The ‘Baby Reindeer’ Creator Returns with Another Dark Drama About a Trauma Bond — Watch the ‘Half Man’ Trailer

Richard Gadd creates, writes, and stars (opposite Jamie Bell) in the HBO limited series about a toxic brotherly bond, premiering this May.

“Baby Reindeer” writer/star/creator Richard Gadd is back with another anguished study of toxic relationships and masculinity. Moving from Netflix to HBO for his second project as a TV creator, Scottish Emmy winner Gadd is set to deliver another dark psychological jolt to small screens with “Half Man.”

The show stars Gadd and Jamie Bell as brothers in all ways but blood, and the six-episode limited series debuts on HBO this April.

Set over the course of the 1980s through the present day in and around Glasgow, “Half Man” centers on Niall (Bell, played by Mitchell Robinson in younger years) and Ruben (Gadd, played by Stuart Campbell in his teens), who are total opposites in temperament. Niall is mild-mannered, repressed, and fearful of facing his sexuality. Ruben, meanwhile, is cocksure and charismatic but has a criminal record and a tendency toward violence.

Though both are from different sets of parents, the estranged brothers keep being brought in and out of each other’s lives due to death and other circumstances, with Ruben exerting a disturbing hold on Niall. In the present day, Ruben shows up unannounced at Niall’s wedding, launching the series’ time-hopping study of the fragility of their brotherhood — and the cyclical violence and trauma that bond them.

Gadd’s previous series, “Baby Reindeer,” was an unexpected binge drop on Netflix that became a smash global hit and an unstoppable TV awards-season force (much like Netflix’s “Adolescence” from last year). That series starred Gadd, in an autobiographical role, as a stand-up comedian being stalked by an obsessive fan, played by Jessica Gunning. “Half Man” similarly delves into the connection between abuse and identity, though it’s entirely fictional. “Baby Reindeer,” however, is still in litigation amid a lawsuit against Netflix by the woman who claims to be the real-life inspiration behind that series.

Neve McIntosh, Marianne McIvor, Charlie De Melo, Bilal Hasna, Julie Cullen, Amy Manson, Anjli Mohindra, Tim Downie, Tom Andrews, Philippine Velge, Stuart McQuarrie, Sandy Batchelor, Piers Ewart, Scot Greenan, and newcomers Charlotte Blackwood, Calum Manchip, and Kate Robson-Stuart also star in “Half Man.” The series is created, written, and executive-produced by Gadd.

“Half Man” premieres on Thursday, April 23 on HBO and streams on HBO Max, with episodes airing through May 28. Watch the full trailer below.