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tracking Reindeer baby It was an ambitious undertaking — and the show’s creator, writer and star Richard Gadd knew it.
The 2024 dark thriller, based on Gad’s real-life stalking experience, became one of the most dominant shows of awards season, winning the Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA TV and Gotham TV Awards. It also has a 99 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Beyond the critics, Reindeer baby It was a huge hit with viewers, entering Netflix’s top 10 English-language shows of all time, with 84.5 million views since its debut in April.
Now, Jad has returned with his anticipated follow-up, Half a mana six-episode British limited series that he created, wrote, and starred in. Premiering Thursday night on HBO and BBC, the show follows the devastating and crippling bond over 30 years between two brothers in everything but DNA, Robin (Jadd) and Niall (Jamie Bell).
Before the release, Gad spoke with Hollywood Reporter At the exhibition’s premiere in New York City, he acknowledged the pressure of pursuing such a breakthrough.
“I know the pressure is there, I know the expectations are there,” he said. “When I’m going through an artistic process, the pressure I put on myself is much greater than any external pressure. That’s the daily pressure to make something as good as possible — that trumps everything else. I almost go into a tunnel vision, where the world disappears and the project becomes everything to me. Now that I’ve come out the other side of it, I can acknowledge that the pressure is there.”
Pointing to the show’s packed audience, he added: “There’s a lot of people here, and there’s a lot of hype around the project. But at the end of the day, I can never look back and think I didn’t give it my all. I promise you I did — and I will do that in any project I do moving forward.”
while Half a man and Reindeer baby Telling very different stories—with the former fictional and the latter autobiographical—both explore themes of trauma, masculinity, and toxicity through a raw lens.
Gad explained how the two projects are linked.
“It draws from the same world of broken people,” he said. “I’m interested in exploring human contradictions – joy, sadness, and the depths people can reach. Reindeer babyIn my mind, it was a basic human story, and I wanted to do something similar to it Half a man. In any story I tell, I want to lead with humanity.
Stuart Campbell, who plays young Robin, said capturing the light moments between the characters was key – despite the dark elements in the relationship.
“I hope people encourage the relationship and see the obvious dark themes,” he said. “To realize the lightness and truth in it.”
However, Campbell noted that the new series is distinct.
“There are definitely some similar themes, but there are also a lot of differences,” he added. “The art chooses you, not you choosing the art,” says Richard. “He writes about real people – whether fictional or not – and tells honest stories. As an actor, that’s what I’m drawn to.”
Alexandra Brodsky, who directed the first three episodes, explained the difference further.
“I actually think it’s quite different,” she said. “There are some threads that connect, but the tone and feel aren’t the same. What’s consistent is the honesty — the humour, the brutality, the willingness to go places a lot of people wouldn’t dare go. There’s nothing just shock-worthy, but there are moments that are shocking, and they always feel deserved.”
while Half a man It explores themes like toxic masculinity, and Gad said he didn’t want to dictate to the audience how to interpret the story.
“I don’t want to impose any meaning on anyone,” he said. “Art — whether it’s television, film, whatever — should be open to interpretation. People can take their own meanings from it, and that’s absolutely true for me.”
Half a man Premieres Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT on HBO.
