Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd to Create and Star In Decades-Spanning Drama Half Man for HBO
Richard Gadd, the man behind Netflix’s buzziest spring series Baby Reindeer, is now set to star in the upcoming series he’s co-producing for HBO. The project is a joint collaboration between HBO and the BBC, with Shining Girls’ Jamie Bell co-starring, TVLine has learned.
The six-episode Half Man (formerly titled Lions) will follow a pair of men with a complicated shared past. “When Niall’s (Bell) estranged ‘brother’ Ruben (Gadd) shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives,” reads the official logline. “Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults — with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city — a changing world, even — and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question… What does it mean to be a man?”
More from TVLine
Filming is set to begin in 2025 in Scotland.
In a statement, Gadd said: “Ordering a HBO boxset of The Sopranos, The Wire or Oz and watching it from start to finish were some of the happiest moments of my childhood. Since then, it has always been a dream of mine to work with HBO and be part of their iconic roster of shows. I am so grateful to [HBO execs] Francesca Orsi, Kara Buckley and Clint LaVigne for taking this chance on the show and on Ruben and Niall too who — despite growing up in a dead-end Scottish town — would be absolutely pinching themselves at this! I cannot wait to get started.”
Buckley, senior vice president HBO drama programming, added via statement, “We are tremendously excited to partner with the BBC and Richard Gadd, whose remarkable talent continues to make waves across the globe. With this new, gripping and evocative series, we are proud to welcome Richard to the HBO family.”
HBO’s 50 Best Characters Ever, Ranked
Gadd will write and executive-produce the series alongside Tally Garner (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) and Morven Reid (BBC One/Prime Video’s Chloe), Gaynor Holmes (Call the Midwife) and Gavin Smith (BBC Scotland’s River City). Mam Tor Productions will produce for HBO, BBC One, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.
In addition to Baby Reindeer, Gadd’s TV credits include Outlander, Humans and Sky One’s Code 404. He also wrote a Season 2 episode of Sex Education.
Are you excited to see Gadds’ new series? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
Best of TVLine
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
