HBO has released the trailer for Half Man, the six-part limited series from Baby Reindeer creator and star Richard Gadd. The new footage does not show the “explosion of violence” highlighted in the official description, but it signals that the incident will drive the drama across decades.
Gadd stars opposite Jamie Bell as Niall and Ruben, two men who have been “brothers in all but DNA” since childhood. When Niall appears at Ruben’s wedding 30 years later, the series says “everything seems different,” setting up a story built around tension, memory, and the fallout from a life-changing event.
What the trailer suggests
The trailer focuses on unease rather than action, which matches the tone of the series’ description. It frames Half Man as a story about how quickly long-standing bonds can fracture when trust, history, and violence collide.
The official synopsis says the series will move “back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day” after the violent moment at the center of the story. That structure points to a narrative that blends family drama with psychological conflict, while keeping the focus on the relationship between the two leads.
Series details and release timing
The six-episode drama will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on April 23. It will arrive on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. on April 24, with broadcast airings on BBC later that week.
Key release and production details include:
- Six-episode limited series
- Starring Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell
- Premiering on HBO and HBO Max first
- Arriving on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. the next day
- Produced by Mam Tor Productions for HBO and BBC partners
Cast and creative team
The cast includes Stuart Campbell, Mitchell Robertson, 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.
Banijay UK’s Mam Tor Productions produces the series in association with Thistledown Pictures. Gadd serves as creator, writer, and executive producer, alongside Sophie Gardiner, Anna O’Malley, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland, and Tally Garner and Morven Reid for Mam Tor Productions. Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck direct.
Why the series is drawing attention
Interest in Half Man is strong because it follows the breakout success of Baby Reindeer and once again places Gadd at the center of a dark, character-driven story. The new series appears to keep violence, masculinity, and emotional damage at the core, but it shifts the lens toward brotherhood and the pressure that builds inside close relationships.
The trailer positions the show as a tense, multi-decade drama that treats the bond between Niall and Ruben as both the heart of the story and the source of its most painful conflict.
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