The Dry (TV series)

The Dry is an Irish comedy-drama television series created by Nancy Harris and produced by Element Pictures. It stars Roisin Gallagher, Siobhán Cullen, Moe Dunford and Ciarán Hinds. The series premiered as a BritBox original on 5 May 2022.

A second series was released on ITVX on 14 March 2024. On 8 January 2025, ITV ordered a third series of The Dry.

Plot

Shiv Sheridan (Gallagher), a woman recovering from alcoholism, returns home to Dublin to face a family who are not terribly supportive of her sobriety. She is 35, has spent the last ten years in London trying to make it as an artist but has nothing to show for it. Having lost her job at a gallery and fallen out with flat mates who were always partying, she returns home for her Granny's funeral and asks her mother if she can stay. It is clear that the family all drink, sometimes to excess, and her brother does coke - so staying won't be easy.

Cast

Main

Roisin Gallagher as Shiv Sheridan
Siobhán Cullen as Caroline Sheridan
Pom Boyd as Bernie Sheridan
Moe Dunford as Jack
Adam John Richardson as Ant Sheridan
Eoin Duffy as Rory
Ciarán Hinds as Tom Sheridan
Sam Keeley as Alex (Season 2)
Michael McElhatton as Finbar (Season 2)

Recurring

Emmanuel Okoye as Max
Janet Moran as Karen
Hélène Patarot as Mina
Dagmar Döring as Kristen
Stephen Hogan as Dan
Barry Barnes as Simon

Production

Harris was inspired to develop the series in 2016, given her sense of being estranged from her Irish identity. The series was in development from Element for RTÉ One in 2020, and it was confirmed that December that the project would receive funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. In August 2021, it was announced BritBox had commissioned The Dry from Element in association with Screen Ireland, ITV Studios and RTÉ. Harris is executive producing the series alongside Emma Norton, Michael Dawson, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe.

Alongside the commission came the casting announcement; Roisin Gallagher would lead the series along with Ciarán Hinds, Siobhán Cullen, Moe Dunford, Adam J. Richardson and Pom Boyd.

Principal photography for the first series began in August 2021.