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Exclusive: Obituary creator Ray Lawlor has signed with Insight Entertainment.

Launched in 2023, Obituary is from Apc Studios (UK) and Irish indie Magamedia for Irish pubcaster RTÉ and Hulu in the U.S. It follows Elvira (Siobhán Cullen), a young woman obsessed with death who writes obituaries for a local newspaper. Without enough bodies to fill the required column inches, she resorts to murder.

The show streams on Netflix in the UK. Ray also serves as the showrunner.

Production has begun on season 2, which sees Elvira struggling with the death of her father. She seeks relief in killing, but is beaten to the act by a mysterious new murderer in town. A local cop, Detective Rose (Noni Stapleton), suspects Elvira of the crime, which in this case she hasn’t committed. Elvira becomes determined to solve the murder herself and meet a potential kindred spirit.

Obituary was the 2024 Jury Award winner...

Exclusive: Extraordinary star Máiréad Tyers has joined the cast of Obituary as cameras roll on season two of the dark comedy crime drama. The series, from Apc Studios (UK) and Irish indie Magamedia, is for Irish pubcaster RTÉ and Hulu in the U.S. Bafta-nominated Tyers will star alongside returning lead actress Siobhán Cullen (The Dry).

The show plays on Netflix in the UK. It follows Elvira (Cullen), a young woman obsessed with death who writes obituaries for a local newspaper. Without enough bodies to fill the required column inches, she resorts to murder.

Season 2 will film in County Donegal. It sees Elvira struggling with the death of her beloved father. Again, she seeks relief in killing, but is beaten to the act by a mysterious new murderer in town. A local cop, Detective Rose (Noni Stapleton), suspects Elvira of the crime, which in this case she hasn’t committed.

After airing on Rte in Ireland last September, all six episodes of the darkly comedic crime drama Obituary made their way over to the Hulu streaming service in November. Now, Variety reports that Obituary season 2 has been given the greenlight and, like its predecessor, is expected to consist of six episodes.

Written by Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal) and directed by John Hayes (Dublin Murders) and Oonagh Kearney (Vardy vs. Rooney), Obituary has the following synopsis: 24-year-old Elvira Clancy is feeling a little unfulfilled, although she adores her new job writing obituaries, but when her newspaper falls on hard times and her boss cuts her salary, she finds herself being paid per obituary overnight. When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work in the town, she discovers she might have a previously untapped bloodlust!

She relishes using ever more crafty methods to kill off the town’s unpleasant residents while making them look like accidents.

Foxtel/Binge Topper Amanda Laing Exiting

Foxtel and Binge’s Chief Commercial and Content Officer Amanda Laing has resigned and is exiting later this year. She joined the Australian TV giant in 2018 and has overseen the launch of streamer Binge, which is behind worldwide comedy hit Colin From Accounts. No word on her next move, but in a statement Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany paid tribute to Laing, saying she has “led dozens of negotiations with US studios for content and channel acquisitions, as well as supported the business as a leading executive on our sports rights deals.” Laing said it had been “privilege to work across both sport and entertainment.” She will remain with the company until September to ensure “a smooth transition of leadership.”

Hulu’s Irish Comedy-Drama ‘Obituary’ Travels

Dark Irish comedy-drama series Obituary has landed on a host of networks around the world. The six-part RTÉ series,...

Cillian Murphy obtained one of acting’s most coveted achievements when he won an Oscar for his leading role in “Oppenheimer.” But his award season run for the acclaimed Christopher Nolan film didn’t end with his big night at the Dolby Theater. The Irish actor went on to receive his home country’s highest acting honor on Sunday at the Irish Film and TV Academy Awards when he won the Lead Actor — Film category for “Oppenheimer.”

The ceremony honored the best Irish film and television of 2023, with Pat Collins’ “That They May Face the Rising Sun” winning Best Film. Other notable winners included Paul Mescal taking Supporting Actor for “All of Us Strangers” and Alison Oliver winning Supporting Actress for “Saltburn.”

Keep reading for a complete list of winners from the 2024 Irish Film and TV Academy Awards.

Best Film

“Double Blind”

“Flora and Son”

“Lies We Tell”

“Lola”

“That They May Face the Rising Sun...

Cillian Murphy, Kin season two and Paul Mescal were among the winners of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024, which were handed out during a ceremony in Dublin on Saturday.

Lies We Tell, about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family, led the nominations for the movie portion of the awards with 13 and went home with three. It was followed by That They May Face the Rising Sun, which took home the best film prize, and Double Blind, with 11 each. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel about passion, war and migration, while Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes wrong.

Among the lead acting nominees were such big names as Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson and Jessie Buckley. Murphy took home the best actor...

Fresh from his Academy Award win for best actor, “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy now has a chance to claim the same honor at his local awards.

