''Clean Sweep'' is an Irish six-part crime thriller television series created by Gary Tieche. Distributed by ZDF Studios, it premiered on

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

in Ireland on 14 May 2023 and on

SundanceNow AMC Networks Inc. is an American mass media and entertainment corporation headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York City. The company owns and operates the AMC cable channel, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV. It also owns the art hous ...

in the United States on 22 June 2023. Tieche co-wrote the screenplay with Fran Harris, while it was directed by Ronan Burke and Yves Christian Fournier. Action is largely set in

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...

with some scenes set in London or

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

. Filming began in 2021 in Wicklow,

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: '' Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. Where the mountai ...

and Dargle River into mid-2022. The main protagonists, Shelly (

Charlene McKenna Charlene Lee McKenna (; born 26 March 1984) is an Irish actress. She became a household name in Ireland after starring as Jennifer Jackson in the miniseries '' Pure Mule'' (2005). She appeared on Irish television in '' Single-Handed 2'' (2008), ...

) and Jason ( Barry Ward), are a married couple. Shelly is a stay-at-home mother, who raises their children. Into Shelly's life returns Charlie (

Adam Fergus Adam Fergus is an Irish actor. Early life Born in Drogheda, Ireland on September 24, 1979, and growing up in the nearby village of Laytown, Adam is the son of a nurse and a recruitment specialist. He attended Clongowes College before going t ...

) – a former boyfriend from 20 years ago. Jason is a police detective, who pursues a murderer to advance his career. Jason is assisted by Fiona (Jeanne Nicole Ní Áinle) – the pair are also having a clandestine affair.

Plot

Shelley is busy raising her children Caitlin and Niall, as well as stepson Derek. Caitlin loves to play

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

, but struggles upon entering puberty. Niall has

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

and is being bullied by classmate Billy. Derek is taking illegal drugs while trying to attract a girlfriend. Shelly is surprised by Charlie, who calls her Maggie. They later meet in a hotel room, where Charlie reveals he wants them to confess to their historical crimes. Shelly/Maggie shoots Charlie dead. Jason is assigned to find the murderer with help from Fiona. Police determine that the victim, known as Philip, had been hiring a prostitute. Philip's fingerprints reveal he is actually Charlie. Charlie was a London-based, suspected drug dealer and police killer, who was presumed dead 20 years ago. Jason and Fiona are having a clandestine affair. They trace the prostitute to a brothel with human-trafficked women given tattoos by their pimp. Flashbacks show Shelly's past as Maggie, who was Charlie's girlfriend when they were working for Freddie. Freddie is a police undercover agent, who posed as a drug lord. Charlie's gang captures, tortures, and then kills Freddie. Charlie's gang member, Kenny, is dismembered and thrown into the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. Maggie runs away, adopts a new identity, and disappears from Charlie's life. Charlie also adopts a new identity, gets married and has two daughters. Years later Charlie, who became a

born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

Christian, decides to find Maggie and save her soul.

Cast and characters

Main

as Shelly Mohan Deirdre Ann Fallon Margaret "Maggie" Gallagher: Jason's second wife, Caitlin and Niall's mother, Derek's stepmother. Formerly Charlie's gang member * Barry Ward as Jason Mohan:

detective sergeant aspiring to become inspector, Shelly's husband, Grainne's ex-husband * Jeanne Nicole Ní Áinle as Fiona Uba: Irish detective, Jason's subordinate. Has an affair with Jason *

as Philip Paul Whelan Charlie Lynch: 45-year-old, former underworld drug smugglers' gang leader, Maggie's ex-boyfriend, assumed new identity, fathered two daughters, became

Christian

Recurring

* Katelyn Rose Downey as Caitlin Teresa MaryAnn Mohan: primary school student, Shelly and Jason's daughter, Niall's sister, Derek's half-sister * Aidan McCann as Niall Mohan: primary school student, Shelly and Jason's son, has

, bullied by Billy * Rhys Mannion as Derek Mohan: secondary school student, Grainne and Jason's son, Shelly's stepson, briefly dates Doireann * Grace Collender as Doireann Carrick: 16-year-old secondary school student, Derek's sometime love interest * Aoibheann McCann as Katie Ryan: abrasive head of Parents' Association, Billy's mother * Nathara Dayananda as Emma Wilson: Pam and Matt's daughter, Niall's classmate, becomes Caitlin's friend * Trevor Kaneswaran as Matt Wilson: flirtatious American writer, Emma's father, Pam's husband * Cathy Belton as Gwen Crichett: London police detective chief inspector, investigated Charlie's gang * Benjamin Bergin as Billy Ryan: 11-year-old, Katie's son, bullies Niall * Roisin Rankin as Aelish Flaherty: Niall's physiotherapist * Robert Mitchell as Detective Ames: London detective, Gwen's subordinate * Kevin Trainor as Martin Kelly: forensic analyst * Orla Casey as Eileen: hotel housekeeper-cleaner * Maeron Libomi as Luke: Derek's best friend,

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

supplier * Niall Bishop as Rory Lynch: prominent right-wing politician, Charlie's brother * Youssef Quinn as Baxter: detective on Jason's squad * Tristan Heanue as Alfred "Freddie Vee" Vance:

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

-born undercover policeman posing as London drug lord, worked for Gwen, murdered by Charlie's gang * Steve Gunn as Garret: London police commissioner, Gwen's boss, attempts to prevent Gwen re-investigating Charlie's gang * Seán Duggan as Pat O'Connor: Garda sergeant at Jason's station * Joe Rooney as Mr. Sweeney: school bus driver * Luke Griffin as Colin O'Connor: police Superintendent, Jason's boss * Caitríona Ennis as Mary: parent at primary school * James Craze as Kenny Doyle: Charlie's gang member, murdered by rivals * Peter McCamley as Yeats:

Special Crimes unit detective inspector * Elaine Murphy as Betsy Overton: Philip's ex-wife, mother of their two daughters * Evan Crimmins as Tony

Production

''Clean Sweep'' was named as a project that would receive public funding in November 2021. Created by Gary Tieche based on a true story, Shinawil was originally going to make the six-part thriller with Element 8 Entertainment before Incendo boarded the project instead. Fran Harris was attached to write the series with Tieche, with Ronan Burke and Yves Christian Fournier directing. Executive producers included Tieche, Larry Bass, Mary Callery, Jin Ishimoto, Patty Lenahan Ishimoto, and Harvey Myman for Shinawil; Shannon Cooper for

; and

Graham Ludlow Graham Ludlow is a Canadian actor, executive, screenwriter and producer. Ludlow was born in England but grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He graduated from Magee Secondary School. Career Acting His acting roles include the films ''Welc ...

, Jean-Philippe Normandeau and Shari Segal for Incendo. In July 2022, it was revealed

would lead the series alongside Barry Ward. Principal photography was originally scheduled to take place in 2021, but was postponed. McKenna was spotted filming by the Dargle River in early July 2022. Locations include

and neighbouring areas. Filming was completed late in 2022. ''Clean Sweep'' premiered on

in Ireland on 14 May 2023 and on

in the United States on 22 June 2023. The series was broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

from 26 July 2023. It was streamed on Netflix from early November 2024.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 8270482 2023 Irish television series debuts 2023 Irish television series endings RTÉ original programming Sundance TV original programming Television series based on actual events