BABY REINDEER Creator Richard Gadd’s New HBO Max Series HALF MAN Kicks Off with First Look at Violent Family Drama
Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd is teaming up with Jamie Bell for a brand-new limited series titled Half Man, and he’s diving headfirst into another intense emotional rollercoaster.
The first look at the upcoming drama has just dropped, offering a glimpse at Gadd and Bell as the conflicted siblings at the heart of the story.
In Half Man, Gadd plays Ruben, opposite Bell as Niall. The story explores a turbulent brotherhood fractured by trauma and time. It's a six-episode deep dive into a violent, emotionally charged relationship that unravels over nearly four decades.
The official logline sets the stage:
"Half Man follows estranged 'brothers' Niall (Jamie Bell) and Ruben (Richard Gadd). When Niall's estranged 'brother' Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives.
“Spanning almost 40 years from the '80s to the present day, Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell portray Niall (Robertson) and Ruben (Campbell) in their younger years, in a series that explores the highs and lows of Ruben and Niall’s relationship, from meeting them as troubled teenagers to witnessing their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way.
“The series will capture the wild energy of a changing city – a changing world, even – and plumb the depths of what it means to be a man.*"
Younger versions of the brothers will be played by Mitchell Robertson (as teen Niall) and Stuart Campbell (as teen Ruben). The shifting timeline will allow viewers to witness the brothers’ early bond, the cracks forming, and ultimately the eruption of violence that brings them back together.
If you’ve seen Baby Reindeer, you know Gadd isn’t afraid to put raw, uncomfortable truth under the microscope. That series dealt with stalking, trauma, and abuse in a semi-autobiographical narrative that pulled no punches. With Half Man, he’s clearly not letting up.
Get ready for something intense and emotional. Half Man premieres on HBO Max and BBC in 2026.