Anyone who has spent the last four years rewatching “Derry Girls” knows the wit and charm of showrunner and writer Lisa McGee’s work. Thankfully, McGee’s new thriller-comedy “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” premiered on Netflix in February, and it’s a must-watch.

The show follows a trio of friends: Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne). In the first episode, each of the women receives an email inviting them to a wake for a school friend, Greta (Natasha O’Keeffe), whom none of the women have spoken to in years.

It’s clear the friends are somehow strongly connected to Greta, as they immediately book flights and leave their families to pay their respects. However, when Saorise accidentally knocks the lid off of Greta’s coffin, she discovers something shocking: the body is not Greta’s. 

As the women desperately try to figure out what happened to their friend and where she is now, they become entangled in a web of secrets and mysteries.

Something incredibly unique about “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” is not only the number of characters involved in the central mystery but also how fleshed out each of them is. Whether they’re a gas station cashier or a flight attendant, each character is undeniably essential to the plot.

While lovable side characters and strong female friendships are hallmarks of both “Derry Girls” and “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,” the editing and cinematography in the new show are a far leap from McGee’s earlier work. The eerie wide shots and surreal, unexplained clips inserted into otherwise normal scenes blur the lines between reality onscreen and what is occurring in characters’ minds and memories.

This uncertain balance between fact and fiction is a central theme of the show. It’s primarily confronted through Saorise, a screenwriter who inserts dialogue and events from her life into her work, often leaving the people in her life feeling like fodder for her plotlines.

Somewhat paradoxically, though, it’s easy to imagine a team of screenwriters drawing on their own experiences when creating the character of Saorise, further complicating this ethical issue and ensuring there is no easy answer to the show’s moral questions.

“How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,” however, is not about easy answers.

I often find comfort in mysteries because they feature characters finding order and reason in an initially chaotic world, often ending with a satisfying, step-by-step explanation and a return to the status quo. I appreciate that “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” takes on difficult moral and ethical questions that don’t have simple solutions, instead demonstrating that there can be just as much satisfaction in chaos and uncertainty.

The final episode of “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” is a perfect conclusion, but it also leaves the door open for more adventures from the central trio. While I would be content with only one season, I believe “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” has more to say, and I am more than willing to listen.

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