Why did they write Grace out of Bad Sisters? Exit reasons explored

Bad Sisters on Apple TV+ is a dark comedy series with a hint of crime thriller following five tight-knit Garvey sisters—Eva, Grace, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka. Their murderous story started with each of the sisters plotting to kill their sister Grace's toxic and abusive husband, John Paul, aka JP.

But when the brother-in-law they all wanted dead actually dies out of the blue, the sisters become prime suspects, and investigations from the insurance agency and the police turn their lives upside down and test their bond. The Garveys came out united by the end of Bad Sisters season 1, but the two-episode premiere of the second season in November 2024 proved devastating to the sisters. Grace died in a car crash, and her death brought even more mystery and betrayal to uncover.

Bad Sisters killing off Grace's character was so sudden that some fans couldn't help but ask if the major character's death was necessary. The show's creator and the eldest Garvey sister in the series, Sharon Horgan, said writing Grace out was right for season 2.

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Grace's death in Bad Sisters was "too dark" but "right," says series creator and star Sharon Horgan

Sharon Horgan, credited as the Bad Sisters creator and leading star who plays Eva Garvey in the series, explained the idea of Grace's death. She told The Hollywood Reporter, per the outlet's article published on November 21, 2024, that they initially scrapped the idea of writing Grace out of the series because it was "too dark."

"We had the idea about what would happen but then we dropped it, because we thought, 'I don't know if we can continue the tone of Bad Sisters with Grace dying.' It felt too dark," she said.

However, Horgan said they later felt it was right for Grace's character. Horgan explained that Grace's death and how it could bring the rest of the Garveys into a tailspin of trying to figure out what happened gives them "so much to play with" for season 2.

"It felt real. It felt true to the situation that she was in. And, how do you get back from that if you're a character like Grace, so raw and exposed? It felt like a brutal thing to do, but it felt right for the story," she explained.

Anne-Marie Duff, who plays Grace in the series, said that she learned early on what would happen to her character. She learned about Grace's death before receiving the scripts, and according to a November 20 article by The Hollywood Reporter, her first reaction was that it was a "brilliant idea" to kill her character.

She also told the outlet that it made sense for Grace's character because "there was such an inevitability" regarding her death, as she was "such a tragic heroine."

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How did Grace die in Bad Sisters season 2?

Grace had been growing increasingly frantic after the police came to her home after marrying the series newcomer Ian Reilly. She ended up confessing to him about killing John Paul, leading to Ian leaving her.

The two-episode premiere of the second season ended with Grace in a fatal car crash, with the next episode showing the remaining Garvey sisters mourning her death during her funeral.

However, a flashback leading up to Grace's car crash in the Bad Sisters season 2 finale provided a lot of context for what happened to her. It turns out that Grace discovered that JP was a conman, that his real name was Cormac, and that he had a wife. After learning Grace's secret about JP, Ian blackmailed her into giving him money, which Grace refused to do. She was running off from Ian when she crashed and eventually died.

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Catch the complete installments of Bad Sisters seasons 1 and 2, now streaming on Apple TV+.