Baby Reindeer Creator's Half Man Tests Our Tolerance for Pain. But to What End?

Summary: Richard Gadd, the creator of the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer, is back with a new HBO series called Half Man. While his first show was based on his real life, this one is pure fiction. It tells the dark story of two friends, Niall and Ruben, who grow up together without fathers. The show dives deep into heavy mental health topics like childhood trauma, addiction, anger, and the pain of hiding who you really are. It is a very sad and stressful show to watch. The reviewer wonders if putting the audience through so much emotional pain is actually worth it in the end.

Source: TIME URL: time.com/article/2026/04/21/half-man-review-hbo/ (opens in new tab)