Say Nothing (TV series)

Say Nothing is a 2024 historical drama limited series created by Joshua Zetumer and produced by FX Productions. The series premiered on November 14, 2024, on FX on Hulu. It is an adaptation of the 2018 book by Patrick Radden Keefe and details four decades in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. Say Nothing received generally positive reviews from critics.
The series follows the lives of people growing up in Belfast in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s during the Troubles, as well as their involvement in the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and inquiries into the Disappeared and particularly the murder of Jean McConville. Interviews from the Belfast Project are woven into the narrative which also includes depictions of the 1973 Old Bailey bombing and the subsequent hunger strike by the Price sisters, Dolours and Marian.
The production is an adaptation of the Patrick Radden Keefe best-selling book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, which detailed the abduction and murder of Jean McConville, a widow and mother of ten. Edward McDonnell, Monica Levinson, Joshua Zetumer and Michael Lennox are executive producers with Zetumer also serving as showrunner and Lennox directing the nine-part series. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson's Color Force are producing.
In February 2024, Lola Petticrew, Hazel Doupe, Anthony Boyle, Josh Finan and Maxine Peake were confirmed as the lead cast. The cast also includes Michael Colgan, Kerri Quinn, Stuart Graham, Laura Donnelly, Rory Kinnear, Amy Molloy, Helen Behan, Damien Molony and Judith Roddy. Filming took place in the Walton area of Liverpool in May 2023. Filming locations also include Belfast, London, Sheffield, and Shepton Mallet Prison, near Bath in Somerset in August and September 2023.
The series was released internationally on 14 November 2024, on Disney+ in the UK and elsewhere and on Hulu in the United States.
The series portrays Gerry Adams as being a senior IRA commander. Adams has always denied any involvement in the IRA. Each episode contains an endnote stating "Gerry Adams has always denied being a member of the IRA or participating in any IRA-related violence." At the end of episodes 7 to 9 there is an additional disclaimer that "He further denies any involvement in the abduction of Jean McConville."
Episode 9 depicts Marian shooting Jean McConville. Marian Price has denied any involvement in the death of McConville. The episode contains an endnote stating "Marian Price also denies any involvement in the murder of Jean McConville." In December 2024, she initiated legal action against the makers of the show for the depiction.
The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks 20 million monthly viewing decisions across all streaming platforms in the US, calculated that Say Nothing was the seventh most-streamed series in the US from November 14—20. It moved to ninth place for the week ending November 27.
Say Nothing holds a 93% approval rating from 46 critics and an average rating of 8.5/10 on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus on the website states, "All the more powerful for its moral and political ambiguity, Say Nothing is a haunting depiction of The Troubles." On Metacritic, the series has a "generally favorable" reception based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from 23 critics.
Benji Wilson of The Daily Telegraph gave Say Nothing a grade of five out of five, describing it as a powerful blend of history, tragedy, and thriller, effectively weaving together multiple narratives that span four decades of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He praised the series for its compelling portrayal of key figures like Gerry Adams, Jean McConville, Dolours Price, and Brendan Hughes, noting their strong performances and well-developed storylines. Wilson acknowledged the challenge of adapting Patrick Radden Keefe's 2018 book but commended the show for capturing its essence. He pointed out that the series initially romanticizes the IRA but later shifts to a more profound reflection on the past, with the inclusion of interviews from the Belfast Tapes. He highlighted the theme of the need for reconciliation and the tension between silence and truth, particularly through the character of Gerry Adams. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian rated Say Nothing three out of five, saying it could have easily become chaotic, given its multiple narratives and time shifts, but it maintains clarity by firmly grounding its characters and their stories in history. She praised the series for its gripping portrayal of the Troubles, particularly focusing on the abduction of Jean McConville and the story of Dolours Price, an IRA volunteer. Mangan highlighted the performances, especially from Maxine Peake as Dolours in later years and Lola Petticrew as her younger self. She noted that while the series is emotionally engaging, it sometimes feels overly sympathetic to its main characters, particularly the Price sisters, Gerry Adams, and Brendan Hughes, and fails to fully address the consequences of their actions. Despite its darkening tone, Mangan felt that the show did not sufficiently reckon with the suffering caused by its protagonists.
McConville's son was critical of the adaption, saying that "[u]sing what happened to our mother for entertainment is sickening. To make money out of her murder and the pain that has been in our lives ever since is cruel and obscene. I doubt they even think of us as real people." On 4 December 2024, Marian Price announced, through her solicitor, that she would be taking legal action against Disney+ over the series depicting her killing Jean McConville.
The series was nominated for Best Drama at the Irish Film and Television Awards in January 2025, with Michael Lennox nominated for Best Director and Kirsten Sheridan and Joshua Zetumer for Best Script. Acting nominations came for Anthony Boyle and Lola Petticrew with supporting nominations for Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Hazel Doupe. At the awards on 15 February 2025 Lola Petticrew won Best Actress in a Lead Role, Hazel Doupe won Best Supporting Actress-Drama, and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor won Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Anthony Boyle also won the Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland IFTA Rising Star. In March 2025, it was nominated for Best International Series at the 2025 British Academy Television Awards, with Petticrew nominated for Leading Actress and Peake for Supporting Actress.