Father Ted and Derry Girls have won the nation’s hearts for many reasons, but which is the best sitcom? We are here to answer the question on everyone’s lips!
While both Derry Girls and the hilarious classic comedy Father Ted are both epic series’, some key differences make one better, but which one would you choose?
If, for some reason, you have never heard of Father Ted or Derry Girls, you must be living under a rock because both shows are what makes the island of Ireland cackle until the cows come home, and you’ve truly missed out.
Father Ted might have come first, but Derry Girls has undoubtedly given this 1990s series a run for its money since airing in 2018. Now, the nation is divided as to which one is better. So let’s take a look at what each series offers.
Father Ted – an award-winning Irish comedy
Fictional Craggy Island was the base for the parish in which Father Ted and his hilarious crew lived and navigated priesthood. We were gifted with some absolute classic one-liners during the three seasons, which aired from 1995-1998.
Does anyone remember “That money was just resting in my account” or “Would you like a cup of tea, father?”- of course, we all remember these and more because this was a show we never missed.
Based on Irish priesthood, the show gave us a good laugh while taking the piss out of Catholicism in the funniest ways possible and making us squirm and cringe. For more, check out our article on the best Father Ted episodes, ranked.
Of course, not a day goes by that we don’t use a classic Father Ted quote in our ordinary lives, but does this mean Father Ted is the best series of all time – better than Derry Girls?
RELATED: our ultimate guide to Father Ted
Derry Girls – the most popular series since Father Ted
So, when it comes to Father Ted vs Derry Girls, it is certainly a hard choice, especially when we look at what Derry Girls has given us.
Since airing in 2008, this show has become more popular than ever, becoming Channel 4’s most successful comedy since Father Ted. So, does this mean it is better? Some might say yes but let’s delve in a little more.
Derry Girls is set in Derry during the 1990s, in the later years of The Troubles, which had been prevalent in the north since the sixties.
While the show revolves around a group of wacky teens and their families during one of the most challenging times in Irish history, their bold sense of humour and rude jokes make the whole thing lighthearted.
READ: Meanwhile in Ireland’s Ultimate Guide to Derry Girls
Which one is better? – Father Ted vs Derry Girls, compare and contrast
There are a few things to compare to decide who wins the best series in Father Ted vs Derry Girls. Firstly, both of them won the public over instantly with their unique sense of humour and stab at political and religious subjects, which are sometimes taboo – not in Ireland, though!
Father Ted is an award-winning series, the stepping stone for many of the best Irish comedians and even Britain’s number-one talk show host, Graham Norton.
At the same time, Derry Girls was the most-watched series in Northern Ireland since records began in 2002, which is a fantastic achievement.
While Derry Girls is renowned for capturing life in a specific time and place, albeit in a humourous way, Father Ted is slightly different in that the series revolves around Ted and his exaggerated characters navigating their surreal world of misadventures.
One of the ways in which Derry Girls is better than Father Ted is that it’s relatable, current, hilarious and very appealing to people of all ages, which is why it has surprised the nation by springing to the top of the leaderboard in such a short time.
Still, we must admit that Father Ted was the ‘OG’ when it comes to classic comedies. So is it any wonder that the show won many incredible awards, is still played on repeat in 2023 and was among the top 100 greatest British television programmes of the 20th century (despite being Irish)?
Conclusion
So, while Derry Girls is a show that will be forever on repeat, we must admit that Father Ted paved the way for such shows.
Even though it aired back in 1995, the classic one-liners will still live on, and Father Ted will always be a chaotically hilarious series we choose to watch repeatedly.
