'The Dry' Comes to Sundance Now in November

The Irish comedy-drama The Dry first caught our attention last spring, debuting on the soon-to-be-defunct BritBox UK. (Don't worry, it's not going away-away, it's just being folded into ITVX.) Starring Roisin Gallagher (The Fall), the eight-episode limited series hails from Element Pictures, the same company that brought Normal People and Conversations With Friends to BBC Three and Hulu. But unlike those Sally Rooney-penned romances, The Dry was starker, a story about sobriety and how the family you love are sometimes the ones who make staying that way hardest of all.

Gallagher plays Shiv Sheridan, a woman fighting to keep her alcoholism at bay. At the moment, she's five months, 17 days, AND six hours sober, a record about to be sorely tested when she heads home for her grandmother's wake. Though it's billed as a comedy, The Dry isn't the kind of gut-buster generally associated with that word, but the sort of painful black humor that barely cracks a smile, where the variety of jokes you make are the ones to keep from crying.  

At the time it streamed on BritBox UK, there was no U.S. distributor lined up, and it wasn't sure if there would be, considering the series' very Irish-centric setting and story. However, AMC Networks has scooped it up as part of its niche streamer Sundance Now's November lineup, with the episodes streaming simultaneously on the parent company's flagship service AMC+.

Here's the series synopsis:

The story centres on 35-year-old Shiv, the eldest daughter, as she returns to Ireland for her grandmother’s wake, taking a break from London and her ‘career’ (with a small ‘c’) in art. Shiv is six months sober, and it is fair to say her life is not going as planned. Shiv’s family – who have never really dealt with or talked about the damage caused by the sudden death of her adored elder brother, not to mention her parents’ failing marriage or Shiv’s own chaotic behaviour – are wary of having her back. To make matters worse there’s also her charmer of an ex-boyfriend Jack, who has the uncanny knack of always appearing when she’s at her most vulnerable. His charming presence reminds Shiv of the excitement and thrill of excess from her youth – to call him a trigger would be an understatement. Can Shiv come to terms with her true addiction and the realities of her life, amid a dysfunctional yet loveable family who are each individually facing their own demons?

Gallagher co-stars alongside Siobhán Cullen (The Long Call) as her sister Caroline, Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) and Pom Boyd (Vanity Fair) as her parents, Tom and Bernie, and Moe Dunford (Dublin Murders) as her ex-boyfriend, Jack. The rest of the cast includes Emmanuel Okoye (Conversations with Friends), Stephen Hogan (The Tudors), Eoin Duffy (Let The Wrong One In), Bryan Quinn (T2 Trainspotting), Aaran Donoghue (Fate: The Winx Saga), plus newcomer Adam Richardson. All eight episodes were helmed by director Paddy Breathnach (Vikings).

The Dry debuts on Sundance Now and AMC+, with all episodes starting Thursday, November 17, 2022.