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HBO's “Half Man” Stars Gadd, Bell, Tackles Toxic Masculinity

4/28/2026

45 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Gadd Launches Drama

HBO released the drama series “Half Man,” written by and starring Richard Gadd with Jamie Bell as stepbrothers.
The series expands Gadd’s Netflix miniseries “Baby Reindeer” by fully exploring toxic masculinity and family trauma.
Critics gave the show a 76% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 72% audience Popcornmeter rating.
Reviewers called the series a difficult, uneven-paced watch.
Nalini Bouldini gave the show four stars, praising Gadd and Bell’s work.

Summary

Half Man Premieres

Half Man's second episode premieres on HBO Max on April 30, 2026 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.
International streams begin May 1, 2026, with India at 6:30 a.m. IST, Singapore at 9 a.m. SGT, and Australia at 11 a.m. AEDT.
The UK airs episodes on BBC iPlayer at 6 a.m. BST on April 24, 2026.
The six-episode season will release weekly: Episode 3 on May 7/8, Episode 4 on May 14/15, Episode 5 on May 21/22, and Episode 6 on May 28/29.

Summary

Half Man Ranks

Half Man ranks fifth-most-watched series on HBO Max worldwide according to FlixPatrol data released April 26 2026.
It is trending in 47 countries and reached third place in both Belgium and Italy.
In the United States the series ranks seventh on HBO Max’s TV-show chart, ahead of Evil Lives Here and Last Week Tonight.
The Guardian gave the series a 5-out-of-5 rating, while Mashable described it as gripping, emotional, complex and upsetting.

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Gadd Launches Drama

HBO released the drama series “Half Man,” written by and starring Richard Gadd with Jamie Bell as stepbrothers.
The series expands Gadd’s Netflix miniseries “Baby Reindeer” by fully exploring toxic masculinity and family trauma.
Critics gave the show a 76% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 72% audience Popcornmeter rating.
Reviewers called the series a difficult, uneven-paced watch.
Nalini Bouldini gave the show four stars, praising Gadd and Bell’s work.

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