Richard Gadd has a lot to live up to, now. The creator of Baby Reindeer, which became such a global sensation when it released in 2024, he's now back with a new show, and has made the leap from Netflix to HBO. That's arguably a pretty prestigious journey, and we now have a first trailer for his new project, Half Man.
Fair warning, too – this is as intense a trailer as I've seen in quite some time, not because of any jump scares or anything, but because it's so consistently emotional. It gives us a look at the sort of tone and topics we can expect the show to cover, and it's safe to say it's going to go to some dark places in search of redemption.
The show will star Gadd himself opposite Jamie Bell, such a brilliant performer over the years, and they'll both be in emotionally febrile states. We'll see them meet as young working class men when their mothers move in together, and then chart their tempestuous relationship as they grow up in each others' orbits despite very different attitudes to life.
From the looks of things, Bell's character will be a very straight-laced guy who perhaps struggles to express what he actually desires, while Gadd is a more violent and impulsive figure who might be prone to making rash decisions. The trailer makes it pretty clear that there's an attraction between them, but whether it's ever consummated is doubtless a matter about which you'll have to tune in to find out.
What stands out throughout the relatively short trailer is that Bell and Gadd are both clearly going to give incredibly intense performances. Bell, in particular, seems to be weeping in various modes almost whenever the camera cuts to him, suggesting that this might be one of the most emotionally draining shows of the year.
That's no bad thing, of course, and if Gadd manages to create anything like the interest that he got for Baby Reindeer, then HBO will have a big hit on its hands at a time when it probably wants to keep people thinking about HBO Max (after its recent UK launch). Half Man starts on 23 April on HBO Max, however you access that service.
