Creators Of Love/Hate Are Making A New Crime Drama For RTÉ

We’re still not over it. 

Losing Darren, Losing John Boy, nearly losing Tommy and then, seeing the Kingpin of Dublin meet his maker in the safety of his own back home.

Love/Hate was an Irish institution by the time it finished in 2014. It was one of RTÉ’s biggest ever creations, if not the biggest with more than half of people in the Republic of Ireland tuning in for the finale of the fifth series. 

It was a golden egg for the National Broadcaster and a success which they haven’t been able to repeat since.

The closest we’ve seen to the gang getting back together was when Fran and Tommy teamed up for a movie a few years back. 

And of course, one person has become an extremely huge star since the show finished (hint: It’s not Nidge either.)

But if one person can recreate the magic, it’s the show’s creator, Stuart Carolan. 

The Irish Times is reporting that RTÉ has commissioned a new six-part contemporary drama from Irish crime novelist Jo Spain, and Carolan. 

The new series is called ‘Taken Down’ and has been awarded €350,000 from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).

It’s got a very heavy Love/Hate background to it already, with Spiral Pictures taking over the production. The company is led by managing director Suzanne McAuley, who produced Love/Hate and was also on production duty for RTÉ dramas, RAW and Clean Break.

David Caffrey is also on the books for the show – a man who directed most of the episodes of Love/Hate and who has also dipped his toes in some of the work in the Peaky Blinders’ series. 

The ins and outs of the drama are very hush-hush at the moment but Spain previously said in a Irish Times podcast that the drama will be “very female-led”.

“I wanted to write female characters and I wanted to cast really good female actresses, because the roles aren’t being written for them.”

We’re very excited about this. 

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