Love/Hate (TV series)

Conception

Stuart Carolan had previously written shows for the stage and one episode of RTÉ's Raw in 2008 before Love/Hate. In an interview with The Irish Times, Carolan said that he had the idea for Love/Hate in his head for years. He stated he was influenced by the 1996 murder of crime reporter Veronica Guerin and his mother's experience as an emergency department nurse, treating those who had been shot or stabbed.

Description

The story is set in Dublin's criminal underworld. The first season introduced John Boy, a criminal kingpin, and the four friends Darren, Nidge, Robbie and Tommy as his gang members. The show has also featured Ruth Negga, Ruth Bradley, Killian Scott, and Chris Newman. The story focuses on rivalries within the criminal milieu and the psychological effects of violence on the Darren character. It is directed by David Caffrey and produced by Simon Massey, Suzanne McAuley, and James Flynn.

The fourth season began broadcasting on 6 October 2013. The opening episode of season four attracted 970,600 viewers on RTÉ One.

Each episode cost approximately €600,000 to make.

Cast

During season four, it was revealed that Kieran O'Reilly, who played undercover Garda detective Ciarán Madden, was a real member of the Garda National Drug Unit. Gardaí are not prohibited from acting by the Garda Code, though there was an internal investigation into his appearance on the show.

Production

Commissioned by RTÉ Drama, it is produced by Octagon Films. The producers are Simon Massey, Suzanne McAuley, and James Flynn. Shooting for the first series began on 12 October 2009. The show is written by Stuart Carolan and initially directed by David Caffrey. The director of photography is Donal Gilligan and the show was filmed on the RED camera, a digital cinema camera, now the Arri Alexa. The production designer is Stephen Daly and the costume designer is Aisling Wallace Byrne. The show is edited by Dermot Diskin.

The second series began filming in late March 2011 on location in Dublin.

On 12 December 2011, RTÉ.ie reported that a third series was in development. On 17 January 2012 this was confirmed by RTÉ.

On 18 December 2012, Irish Independent reported that "filming for the fourth series of Love/Hate is expected to get underway early in the New Year". The first episode of the fourth series was broadcast on 6 October 2013. In November 2013, RTÉ released Love/Hate season 4 on DVD.

In September 2014, series 5 began airing on RTE1. it received high acclaim for its grittier storyline, something that some fans believed had been missing from the fourth series. The series finale was watched by over 1 million viewers and got rave reviews for ending it on a shocking cliffhanger, which included the killing of a much loved character. The show was officially cancelled in 2017 when John Connors confirmed there would be no more episodes produced, despite early reports that the show would return for a sixth series following a year long hiatus. The fifth series was released on DVD the day after the finale episode aired.

In 2015, it was announced that the show would be released onto Netflix and dubbed into French and German.

In 2025, John Connors stated that a new season was due to enter production later in the year, however according to RTÉ there are 'no plans' to return it.

Broadcasts

International broadcasts

The complete series is available to view in Ireland on the RTÉ Player. In the United Kingdom, seasons one and two aired on Scotland's ITV franchise, STV.

RTÉ International and the programme's producers signed an international broadcasting deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment. ITV Global will help market and distribute the show internationally.

Also in the United Kingdom season 1 and 2 was purchased by Channel 5, giving the series a UK-wide broadcast. The first season aired on 24 July 2013. Series 2 was shown on UK freeview channel Spike, following a repeat run of the first series. The complete series is available on the subscription service BritBox.

The first three series have also been bought by TV markets in Brazil, Israel and Singapore joining Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

DVD releases

Episodes

Main article: List of Love/Hate episodes

Reception

Initial reactions to Love/Hate were mixed; an Irish Times review of the first season described it as "more Westlife than Westies". While Tom Vaughan-Lawlor's portrayal of Nidge was widely praised, particular criticism was levelled at the Dublin accents in the show and the casting of Robert Sheehan as Darren was criticised as he was perceived as being "too pretty" to be cast in a gangster role. Show creator Stuart Carolan hit back at the latter claims, saying it was "hugely patronising" to working-class Dubliners.

As the show continued, it was increasingly well received, and the second series was met with critical acclaim. After the end of the second season, The Irish Times hailed the show as "the best drama RTÉ has produced" and the Irish Independent commented that it would "make [Martin] Scorsese proud", praising the improvement from the "flimsy" first season.

The third season was further well received, with particular praise being given to the pacing, writing and cinematography, as well as Vaughan-Lawlor's portrayal of Nidge. The opening episode saw the show criticised for its graphic portrayal of rape; a large number of complaints were made to RTÉ over the depiction of rape and violence in this episode. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre reported a large increase in the calls it received in the aftermath of the episode. Following the end of season three, The Guardian praised the show, comparing it to The Wire and The Sopranos, saying "what makes Love/Hate distinctive is the way in which the scripts ... [root] the mobster genre in the trends and tensions of contemporary Irish culture."

The fourth season was not as well received; critics expressed disappointment at the hurried tying up of storylines, pacing of the plot and what was seen as a disappointing final episode. RTÉ received over a hundred complaints over a scene in the opening episode of the season, in which a cat was shot dead.

The fifth season was considered an improvement on the fourth, though reviewers were critical about the storyline and predictable nature of some of the episodes.

Throughout its run, the show was frequently accused of "glamourising" gangland violence; cast member Lynn Rafferty, who played Nadine, rejected these claims due to the frequent deaths of characters involved in the drug trade.

Viewership ratings

The second series of Love/Hate was the most watched TV show in Ireland in 2011.

970,600 viewers tuned in to watch the series four opener on 6 October 2013. while the Season finale on 10 November 2013 attracted over one million viewers.

The fifth series opened with over 976,400 viewers tuning in on 5 October 2014.

Awards and nominations

Each series of Love/Hate has been successful in garnering recognition and awards. The first series received the most nominations at the 8th Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs) in 2011, with Stuart Carolan winning Best Writer (Television). The series also won "Best TV Show" in the Listeners' End of Year Poll on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show in 2011.

The second series received as many nominations at the 9th IFTAs the following year. It won seven awards including Best Drama, Best Director (David Caffrey), and Best Writer (Stuart Carolan). Other major awards went to Aidan Gillen (Actor in a Lead Role – Television), Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Actor in a Supporting Role – Television), and Denise McCormack (Actress in a Supporting Role – Television).

It was once again a big winner at the 10th IFTAs in 2013 when the third series received twelve nominations for eleven categories, at the time an IFTA record. It took home six awards including Best Drama, Best Director (David Caffrey), and Best Writer (Stuart Carolan). Tom Vaughan-Lawlor won his second successive acting award for his portrayal of gang leader Nigel "Nidge" Delaney. Charlie Murphy and Susan Loughnane won Best Actress (Television) and Best Supporting Actress (Television), respectively.

The fourth series received eight nominations at the 11th IFTAs in 2014, meaning that the franchise had garnered the most nominations at the awards ceremony for the fourth consecutive year. It won awards for Best Writer (Stuart Carolan) and Actor in a Supporting Role Television (Peter Coonan).

The fifth series was nominated for seven awards at the 12th IFTAs in 2015. It won Best Drama for the third time and Stuart Carolan took home Best Writer for the fifth consecutive year. Charlie Murphy won her second award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Television Drama) for her portrayal of Siobhán Delaney.

IFTA Film & Drama Awards

References

References

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