Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, written by Stefanie Preissner and directed by Cathy Brady, is a six-part series about two Cork girls whose lives revolve around partying in Dublin but who start to drift apart as one of them spirals out of control.

Irish audiences got to see the drama first when it aired with a special double-bill episode on Monday, September 19^th at 10pm on RTÉ2.

Starring up-and-coming actresses Seána Kerslake (A Date for Mad Mary) and Nika McGuigan (Traders,) Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope shines a light on what it’s like to be young and somewhat reckless in Ireland right now.

In a unique proposition for Irish television drama, Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope is written, directed and produced by an all-female team with two women in the leading roles. Making her television debut, writer Stefanie Preissner is best known as a playwright, penning the award winning Solpadeine is My Boyfriend. Director Cathy Brady, a Screen international ’Star of Tomorrow’ is a two-time IFTA winner with an international profile having worked on projects including E4’s Glue. Producer Ailish McElmeel, of Deadpan Pictures, is currently producing Conor McDermottroe’s Halal Daddy; previously produced RTEs mutliawardwinning web series Burning Wishes and executive produced Hardy Bucks Rides Again for RTÉ2. Amy Huberman (The Clinic,Striking Out) heads up a strong supporting cast including Norma Sheahan (Bridget & Eamon), Laurence O’ Fuarain (Philomena), Muiris Crowley (Vikings) and a cameo appearance by Eileen Walsh (Catastrophe).

RTÉ2 channel controller Adrian Lynch said: “Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope is an exciting new series for RTÉ2 and one which amply demonstrates the channel’s ongoing commitment to working with great Irish talent both on and off screen. It also goes to the heart of what RTÉ2 is all about – reflecting the lives of young Irish people as they are living them now. We are very excited to see what people make of it.”

RTÉ head of Comedy, Talent Development and Music, Eddie Doyle said: “We are very proud of Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope. The show aims to capture what life is really like for young women in Ireland today in a funny, engaging and realistic way, while also taking an unflinching look at some serious issues. It brings a uniquely Irish sensibility to universal themes that we are sure will resonate with audiences.”

Speaking after the transmission Deadpan Pictures Ailish McElmeel said “We are so excited to see that Irish audiences have engaged so positively with the show, the overwhelming response is that it’s so real and representative of the young female experience.  Not surprising given that it’s written, directed and starring some of Ireland’s most talented women”

Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope has already earned recognition abroad with Irish Screen America set to host the show’s international premiere in LA in the next week. Nika McGuigan and Stefanie Preissner have also been honoured with Irish Screen America’s Rising Star Award.

The series is produced by Deadpan Pictures for RTE2, with support from the BAI Sound and Vision Fund and with Content Media handling international sales.

Sometimes the biggest dreams can be found in the smallest places. Mary (Niamh McGirr) is a 12 year old girl up against the world. At school, she is tormented by bullies. At home, her parents – Frank (Colm Meaney) and Katey (Susan Lynch) – are struggling to save their disintegrating marriage. Meanwhile, their rural farm is under threat of repossession. Life could not be harder, but Mary finds escape through the company of her best friend Tom (Jonathan Mason) and the adrenalin-high of go-kart racing. Despite her youth, she harbours dreams of becoming a professional race car driver and she is seeing them slowly come to fruition, albeit in the form of a makeshift, ramshackle go-kart.
Reviews
“The Berlin based director André F.Nebe is in his feature film debut more interested in a multi-layer storyline than with cracking action. His film not only tells the story of Mary’s charming race preparation, but it also aims for contemplative tones. Thanks to the appealing cast and the multi-layered storylines contrasting fun and melancholy, The Race is a traditional kids’ movie and a recommendation for visitors from 8 on.”
Nibelungen Kurier 24.10.09

” This kids movie captures our hearts by storm.”
TV today

“A timeless beautiful kids’ movie, that impresses with a simple story and refreshing young characters.”
Cinema

International Sales Agent: Highpoint Media UK

Stew is a witty and sharply observed show peopled by a range of character types recognizable to Irish audiences – mad musicians, gaelgoirs, a pushy mammy, the neighbour from hell, grumpy old codgers, jealous women, feckin’ eejits and many many more – all fictional characters but familiar types in urban and rural Ireland.

Reviews
“All of our island is in the Stew pot, the characters are subtle and the ideas satisfyingly bleak.”
The Irish Times, 2005

Awards
Best Entertainment, Celtic Film & TV Festival, 2005

A comedy about the parents and pupils of a southside Gael Scoil as they struggle to mount a school nativity play.

