Richard Gadd says new series Half-Man explores male self-worth beyond Baby Reindeer

Scottish comedian Richard Gadd says he draws on personal experience in his work, including his Emmy-winning Netflix series “Baby Reindeer.” In interviews about his new project “Half-Man,” Gadd says the series takes a different direction from the themes that made “Baby Reindeer” widely discussed. Rather than focusing primarily on male violence, he frames “Half-Man” as a story about how men struggle to love themselves and to connect with others. Multiple outlets report that Gadd positions the new series as an expansion of his interests in emotional harm and relationships, with attention to identity, vulnerability, and belonging. The coverage emphasizes Gadd’s view that the new show is not simply another treatment of harm but a shift in perspective, using a different creative approach to explore the issues he associates with masculinity and personal struggle. Across the articles, the central point is that Gadd links his writing process to pain, while describing “Half-Man” as moving beyond a single theme to examine broader challenges affecting men’s self-image and interpersonal relationships.