable without losing the show's comic flavor.

One reviewer specifically praised the thriller for avoiding gratuitous spectacle, with emotional consequences carrying more weight than violence. The darker material stays secondary to character rather than becoming an endurance test.

Costuming gets its biggest boost from Saoirse-Monica Jackson's escalating comic looks. Her wardrobe is singled out as part of what makes the character's appearances so memorably funny.

The show gets strong marks for polished, detail-rich environments, especially the early-2000s material and the money visibly put on screen. Period touches and Irish locations make the world feel textured rather than generic.

The visual package is bold, atmospheric, and often beautiful, shifting from Irish landscapes to neon and ominous imagery. That stylization is also divisive: some found it cartoonish or a case of style overwhelming substance.

The music is a standout for many reviewers, with early-2000s pop and Irish-flavored selections called exquisite, perfectly timed, or tremendous. One critic did tire of repeated needle drops, so the enthusiasm is strong rather than unanimous.