Val Falvey (Ardal O’Hanlon) is a man who has inherited a job of importance and status only to realise that he is hopelessly out of his depth. While getting his name in the paper and meeting celebrities like Linda Martin makes the life of a politician appealing to Val, the daily grind of dealing with his constituents’ demands lands Val in continuous trouble. His side-kick and fixer, Pat Daly (Owen Roe), has a full-time job handling Val and ensuring he emerges unscathed. The series is a timely insight into the incongruous world of local politics.

Reviews
“Ardal O’Hanlon delivers a show-stealing performance as Falvey, a character he renders simultaneously laughable and pitiful. The show’s sharpest moments are the exchanges between the hapless TD and his adviser Pat Daly.”
The Sunday Times, 2009

“Val Falvey stars Ardal O’Hanlon as the eponymous TD, is written by Arthur Mathews and Paul Woodfull, and features plenty of laugh-out-loud bits…it’s hampered sometimes by lack of budget but in general it successfully occupies that space between surrealism and kitchen-sink realism with which most Irish townsfolk are only too familiar.”
Sunday Tribune, 2009

A six part TV series for prime time RTE One, Trivia is a witty and charming comedy following Lawrence and Molly who, having got together in series one, now have to make a go of their relationship.  Thirty-something Lawrence is finally moving out of his parents’ home and becoming the temporary bread winner while Molly trains to be a paramedic.  Will their relationship survive as Lawrence is lured back to the world of pub quizzes?

Moone Boy is a comedy series about a boy called Martin Moone growing up in a large family in a small, picturesque, but slightly depressed market town called Boyle. The first series is set in 1989/1990 and the Moone Family live in a cramped house that’s far too small for them. It’s a loud, lively, chaotic, messy (and very typical) household where the parents and children are all pursuing very different lifestyles, all pulling in different directions. And right at the bottom of the pile is the youngest in the family, Martin, the star of the show – a quirky, creative, eleven-year-old with an imaginary friend, Sean Murphy (played by Chris O’Dowd), who also narrates the show.

Reviews

“The most life-affirming delight to have hit our screens in a long time…” – The Guardian

‘Moone Boy is enlivened with the main character’s animated doodles. “You know what me and the Irish team have in common?” said Martin to Sean. “We’re both amazing at drawing!” That’s the kind of schoolboy gag that only an imaginary friend should find amusing, but, somehow, Moone Boy has enough charm to make it hilarious.”  – The Independent

“One of the most charming series on TV” – Hollywood Reporter

“It leaves most of what passes for domestic TV comedy choking in its dust.” – AV Club

“Moone Boy is the most charming new television comedy to arrive in America this year.” – The New York Times

Awards

Best Comedy, International Emmy Awards, 2013

Best Entertainment, Irish Film & Television Awards, 2013

Series 3 moves the action to 1991. Martin is now in secondary school and things are very cramped at home after the arrival of the first grandchild. Debra embarks on a new career in marriage counselling while Martin and Padraic get to visit Dublin for the first time and discover that Grandad has an imaginary friend too.

In series 2 we find the Moone family on holiday during the summer of 1990 – as World Cup fever grips Ireland with the national team qualifying for the first time…and hopes are high. Also in the series, with cash flow being a problem for the Moone family, Martin takes a job as a golf caddy, while his dad, Liam, takes up golf – but with his own unique style….just throwing the ball! We see Martin start his new school, where he promptly falls in love with his new Business Studies teacher, Miss O’Driscoll. Martin and his best friend, Padraic, build a ‘ghost-raft’ which they hope to sail into town on Halloween and scare everyone. Unfortunately though…the river is flowing in the wrong direction – and they end up floating out towards the island on Lough Key…with their two imaginary friends on board. The series culminates with Martin falling in love with the notion of life on the road, as a group of travellers arrive in town, while his heavily pregnant sister, Fidelma, marries Dessie – a wedding, and a dash to the hospital, which unfortunately collides with The St Patrick’s Day parade in the centre of Boyle..

Reviews

“One of the many amusing things about Moone Boy… is the way it pays attention to the logic of the imaginary-friend relationship.” – The New York Times

“Happily, both Rawle and Ian O’Reilly, who plays Martin’s best corporeal friend Padraic, are still as charming as they were a year ago, and aren’t being prodded too hard to grow up.” – AV Club

“You’re not imagining things if you find yourself mooning over Moone Boy.” – TV Guide

“Moone Boy has somehow stumbled upon the comedic elixir of intense likeability. The semi-autobiographical storyline, indeed the presence of O’Dowd at all could seem indulgent, but Moone Boy has winning charm.” – The Telegraph

Awards

Best Entertainment, Irish Film & Television Awards, 2014

Best Director for Television, Irish Film & Television Awards, 2014