Jul 16, 2026 8:30pm IST
Richard Gadd Has No Plans for ‘Baby Reindeer’ or ‘Half Man’ Season 2: ‘Best To Leave Them Where They Are’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Richard Gadd is aware that audiences want more of “Baby Reindeer.” He also knows there is growing interest in revisiting the world of “Half Man.” But for the Emmy-nominated writer, actor and creator, audience demand alone is never enough to justify another season.
Speaking exclusively to Variety India, Gadd says he has no plans to continue either series because both were conceived as complete stories, and extending them would require a compelling artistic reason rather than commercial opportunity. “I would (build a) franchise or do multiple seasons of great worlds and characters and all kinds of things if I felt it was right for the project. I’m never really motivated by franchising. I’m always motivated by the artistry of things,” he says.
“Baby Reindeer” became one of Netflix’s defining global hits after premiering in 2024, earning widespread critical acclaim and turning Gadd into one of television’s most sought after creative voices. This year, he followed it with the acclaimed BBC and HBO drama “Half Man,” which has also earned Emmy recognition.
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Despite the success of both projects, Gadd insists commercial considerations have never shaped his creative decisions. He shares, “I’ve never been motivated by money. I’m sure ‘Baby Reindeer’ season two would generate all the hype in the world. I’m sure it would get a big budget and all those kinds of things. I know there would be a desire for a ‘Half Man’ season two.”
Instead, he believes both stories work precisely because they exist as complete experiences. “My motivation as I was writing both seasons was that they lived and died in one season. The best way for the work existing was in an almost bubble of itself,” he says.
For Gadd, returning to either series would mean breaking that carefully constructed creative space. He explains, “To break out of that bubble, I would have to feel some sort of artistic motivation. That actually, no, I’m breaking that bubble because something in me is artistically more important than that. And it’s never really called me.”
Interestingly, Gadd revealed that “Half Man” was not always intended to be a single-season story. Early in the writing process, he briefly considered expanding it across two seasons before changing course as the narrative evolved.
“I think when I started ‘Half Man,’ I thought maybe it could be a two-season thing. But the more I wrote it, the more I spent with the characters and all the devastating things that they did to each other and the love and the hate and the pain, I felt like it had to conclude within this space of time.” He ultimately trusted that instinct and carried it through to the series finale. “I followed that impulse all the way through to the end.”
Gadd believes some stories are more powerful because they remain finite. “I’m always motivated by the creative first. For these two projects, as sure as I am that there will be a lot of interest in continuing them in some way, I think the best thing to do artistically is leave them where they are.”
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For now, that means fans hoping to revisit the worlds of “Baby Reindeer” or “Half Man” should not expect another chapter. Gadd’s focus remains on creating entirely new stories rather than extending ones he believes have already reached their natural conclusion.
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