An addictive new mystery thriller show has just been added to streaming

The show stars a great Irish actress.

Made for ITV1, the show premiered in the UK last July. That said, it's only just been added to the Virgin Media Player in Ireland, where all six of its episodes are currently available to watch.

Quick Answer Guide

Set in the Scottish Highlands, the story follows Monica Kennedy (Irish actress Laura Donnelly, who recently starred in Sugar opposite Colin Farrell), a police detective with a dark past.

When her rural community is rocked by a string of killings, in which the bodies of the male teen victims were found eerily staged, she must work out which of the locals is the murderer.

At the same time, Monica raises her young daughter, Lucy (Tamsin Jordan), as a single mother, aided by her own mum, Angela (Stella Gonet, 28 Years Later). This is made even harder by the arrival of a mysterious woman (Rona Morrison, Our Ladies) from the detective's past, who seems to have an unhealthy fixation with Lucy.

Who is in the cast of The Dark?

Alongside Donnelly, the cast of The Dark includes Catherine McCormack (Braveheart), Emun Elliott (The Gold), Hayat Kamille (Lee Cronin's The Mummy), Helen Baxendale (Emily in the sitcom Friends), and Mark Rowley (SAS: Rogue Heroes).

Based on the novel From the Shadows by GR Halliday, JOE has seen the series' first two episodes. The show feels like True Detective, blending a serial killer mystery with gothic horror, but set in the Scottish countryside and on an ITV budget.

While The Dark lacks the narrative ingenuity of the Matthew McConaughey/Woody Harrelson-led series and feels a tad derivative, it benefits greatly from its moody setting and Donnelly's fantastic lead turn.

The Irish actress is so believable as a veteran detective who's seen it all. Yet, despite the job's darkness impacting her, she knows the importance of the work and still feels compelled to help deliver justice.

We'll also be sticking with the show because we need to know who the killer is and why Monica and her daughter are being stalked.

How to watch and where is it streaming?

Irish viewers can check out all six episodes of The Dark on the Virgin Media Player right now.

UK audiences can watch the series on the service ITVX.

Will there be a season 2?

ITV has not yet confirmed a season two of The Dark. That said, Laura Donnelly has expressed an interest in reprising her role as Monica Kennedy.

She told the Radio Times: "If we get to come back and do another season... there's far more to explore there."