''Striking Out'' is an Irish television

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

series, broadcast on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for

RTÉ Television RTÉ Television is a department of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Republic of Ireland's State media, state controlled national broadcaster. Its first channel was Teilifís Éireann, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. Since th ...

, ''Striking Out'' stars

Amy Huberman Amy Huberman (born 20 March 1979) is an Irish actress and writer, which is known for her role as Daisy in the RTÉ drama series '' The Clinic''. In 2018, she began writing and starring in the comedy series ''Finding Joy''. Early life Huberman g ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is currently working for a fledgling legal firm. Filmed in Dublin and

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...

, the first series, comprising four episodes, was broadcast during January 2017, to critical acclaim. Subsequently, the series was sold to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, where it made its

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

debut on

Acorn TV The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and bor ...

on 17 March 2017. Internationally, the series has been distributed by DCD Rights and Acorn Media Enterprises. The series drew the highest Sunday night ratings for

in over a year. Prior to the broadcast of the first episode, RTÉ's Head of Drama

Jane Gogan Eamon Martin Dunphy (born 3 August 1945) is an Irish media personality, journalist, broadcaster, author, sports pundit and former professional footballer. He grew up playing football for several youth teams including Stella Maris. Since retirin ...

confirmed to the ''

Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country ...

'' that a second series was already in development. Subsequently, a second series was officially confirmed by RTÉ, with filming taking place throughout the summer of 2017. The second series, extended to six episodes, commenced broadcasting in 2018, with

Maria Doyle Kennedy Maria Josephine Doyle Kennedy (born 25 September 1964) is an Irish singer and actress. With a singing and acting career that has spanned more than 30 years, she has established herself as one of Ireland's most prolific artists and entertainers. ...

Moe Dunford Moe Dunford (born 11 December 1987) is an Irish actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Vikings'' and '' Patrick's Day''. He is the recipient of a number of accolades, including three Irish Film & Television Awards. Early life Dunford was bo ...

and Jane Brennan amongst the new cast members. Simon Massey will also act as the director. In 2018, Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd acquired the rights to air the series in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, with the first series airing on the newly launched

5Select 5Select (stylised as 5SELECT) is a British free-to-air television channel which features documentaries, arts, dramas, comedies and Channel 5 original content. It is owned by Paramount Global and operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. ...

from 13 February 2018. There are currently no plans to develop a third season of the drama, despite the 'cliff hanger' ending of season 2.

Synopsis

''Striking Out'' follows the professional and personal life of Dublin-based solicitor, Tara Rafferty.

Cast

Main cast

as Tara Rafferty; a

-based solicitor *

Neil Morrissey Neil Anthony Morrissey (born 4 July 1962) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Tony in '' Men Behaving Badly''. Other notable acting roles include Deputy Head Eddie Lawson in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' ...

as Vincent Pike; SC and close friend of Tara's *

Rory Keenan Rory Keenan (born 9 June 1980) is an Irish actor. Career Primarily a stage actor, Keenan has worked extensively in theatre in London. He has worked in film and TV from a young age. Most has performed in the National Theatre's acclaimed produc ...

as Eric Dunbar; Tara's cheating ex-fiancé and former colleague *

Fiona O'Shaughnessy Fiona O'Shaughnessy is an Irish film, stage, and television actress. Early life O'Shaughnessy was born in Galway. Her family moved to Reading, Berkshire, when she was 9. She returned to Galway a decade later where she pursued a career in the ...

as Meg Reilly; a private investigator and tech guru * Emmet Byrne as Ray Lamont; a petty criminal represented by Tara whom she later employs *

as George Cusack; Tara's new office partner (Series 2—) *

as Sam Dunbar; Eric's younger brother (Series 2—) * Paul Antony-Barber as Richard Dunbar; senior partner in the law firm and Eric's father *

Nick Dunning Nick Dunning (born 1957 in London) is an English actor. He is a well known theatre actor who attended RADA (Dip Hons) 1977, where he won the Ronson Prize for Most Promising Young Actor. He has appeared on stage in the West End in London and at ...

as Conrad Rafferty; Tara's father, who works as a barrister * Ingrid Craigie as Irene Rafferty; Tara's mother and former legal secretary * Brahm Gallagher as Pete; a local cafe owner who allows Tara to set up her fledgling firm in his back office (Series 1 — Series 2, Episode 1)

Recurring cast

* Conall Keating as Steve; Ray's partner * Kate Gilmore as Lucy Whelan; receptionist at Dunbar's * Sam McGovern as "Bookworm" Joe; a junior counsel * Natalie Radmall-Quirke as Caroline Walsh; an employee at Dunbar's * Elva Trill as Gillian; an employee at Dunbar's * Susannah De Wrixon as Joan Dunbar; Eric's mother *

Enda Oates Enda Oates (born 1962), occasionally credited as Enda Oats, is an Irish stage, film, and television actor. He has received attention for his stagework, but is best known to Irish television audiences as the Reverend George Black in the lon ...

as Phillip McGrath (Series 2—) * Michael James Ford as Nigel Fitzjames (Series 2—) * Jane Brennan as Deidre York (Series 2—)

Episodes

Series 1 (2017)

Series 2 (2018)

References

External links

* {{RTÉ Dramas and Soap Operas 2017 Irish television series debuts Irish drama television series RTÉ original programming Irish legal television series English-language television shows