Half Man Review: Richard Gadd’s New HBO Series Is a Brutal, Unforgiving Assault on Toxic Masculinity

Richard Gadd is back with Half Man, his first fully fictional series since the global phenomenon that was Baby Reindeer. If you thought that show was uncomfortable, buckle up—this one makes it look like child’s play.

The six-episode HBO Max and BBC iPlayer drama follows brothers Niall (Jamie Bell) and Ruben (Gadd) across 30 years of their lives, exploring why their relationship is so deeply toxic. Where Baby Reindeer became an instant rewatch for many (Jessica Gunning’s performance alone demands multiple viewings), Half Man is the kind of series you’ll likely only watch once—and that’s precisely the point.

A No-Holds-Barred Examination of the Worst Kind of Masculinity

Half Man is Gadd’s most ruthless exploration yet of how toxic masculinity destroys lives. The series doesn’t just examine the problem—it immerses you in it, making you feel every uncomfortable second of living with someone who embodies the worst aspects of male entitlement and violence.

The story begins in the 1980s with teenage Ruben, freshly out of juvenile detention, returning to a mother who excuses his violent outbursts as him being “unwell.” From there, he systematically controls Niall through some of the most disturbing psychological manipulation ever portrayed on television. This control extends through their sexual lives, friendships, school experiences, and family dynamics, growing increasingly toxic as they age.

What makes Half Man particularly effective—and particularly difficult to watch—is how it reflects real-world dynamics. Ruben is the embodiment of the nightmare many women and vulnerable people face daily: the entitled, aggressive man who feels he owns every space he enters. He’s the reason we grip our keys tighter when walking alone at night, the reason we feel unsafe at the gym, the reason we watch our drinks at bars.

The Violence Is Real, and That’s the Point

Gadd handles the more severe violence with remarkable restraint and effectiveness. The series doesn’t sensationalize—it presents brutality in a way that feels uncomfortably real, the kind of realism that should spark the same kind of cultural conversation that Adolescence did on Netflix.

This commitment to “warts-and-all” storytelling is what will make Half Man one of 2026’s most talked-about shows, regardless of how difficult it is to watch. Gadd has an uncanny ability to take society’s darkest elements and transform them into grotesquely real television that demands attention, even when we’d rather look away.

Why It Can’t Escape Baby Reindeer‘s Shadow

Despite being an exceptional series, Half Man will inevitably be compared to Baby Reindeer—and in many ways, it falls short. The comparison isn’t entirely fair since these are fundamentally different projects, but viewers will make it anyway.

The structure reveals Gadd’s inexperience with purely fictional storytelling. Baby Reindeer benefited from being based on real events—Gadd knew the beginning, middle, and end because he’d lived it. Half Man, being fictional, shows some seams. The time-jumping structure, while mostly effective, leaves significant gaps in the narrative. Major romantic relationships are left entirely to the imagination, and crucial family milestones go unexplored.

Gadd himself is the weakest link in an otherwise stellar ensemble. While young Ruben (Stuart Campbell) and young Niall (Mitchell Robertson) deliver powerhouse performances that capture the fraught brotherhood with emotional depth and exploitation, Gadd’s version feels disconnected. The choice to have him use his normal voice rather than a Scottish brogue (like Campbell’s version) creates a jarring disconnect that undermines the character’s continuity.

A Warning and a Challenge

Half Man comes with extensive trigger warnings. It contains graphic violence, extreme psychological manipulation, and what many American viewers will find an alarmingly liberal use of extremely offensive language. It’s not entertainment in the traditional sense—it’s a challenge, a confrontation, a demand that we acknowledge uncomfortable truths about masculinity and violence.

But consumed correctly, Half Man could be the cultural moment that sparks real change in 2026. It’s the kind of television that doesn’t just reflect society back at us—it forces us to confront the parts we’d rather ignore.

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