Bad Sisters returns for a second season, with Sharon Horgan and her dysfunctional Garvey gang reprising their roles as siblings with a knack for trouble and a taste for murder. But this time, the stakes are different. Gone is the original “who killed the jerk?” intrigue of the first season, replaced with something more complicated, a little bit darker, but also a lot more introspective. Does it still pack a punch? Well, let’s just say the sisters are less about committing crimes this time and more about dealing with the wreckage they’ve left behind—and that change comes with mixed results.
Season 2 opens with a familiar atmosphere: the gorgeous, blustery Irish coast, chaotic family gatherings, and the biting humor that made Season 1 a standout. But there’s a sense of aftermath hanging heavy over everything. The sisters—Eva, Grace, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka—are all grappling with the consequences of their “accidental” murder of John Paul. And as entertaining as it is to watch them squirm under the weight of their actions, it’s clear the show is asking a different set of questions this time. Rather than the who and how of Season 1, Season 2 is more concerned with the why—and whether the Garvey sisters can live with themselves now that the dust has settled.
The performances, as always, are stellar. Sharon Horgan’s Eva is as sharp-tongued as ever, though there’s a weariness to her this time that speaks volumes. The chemistry between the sisters remains the show’s strongest asset, and their dynamic—equal parts love, exasperation, and shared trauma—is what makes Bad Sisters worth watching even when the plot loses some of its steam. Sarah Greene’s Bibi stands out as she wrestles with guilt and anger, particularly in her attempts to distance herself from the family while never quite being able to let go. And then there’s Grace, played by Anne-Marie Duff, who carries the season’s most emotional arc as she tries to move on from her abusive marriage while dealing with a mountain of unresolved grief.
Season 2 also introduces a new antagonist, someone not quite as loathsome as John Paul but far more insidious in their own way—a character who thrives on manipulating the sisters from the shadows rather than confronting them directly. It’s a different energy, and while Claes Bang’s presence as JP is sorely missed (mostly because he made such a gloriously despicable villain), the change in stakes feels appropriate given where the story is headed.
The problem, if there is one, lies in the pacing. Season 1’s tightly wound murder plot gave it a sense of urgency that kept the episodes flying by. Season 2, with its introspective bent and slower focus on the fallout of JP’s death, feels a little meandering at times. There’s a lot of emotional heavy lifting happening, and while it’s often powerful, it also means the show’s sense of mischief takes a backseat to somber reflection. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means—there’s still plenty of dark humor, ridiculous cover-ups, and tension between the sisters—but it’s a noticeable shift.
What Bad Sisters does well, however, is dive into the complexities of familial loyalty. The Garvey sisters remain deeply flawed, and Season 2 makes no effort to clean them up. Instead, it leans into their imperfections—their selfishness, their neediness, their inability to let each other go even when it would probably be healthier if they did. It’s messy, but it’s real. And that’s what makes the show compelling: it knows that love, especially between sisters, is as much about shared mistakes as it is about shared joys.
Is Bad Sisters Season 2 as thrilling as the first? No, not quite. But it’s still a worthy follow-up that chooses to deepen the emotional stakes rather than simply replay the same game. It’s a little slower, a little more melancholic, but it’s also more rewarding if you’re willing to stick with the Garvey sisters as they untangle the mess they’ve made of their lives. And as they stand on the precipice of even more trouble by the end of the season, one thing’s for sure: these sisters still have plenty of fight left in them.
