Half Man and why intense dramas make the best TV

Few saw it coming. When Baby Reindeer launched in April 2024, with no big stars and unsettling themes of stalking, violence and trauma, it didn’t exactly have “huge breakout hit” written all over it. But the reviews were enthusiastic, the word-of-mouth recommendations even more so, and the audience grew and grew to make it one of the year’s biggest TV shows – and make its creator and lead actor, Richard Gadd, hot property, as well as a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy award winner.

Now Gadd is back on screens with a new drama, Half Man, which he wrote and in which he once again plays a starring role. Set in Glasgow, it’s the story of two men, volatile Ruben (Gadd) and timid Niall (Jamie Bell, All Of Us Strangers), who formed a strong, quasi-fraternal bond in their youth but have become estranged. When Ruben unexpectedly appears at Niall’s wedding, the pair uneasily confront their troubled history. The first episode premieres on Friday 24 April in Apps > BBC iPlayer. Check out the trailer.

“I wanted to come up with an idea that explores what it means to be a man in this ever-changing world,” Gadd says. “In order to explore the topic of male repression and violence you need to show violence, or at least the extremities of it, so that we can understand the context and depths of where repression can lead. A show exploring male existence in all its forms needs to show the worst – and indeed best – sides of masculinity. Showing these things not only leads to powerful drama but echoes a very real part of society where these things do happen on a daily basis.”

The key to understanding many aspects of “toxic masculinity” is, according to Gadd, “men having an inability to express themselves and express love and vulnerability”. That’s a major theme of Half Man, which shows that when things fall apart, it is often the closest relationships that break the hardest.

Unlike Baby Reindeer, which was based on Gadd’s real-life experiences both as a struggling comedian and a victim of stalking and assault, Half Man is entirely fictional. But considering the subjects and the ideas that Gadd is committed to examining, we’re expecting watching it to be a similar experience: an intense, compelling drama, the kind of powerful and thought-provoking show that changes the way you look at the world.

Some of the finest TV series of recent times have followed this path. They might not be the most tempting options on the streaming screen, and they’re not the sort of comfort TV you’ll watch again and again. But dive in with courage and you’ll be rewarded.

Stream it in Apps > Netflix

Number of episodes: 4

What’s it about? A family must deal with the consequences when a teenage boy is accused of a violent crime.

Why watch it? For the brilliant, gut-wrenching performances from Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper that lead this huge hit drama, as well as more reserved but no less polished turns from Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty as the professionals dealing with the case. Writing the Millers as an ordinary family – no addiction problems or abuse to explain or excuse criminal behaviour – makes it all the more shocking and relatable.

Stream it in Apps > Netflix

Number of episodes: 7

What’s it about? A struggling stand-up comedian strikes up a conversation with a stranger, who quickly becomes dangerously obsessed with him.

Why watch it? Richard Gadd’s first hit show is an examination of the impact of trauma, as the writer/star details the fallout from his stalking ordeal and sexual assault as well as his professional failures. But there are moments of hope and of sympathy, like when Donny (Richard Gadd) shows compassion for his stalker, or starts to heal thanks to his new relationship with Teri (Nava Mau). And the series is led by raw, uncompromising performances from Gadd and, in particular, Jessica Gunning as Martha.

Stream it in Sky Atlantic or Sky Mix on demand

Number of episodes: 5

What’s it about? The story of the unprecedented nuclear plant disaster that took place in Ukraine in 1986.

Why watch it? The event itself conjured images of desolation, but this gripping series focuses on the human stories behind the accident. It’s expertly written by Craig Mazin (The Last Of Us), and never more so than in the trial scene in which Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) breaks down exactly how the complex accident happened in ways any viewer can follow. Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Jessie Buckley and the late Paul Ritter are all superb, and it’s now available to all viewers on Virgin TV.

Stream it in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Number of episodes: 7

What’s it about? As the sea levels rise, Denmark must be evacuated – and lives will change forever.

