Say Nothing (TV series)

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. ==Cast==

• Lola Petticrew as Dolours Price • Maxine Peake as older Dolours • Hazel Doupe as Marian Price • Helen Behan as older Marian • Anthony Boyle as Brendan Hughes • Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as older Brendan • Josh Finan as Gerry Adams • Michael Colgan as older Gerry • Seamus O'Hara as Mackers (Anthony McIntyre) • Kerri Quinn as Crissie Price • Stuart Graham as Albert Price • Rory Kinnear as Frank Kitson • Amy Molloy as Private Sarah Jane • Frank Blake as Seamus Wright • Emma Canning as Kathleen • Adam Best as Joe Lynskey • Martin McCann as Pat • Emily Healy as Helen McConville • Laura Donnelly as older Helen • Isaac Heslip as Archie McConville • Judith Roddy as Jean McConville • Damien Molony as Stephen Rea ==Episodes==

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, against the backdrop of four decades during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. 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 produced the series. 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. and Shepton Mallet Prison, near Bath in Somerset in August and September 2023. ==Broadcast==

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. ==Reception==

Critical response Say Nothing received generally positive reviews from critics. It 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. Viewership 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. Reactions 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 , Marian Price announced, through her solicitor, that she would be taking legal action against Disney+ over the series depicting her killing Jean McConville. On 2 July 2025 Price filed a claim against Disney in the Dublin High Court seeking damages and the removal of the scene in the ninth episode that showed her shooting McConville. Accolades == Notes ==