Ted Sarandos Says ‘Baby Reindeer’ Lawsuit Over ‘True Story’ Label Is a Uniquely British Problem, as Show Is ‘Not a Documentary’

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read

Ted Sarandos isn’t losing too much sleep about Netflix series like the Emmy darling “Baby Reindeer” being sued for taking inspiration from true stories.

The Netflix co-CEO said during a keynote address at the Royal Television Society’s London Convention 2024 (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the $170 million lawsuit against the “Baby Reindeer” production is indicative of a uniquely British debate over series disclaimers about being inspired by a true story.

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Sarandos said that the debate is “not happening anywhere else in the world” except Britain. He added that the show “is not a documentary” as “there are elements that are dramatized.”

Fiona Harvey, who is the real “Martha” as fictionalized in “Baby Reindeer,” has said the series is a “work of fiction” that has been “very defamatory” to her career. In the series, the Martha character is an alleged rapist and stalker. She has since filed a lawsuit against the streamer and series creator Richard Gadd.

Fellow Netflix series “The Crown” was also at the center of a scandal with the depiction of the British royal family. The UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden asked the streamer to add a label that the series was fictionalized in 2020. At the time, a representative for Netflix said, “We have always presented ‘The Crown’ as a drama — and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events. As a result we have no plans — and see no need — to add a disclaimer.”

The series later added the requested disclaimer.

Sarandos reflected on the first trailer for “The Crown” debuting at the Royal Television Society, saying that the series was a “stand conventional wisdom on its head.”

Sarandos continued that the U.K. was “the birthplace of prestige television,” and deemed shows like “Baby Reindeer” and “Supacell” “authentically British.”

“Britain has become one of the best countries for TV and film,” Sarandos said, adding that Netflix has invested $6 billion in English productions since 2000, with over 30,000 cast and crew members employed in more than 100 productions.

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