Why watch it? Although creator Thomas Vinterberg – the Oscar-winning writer/director of Another Round – insists this show isn’t political, seeing the everyday effects of the climate crisis play out on screen in a near-future scenario is a stark and much-needed warning. But regardless of the nature of the catastrophe, Families Like Ours is a celebration of human resilience and how we adapt and cope in extraordinary circumstances.

Stream it in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Number of episodes: 12

What’s it about? A writer experiences a disturbing incident on a night out and is forced to cope with the aftermath.

Why watch it? No one could have expected this from writer/actor Michaela Coel after she made her TV debut with the breezy coming-of-age comedy Chewing Gum. Although I May Destroy You has moments of dark comedy, it couldn’t be further away in tone. But it’s a rewarding and revelatory drama about the realities of being a young woman surviving 21st-century urban life, as well as the struggles of creativity, anchored by an astonishing lead performance from Coel.

Stream it in Apps > Channel 4

Number of episodes: 5

What’s it about? Five young adults come of age in 1980s London under the shadow of the HIV and AIDS crisis.

Why watch it? Because crying can be cleansing, right? It’s an evocative and unavoidably emotional journey through a horrifying (and horrifyingly recent) period in British history, written with Russell T Davies’s signature frankness, vulnerability and wit. As much as it’s about the fear of the unknown, it’s also about friendship and community, and how we can all help each other through the dark times.

Stream it in Apps > Netflix

Number of episodes: 10

What’s it about? A young mother escapes an abusive relationship but finds it almost impossible to provide for her child.

Why watch it? Seeing Alex (Margaret Qualley) strive, you’ll swing between overwhelming sympathy at her plight and fury at the system that throws constant obstacles in her path, especially knowing that it’s based on the real experiences of Stephanie Land (the series is based on Land’s memoir). Maid was a career launcher for the excellent Qualley and also features a career-best performance from Qualley’s real-life mother Andie MacDowell as Alex’s mercurial mother Paula.

Stream it in Apps > Prime Video

Number of episodes: 7

What’s it about? Dre, a woman obsessed with a pop star, begins to spiral into a crisis that turns murderous.

Why watch it? Prime Video lists Swarm as a comedy, which isn’t exactly inaccurate – it’s packed with wicked satire and dark humour – but we wouldn’t want you to think it’s a laugh riot. Set in a sleazy and dangerous underworld, it’s got death and destruction aplenty from the start, and the trip into Dre’s frazzled psyche (as portrayed by Dominique Fishback) is dizzying and disturbing. You’ll laugh, but you’ll also recoil.

Stream it in Apps > ITVX

Number of episodes: 4

What’s it about? When a man becomes abusive to his partner, she tries to shut him out of her life, but he is shockingly persistent.

Why watch it? What’s so troubling about this violent drama is not just that it’s based on real life but how ordinary everything looks. Delia (Anna Maxwell Martin) is a nurse, John (Shaun Evans) a carpenter, and the two live together for years in apparent contentment before the abuse starts. When it does, Delia follows all the guidelines and feels she’s done everything right but still can’t escape. It’s a sobering reality check for anyone who thought these situations were simple.

Stream it in Apps > Channel 4

Number of episodes: 4

What’s it about? After his family breaks up, a man goes on a drinking binge and uncovers a harrowing repressed memory.

Why watch it? Stephen Graham specialises in these kind of intense dramas and he’s never been better than as Joseph in The Virtues, which – like Adolescence – he co-wrote with Jack Thorne. His descent from sadness to violence and then to distressing realisation of the root cause of his problems is thoroughly convincing, and you feel like you’re going through the wringer alongside him. Like Joseph, you’ll emerge sadder but lighter, as if a weight has been lifted.

The first episode of Half Man will be available at 6am on Friday 24 April in Apps > BBC iPlayer and will then be shown at 10.40pm on Tuesday 28 April on BBC One HD (CH 101). New episodes will be released weekly on Fridays in Apps > BBC iPlayer.