3 October 2010 (2010-10-03) – 9 November 2014 (2014-11-09)
Love/Hate is an Irish crime drama television series, commissioned by RTÉ Television and created by Stuart Carolan. Set in Dublin, the show depicts fictional characters in the city's criminal underworld. The show is mostly filmed in Dublin, with some scenes shot in bordering counties. Since its release, it continued to grow in popularity, with series 3 attracting close to one million viewers on several occasions.
The show aired between 2010 and 2014 on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, spanning five series and twenty-eight episodes.[1] The show was later broadcast on Netflix and dubbed into French and German,[2] and in 2024 the show was released for streaming onto ITVX.[3] In November 2014, RTÉ stated that a sixth series would be made, but the show would be taking a year-long break in 2015.[4][5] However, in November 2015, RTÉ stated that there were no longer plans to make a sixth series.[6] In 2017, actor John Connors confirmed that production of Love/Hate had ceased and there would be no more seasons aired.[7]
Love/Hate was critically acclaimed, winning nineteen Irish Film & Television Awards, and its twelve-nomination run in 2013 set a national record. The show has become a cult classic in Ireland[8] and has been hailed as one of the greatest Irish shows ever.[9][3][10] In 2015, plans were announced to make an American version of the show,[11] but as of 2024 no such show has been filmed.
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.[12]
The fourth season began broadcasting on 6 October 2013.[13] The opening episode of season four attracted 970,600 viewers on RTÉ One.[14]
Each episode cost approximately €600,000 to make.[15]
Commissioned by RTÉ Drama, it is produced by Octagon Films. The producers are Simon Massey, Suzanne McAuley, and James Flynn.[12] Shooting for the first series began on 12 October 2009. The show is written by Stuart Carolan and initially directed by David Caffrey.[12] 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.[12]
The second series began filming in late March 2011 on location in Dublin.[16]
On 12 December 2011, RTÉ.ie reported that a third series was in development.[17] On 17 January 2012 this was confirmed by RTÉ.[18]
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.[19] 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.[2]
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.[22] Series 2 was shown on UK freeview channel Spike,[23] 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.[24]
Love/Hate has been well received,[28] and has won eight Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA), seven of them in 2012.[29] The second series was met with critical acclaim.[28]
On the eve of the third season, The Irish Times hailed the show as "the best drama RTÉ has produced."[30]
The Guardian (UK) 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."[31]
Controversy
The programme has attracted criticism for its graphic and explicit portrayals of rape and its effects.[32]
The second series of Love/Hate was the most watched TV show in Ireland in 2011.[37]
970,600 viewers tuned in to watch the series four opener on 6 October 2013.[38] while the Season finale on 10 November 2013 attracted over one million viewers.[39]
The fifth series opened with over 976,400 viewers tuning in on 5 October 2014.[40]
The second series received as many nominations at the 9th IFTAs the following year.[44] It won seven awards including Best Drama, Best Director (David Caffrey), and Best Writer (Stuart Carolan).[45] 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).[46]
It was once again a big winner at the 10th IFTAs in 2013 when the third series received twelve nominations for eleven categories,[47] at the time an IFTA record.[48] It took home six awards including Best Drama, Best Director (David Caffrey), and Best Writer (Stuart Carolan).[49]Tom Vaughan-Lawlor won his second successive acting award for his portrayal of gang leader Nigel "Nidge" Delaney.[50]Charlie Murphy and Susan Loughnane won Best Actress (Television) and Best Supporting Actress (Television), respectively.[51]
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.[52] It won awards for Best Writer (Stuart Carolan) and Actor in a Supporting Role Television (Peter Coonan).[53][54]
The fifth series was nominated for seven awards at the 12th IFTAs in 2015.[55][56] It won Best Drama for the third time and Stuart Carolan took home Best Writer for the fifth consecutive year.[57]Charlie Murphy won her second award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Television Drama) for her portrayal of Siobhán Delaney.[58]
