A new show from Emmy-award winner Richard Gadd ("Baby Reindeer") has landed at HBO. The streamer revealed the first look of Gadd and co-star Jamie Bell from Half Man, a period drama that spans nearly four decades. Gadd, who looks noticeably different here, with a bulked-up physique unlike his real-life based character from Baby Reindeer, is also the show's executive producer. It is directed by Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck.
According to the makers, the six-episode series, slated for premiere in 2026 on HBO MAX (and JioHotstar in India), follows the conflict-ridden journeys of "estranged" brothers Niall (Jamie Bell) and Ruben (Richard Gadd) from 1980s to the present.
"When Ruben shows up at Niall's wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell portray Niall (Robertson) and Ruben (Campbell) in their younger years, in a series that explores the highs and lows of Ruben and Niall’s relationship, from meeting them as troubled teenagers to witnessing their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. The series will capture the wild energy of a changing city – a changing world, even – and plumb the depths of what it means to be a man," says the synopsis.
Given the largely successful past track record of HBO with its original series and Gadd's acclaimed work in Baby Reindeer, Half Man is seen as a show that's expected to do wonders in the streaming spaces. Baby Reindeer fetched two Golden Globe awards and six Primetime Emmy awards.
Other cast members of Half Man include Stuart Campbell, Mitchell Robertson, Neve McIntosh, Marianne McIvor, Charlie De Melo, Bilal Hasna, Julie Cullen, Amy Manson, Philippine Velge, Stuart McQuarrie, Piers Ewart, Scot Greenan, Charlotte Blackwood, and Calum Manchip.