Dead Still is a new, dark comedy from Kilkenny writer John Morton.
Synonymous with local theatre and film, the show marks Morton’s first major production to air on national television, beginning on RTÉ One this Sunday at 9.35pm.
Set against a backdrop of Victorian-era Dublin, Dead Still centres around memorial photographer Brock Blennerhasset (Michael Smiley) who is drawn into a series of apparent murders which appear to be linked to his work.
When said murders threaten to sully his reputation, an investigation of Dublin’s criminal underbelly ensues.
The series was picked up by RTÉ on the Irish side of operations while Acorn handled the US and Canada side where the show aired earlier this spring.
“I didn’t have a clue how it was going to be received at first, but generally it was really good”, Morton told KCLR on Friday’s The Way It Is.
“The show got pretty much great reviews across the board. You can see commentary from people who wish it was a lot lighter than it is, and from people who wish it was a lot darker than it is, but it hits a nice middle ground.”
“There is some comedic stuff in it, a bit of hijinks, but when you’re dealing with murder mysteries you do want that stuff to be as serious as possible. When it comes to the serial killer aspect of it, it’s treated a lot more seriously – you can’t really go too silly with that.”
Silly notes asides, the show mixes murder, mystery, intrigue, sex and dark comedy and all wraps up in six episodes for its first season run.
You can watch Dead Still on RTÉ One, Sunday nights at 9.35pm from 1 November.
Listen back to John Morton in conversation with Ken McGuire below as they walk through the background to the show, its origins, and what to expect on our TV screens.
