If you’ve been scrolling through Acorn TV or RTÉ recently, you’ve probably seen the moody, rain-soaked thumbnail for the Irish crime drama Blackshore. It stars Lisa Dwan—who you might recognize as the ice-cold Lizzie from Top Boy—as DI Fia Lucey. She’s a detective who gets sent back to her hometown after a bit of a "disciplinary incident" in Dublin. Typical cop drama setup, right? But the mystery gets messy fast.
People are burning through the first few chapters and immediately wondering: how many episodes in Blackshore do I actually have left?
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Honestly, it’s a quick watch. You aren’t looking at a sprawling 22-episode American network season. It’s tight. It’s Irish. It’s dark. Here is the lowdown on exactly what you’re getting into.
Exactly How Many Episodes in Blackshore?
To cut right to the chase: Blackshore has 6 episodes in its first season. Each episode runs for about 50 minutes. That means if you’ve got a free Saturday and a large enough bowl of popcorn, you can knock out the entire series in roughly five hours. It’s the perfect length for a weekend binge without that "I’ve wasted my entire life" feeling you get after finishing a massive series.
The show originally aired on RTÉ One in Ireland back in early 2024, specifically from February 4 to March 10. Since then, it’s made its way to the UK on the U (formerly UKTV Play) streaming service and over to the US via Acorn TV. Because it’s a co-production involving BBC Studios and Treasure Entertainment, the distribution has been a bit staggered, which is usually why people are confused about where the rest of the episodes are. If you’re seeing it on a streaming platform right now, all six are likely available to stream immediately.
What Happens in Each Episode? (No Spoilers, I Promise)
The structure of the show is pretty linear. It’s not an "anthology" where every week is a new case. It’s one long, winding story about a missing person case that slowly unravels the town’s—and Fia’s—traumatizing history.
- Episode 1: Fia Lucey gets banished from Dublin to the town of Blackwater. She immediately lands a missing persons case that smells like foul play.
- Episode 2: The investigation turns into a murder hunt. Fia starts looking sideways at her new partner, Cian Furlong (played by Rory Keenan).
- Episode 3: Stakes go up because the victim's daughter vanishes. The town's old wounds regarding Fia's own father start to bleed back into the present.
- Episode 4: They pull a car out of a lake. It’s been there for 20 years. This is where the past and present truly start to collide.
- Episode 5: Fia starts taking the law into her own hands. It’s the "Whiskey Festival" in town, but nobody is having a good time.
- Episode 6: The finale. Fia zeros in on the local powerhouse, Bill McGuire, and we finally get the "how" and "why" behind the tragedies.
Is There a Second Season?
This is the big question. When you look at how many episodes in Blackshore, six feels like a "Part 1."
As of right now, RTÉ hasn't officially greenlit a Season 2, but the creators have definitely hinted at it. Dermot Horan, who handles co-productions at RTÉ, actually called it a "potentially returnable series." That’s industry-speak for "if enough people watch it, we’ll make more."
The writer, Kate O’Riordan, also wrote Smother, which ran for three seasons. She knows how to build a world that lasts longer than a single six-episode arc. The ending of the first season gives enough closure to satisfy you, but it leaves the door cracked just enough for Fia Lucey to return to our screens.
Why You Should (or Shouldn't) Watch It
If you like Broadchurch, Happy Valley, or The Fall, you’ll probably dig this. It has that same "grey skies and secrets" vibe. Lisa Dwan is fantastic—she plays Fia with this jagged, angry edge that makes her feel more like a real person than a "TV detective."
However, if you’re looking for a fast-paced action thriller, this might feel a bit slow. It’s a character study masquerading as a police procedural. The show spends as much time on Fia’s trauma and the town's collective guilt as it does on DNA evidence and fingerprints.
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Where to Watch Based on Where You Are:
- Ireland: RTÉ Player (All 6 episodes).
- UK: U (formerly UKTV Play) or BBC iPlayer (select regions).
- USA/Canada: Acorn TV.
- Australia: ABC iview / BBC First.
If you're starting tonight, just know that once you hit episode four, you aren't going to want to stop. The way the 20-year-old cold case links up with the modern murder is actually pretty clever, even if some of the "small town secrets" tropes feel a little familiar.
Next Step for You: Check your local streaming service (Acorn TV if you're in the States) and see if all 6 episodes are listed. If they are, clear your schedule for the next five hours. If you've already finished the six, keep an eye on Irish trade publications like IFTN for any news on a Season 2 renewal, which usually drops late in the year.