Say Nothing
Genre	Historical drama
Created by	Joshua Zetumer
Based on	Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland byPatrick Radden Keefe
Starring	Lola Petticrew Hazel Doupe Anthony Boyle Josh Finan Maxine Peake
Country of origin	United States
Original languages	English Irish
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producers	Edward McDonnell Monica Levinson Josh Zetumer Michael Lennox Nina Jacobson Brad Simpson
Producer	Clare Barron
Production companies	Slingerland, Ludwig, and Rogers Color Force FXP
Original release
Network	FX on Hulu (United States) Disney+ (Internationally)
Release	November 14, 2024 (2024-11-14)

Say Nothing is a 2024historical dramalimited series created by Joshua Zetumer and produced byFX Productions. The series premiered on November 14, 2024, onFX on Hulu. It is an adaptation ofthe 2018 book byPatrick Radden Keefe^[1] and details four decades in Northern Ireland duringThe Troubles.^[2]Say Nothing received generally positive reviews from critics,^[3] and won aPeabody Award.^[4]

The series follows the lives of people growing up inBelfast in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s duringthe Troubles, as well as their involvement in theProvisional Irish Republican Army, and inquiries intothe Disappeared and particularly themurder of Jean McConville.^[5]Interviews from theBelfast Project are woven into the narrative which also includes depictions of the1973 Old Bailey bombing and the subsequenthunger strike by the Price sisters,Dolours andMarian.^[6]

• Lola Petticrew asDolours Price
  • Maxine Peake as older Dolours
• Hazel Doupe asMarian Price
  • Helen Behan as older Marian
• Anthony Boyle asBrendan Hughes
  • Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as older Brendan
• Josh Finan asGerry 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 asFrank 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 asJean McConville
• Damien Molony asStephen Rea

The production is an adaptation of thePatrick Radden Keefe best-selling bookSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, which detailed the abduction and murder ofJean McConville, a widow and mother of ten.^[7] Edward McDonnell, Monica Levinson, Joshua Zetumer andMichael Lennox are executive producers with Zetumer also serving as showrunner and Lennox directing the nine-part series.Nina Jacobson andBrad Simpson's Color Force are producing.^[8]

In February 2024,Lola Petticrew,Hazel Doupe,Anthony Boyle,Josh Finan andMaxine Peake were confirmed as the lead cast.^[9] The cast also includesMichael Colgan,Kerri Quinn,Stuart Graham,Laura Donnelly,Rory Kinnear,Amy Molloy,Helen Behan,Damien Molony and Judith Roddy.^{[10][11][12][6]}Filming took place in theWalton area ofLiverpool in May 2023. Filming locations also include Belfast, London,Sheffield,^[13] andShepton Mallet Prison, nearBath inSomerset in August and September 2023.^[14]

The series was released internationally on 14 November 2024, onDisney+ in the UK and elsewhere^[15] and onHulu in the United States.^[16]

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."^[17] 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.^[17][18] 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.^[19]

Say Nothing holds a 93% approval rating from 46 critics and an average rating of 8.5/10 on review aggregatorRotten 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."^[20] OnMetacritic, the series has a "generally favorable" reception based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from 23 critics.^[21]

Benji Wilson ofThe Daily Telegraph gaveSay 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.^[10] Lucy Mangan ofThe Guardian ratedSay 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.^[22]

The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks 20 million monthly viewing decisions across all streaming platforms in the US, calculated thatSay Nothing was the seventh most-streamed series in the US from November 14—20.^[23][24] It moved to ninth place for the week ending November 27.^[25][26]

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."^[27] 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.^[28][29][30] 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.^[31]

• Say Nothing atIMDb 

• 2024 American television series debuts
• 2024 British television series debuts
• 2024 American television series endings
• 2024 British television series endings
• FX on Hulu original programming
• American English-language television shows
• Television series set in the 20th century
• Television shows filmed in England
• Television shows shot in Liverpool
• Television shows shot in London
• Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom
• Television shows set in Belfast
• Television shows set in Northern Ireland
• Television shows filmed in Northern Ireland
• Television shows based on non-fiction books
• Works about the Irish Republican Army

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from February 2024
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from February 2024