The Irish Film and TV Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominees for its 2024 awards, with Murphy going up against “Saltburn’s'” Barry Keoghan and “All of Us Strangers” star Andrew Scott in the best actor category. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley (“Fingernails”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Foe”) are among those nominated for best actress, while Paul Mescal (“All of Us Strangers”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Oppenheimer”) are in the running for best supporting actor.

But it was actually Irish features leading the pack of nominees, with Lisa Mulcahy’s “Lies We Tell” landing 13, followed by “That They May Face the Rising Sun” and “Double Blind.”

The IFTAs ceremony will be take place on April 20 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre with Irish TV personality Baz Ashmawy on hosting duties.

Nominations are out for the 21st Irish Film & Television Awards with Lisa Mulcahy’s thriller Lies We Tell leading the pack on the feature side at 13, and crime drama Kin heading up the TV fields with 11 (scroll down for the ful list of nominees). The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) will hand out its prizes on April 20 in Dublin.

Alongside Lies We Tell in the Best Film category are Double Blind, Flora and Son, Lola, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Verdigris. Each of those films also scored a mention for their directors.

In what was a banner year for Irish talent, there are several awards season notables vying for Best Actor as well, including Oppenheimer Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan and All of Us Strangers’ Andrew Scott.

The Best International Film race includes All of Us Strangers, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, Saltburn and The Holdovers.

Lies We Tell, with 13, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Double Blind, with 11 each, are leading the nominations for the movie portion of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024.

Lies We Tell is about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family when she becomes the ward of an uncle determined to marry her off. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel of passion, war, and migration. Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes horribly wrong. Andrew Legge’s Lola, a science fiction drama set in 1940, received seven noms on Thursday.

Among the lead acting nominees are such big names as Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson, and Jessie Buckley. The best supporting film actor category, meanwhile, includes Kenneth Branagh and Paul Mescal.

And...

Dark comedy is not everyone’s cup of tea. If executed well, any show or film based on this branch of humor leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Physical, Succession, Barry, Bad Sisters, and the very famous After Life are some of the prominent examples. Obituary is a brand-new Irish comedy series that flirts with dark comedy for most of its runtime. This six-episode show is a Hulu original released on November 21, 2023, written and created by Ray Lawlor.

The show is about small-time journalist Elvira Clancy, who writes obituaries for the local newspaper ‘Kilraven Chronicle’. Elvira lives with her unemployed father, Ward Clancy, in the small town of Kilraven, Ireland, and she is not happy with the pay she receives from her employers. The newspaper has a low circulation rate, and she ends up being paid based on the number of obituaries she writes instead of a steady monthly income.

All six episodes of the darkly comedic crime drama Obituary will be available to watch on the Hulu streaming service as of Tuesday, November 21st – and with that date just a week away, we have the trailer for the show for you to check out in the embed above.

Written by Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal) and directed by John Hayes (Dublin Murders) and Oonagh Kearney (Vardy vs. Rooney), Obituary has the following synopsis: 24-year-old Elvira Clancy is feeling a little unfulfilled, although she adores her new job writing obituaries, but when her newspaper falls on hard times and her boss cuts her salary, she finds herself being paid per obituary overnight. When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work in the town, she discovers she might have a previously untapped bloodlust!

She relishes using ever more crafty methods to kill off the town’s unpleasant residents while making them look like accidents.

"If my purpose in life is to kill, I think I'll make some rules." Hulu has unveiled an official trailer for an Irish crime comedy series called Obituary, created by the Irish writer Ray Lawlor from a small West of Ireland town. It'll be out to watch streaming in the US this November. Obituary is a dark comedy in which a small town newspaper falls into hard times and 24-year-old Obituarist Elvira Clancy learns she'll now be paid per obituary. When deaths trickle to a halt and her work dries up, she soon discovers that by murdering the residents of her small town, she will not only earn more money but also discover an untapped bloodlust. Her plans are shaken when she falls for the new crime reporter. "This is a fun, darkly twisted drama that proudly allows me to transport some of the wit and characters I encounter every...

Exclusive: Bad Sisters star Michael Smiley has boarded Hulu dark comedy Obituary, as the show sets the rest of its cast and enters principal photography in Ireland.

Smiley will play lead Elvira Clancy’s (Siobhán Cullen) protective and troubled father Ward Clancy in the Apc/Magamedia-produced six-parter that was first revealed by Deadline late last year.

Smiley, whose past credits include the BBC’s Bloodlands and who played well-meaning-but-troubled-neighbor Roger Muldoon in Sharon Horgan’s Apple TV+ hit Bad Sisters, is joined by Ronan Raftery (The Rook), Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone) and David Ganly (Moon Knight) as the show rounds out cast and enters principal photography in County Donegal.

Obituary, which has been pre-bought by Irish network RTÉ, follows an unpaid obituarist working at a small town newspaper. When she ‘accidentally’ kills a nasty piece of work in the town, she discovers she might have an untapped bloodlust...