# Love defies war in PBS's devastating Belfast drama

> A new miniseries explores how two people from opposite sides of the Troubles find romance amid violence and hatred.
- Title: Love defies war in PBS's devastating Belfast drama · TIME
- Summary: A new miniseries explores how two people from opposite sides of the Troubles find romance amid violence and hatred. In times of conflict, choosing love and…
- Keywords: trespasses, pbs, belfast, the troubles, 1970s, lola petticrew, tom cullen, gillian anderson, louise kennedy, ailbhe keogan, miniseries, channel 4
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/09/03/trespasses-review-pbs
- Author: Judy Berman
- Published: 2026-09-18T13:00:03.86+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: trespasses, pbs, belfast, the troubles, 1970s, lola petticrew, tom cullen, gillian anderson, louise kennedy, ailbhe keogan, miniseries, channel 4
## Art and suffering collide
A schoolteacher and a customer debate whether great art requires great pain, a conversation that deepens when their own romance blooms amid the violence of 1970s Belfast.

> Can you have one without the other?
## Two people on opposite sides
Cushla is a Catholic schoolteacher caring for her alcoholic mother. Michael is a Protestant barrister who speaks against police brutality, making enemies on both sides of the conflict.
## Belfast as a war zone
The series depicts the city as a place where violence reaches every doorstep and neighbors surveil each other to ensure loyalty to their side.
## Complex characters, not victims
Petticrew plays a bright, stubborn protagonist. Cullen's Michael is a crusader but also a compartmentalizer who hides his infidelity. Even Gillian Anderson's alcoholic mother deepens beyond stereotype.
## Love as radical resistance
Michael declares they must choose freedom over fear and not let bigots and gunmen dictate their lives. For a couple in a war with no gray area, this ideology may be suicidal.

> We must find the bravery to choose freedom over fear.
## Heartbreak as the price
The series suggests that whether love justifies the pain it brings is too personal a question to resolve. It premieres September 20 on PBS.
## Key takeaway

In times of conflict, choosing love and individual identity over fear and stereotypes becomes a radical act.