Derry Girls will be receiving a special extended episode after the season 3 finale. Derry Girls, created by Lisa McGee, is the hit comedy that airs on Channel 4 in the UK and as a Netflix original in North America. The series, which is loosely based on McGee's life experiences, follows five teenagers growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland during the Troubles in the 90s. Derry Girls almost immediately became a hit when it was first released back in 2018, prompting a season 2 only a year later. Currently, Derry Girls is in the middle of airing its third and final season.
With Derry Girls season 2 ending on a particularly heartwarming note, audiences were left wanting for a third season to explore what would happen to the gang next. Unfortunately, Derry Girls was one of the many television and film productions that found themselves hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Production on Derry Girls season 3 was postponed numerous times, leaving a nearly three-year gap between it and the series' previous season. However, earlier this year, fans were finally given the news of the return of Derry Girls when its third and final season began airing on April 12th. While many were happy for the show's return, for many it was bittersweet knowing that the Derry Girls was set to conclude after season 3's six-episode run.
However, it has been revealed that Derry Girls seems to have one more trick up its sleeve. Channel 4 has announced (as reported by British Comedy Guide) that Derry Girls will be receiving a special extended final episode that will air shortly after the season 3 finale. According to Channel 4, the episode will be entitled "The Agreement," and will pick up one year after the conclusion of Derry Girls season 3. The episode will take place during the Good Friday Agreement referendum, which finally brought peace to Northern Ireland, though more importantly, may overshadow Erin and Orla's joint 18th birthday party. See Channel 4's full quote below:
"For this special instalment we return to Derry one year later as the gang prepare for their final year of school. It's the week of the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement and its timing couldn't be any worse as the highlight of the year, Erin and Orla's joint 18th birthday party, threatens to be overshadowed. While the family try to get their heads around the possible outcomes of the vote, the gang realise that they may not be ready for what the future holds."
The decision to extend the series one more episode to show one year in the future makes a lot of sense. While the series has always primarily focused on the wacky misadventures that the characters get themselves into in their day-to-day lives, the Troubles has always been a very prominent backdrop for Derry Girls. To line up the characters' final coming-of-age story with the freedom of their home country seems like a truly fitting way to end this unique and hilarious series.
While audiences will be sad to see the end of Derry Girls, it seems that they will at least be given a true and appropriate conclusion to the story. While creator McGee hasn't necessarily ruled out the possibility of bringing back the Derry Girls one day (perhaps in the form of a film), she has been clear that she always intended to end Erin, Orla, Claire, Michelle, and James' stories after three seasons. While it may be hard to see them go, it seems that Derry Girls is promising to go out with a very special bang.
Source: Channel 4/British Comedy Guide
