Baby Reindeer Review: Netflix’s Most Uncomfortable and Unforgettable Show

Baby Reindeer is not easy to watch. Richard Gadd’s semi-autobiographical limited series about stalking, sexual assault, and the complicated psychology of victimhood is the kind of television that makes you pause the episode, stare at the ceiling, and wonder whether you can continue. You can. You should. It is one of the most extraordinary pieces of television Netflix has ever produced.

How We Reviewed: Our critical take is informed by side-by-side comparison with competing series in the same genre and noting how character development serves or undercuts theme. Ratings reflect full-season viewing, critical analysis, and production quality assessment. All picks reflect editorial judgment; no brand paid for inclusion.

Donny’s Story

Gadd stars as Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian working as a bartender in London, who makes the fateful decision to offer a cup of tea to Martha (Jessica Gunning), a woman sitting alone at the bar who claims to be a successful lawyer. That single act of kindness triggers an obsessive stalking campaign that consumes Donny’s life — tens of thousands of emails, constant voicemails, physical appearances at his home and workplace, threats against his girlfriend.

But Baby Reindeer is not a straightforward stalking thriller. What makes it devastating is Gadd’s unflinching honesty about why Donny does not simply cut Martha off. He is drawn to the attention. He is flattered by it. He enables it even as it destroys him. And the reason he cannot simply walk away is tangled up with a trauma from his past that he has never processed — his sexual assault by a mentor in the comedy industry, Darrien O’Connor (Tom Goodman-Hill).

The Performances

Jessica Gunning’s portrayal of Martha is a high-wire act of empathy and horror. She makes Martha simultaneously pitiable and terrifying, a woman whose delusions are clearly rooted in profound loneliness and mental illness, but whose behavior is genuinely dangerous. Gunning never asks you to forgive Martha, but she makes you understand her, which is much harder and much more valuable.

Gadd himself is remarkably brave. Playing a version of yourself at your most vulnerable, most complicit, and most damaged requires a kind of artistic courage that is rare in any medium. He does not make Donny likable in any conventional sense. Donny lies, manipulates, and makes choices that are difficult to watch. But Gadd’s performance is so emotionally transparent that you understand every terrible decision even as you wish he would stop making them.

Nava Mau is excellent as Teri, Donny’s girlfriend, a trans woman whose own vulnerability makes her relationship with Donny both tender and precarious. The show treats Teri with dignity and complexity, and her storyline explores how Donny’s unresolved trauma poisons everything he touches.

Structure and Craft

The seven-episode structure is perfect for this story. Each episode escalates the situation while deepening the psychological portrait, and Gadd’s direct-to-camera narration, borrowed from his Edinburgh Fringe show, creates an intimacy that feels confessional rather than performative. Director Weronika Tofilska shoots London in grays and muted tones that match Donny’s emotional landscape, and the few moments of warmth — a comedy set that goes well, a genuine connection with Teri — feel precious because they are so rare.

The show’s handling of male sexual assault is especially noteworthy. The episode depicting Donny’s abuse by Darrien is one of the most difficult hours of television in recent memory, but it is presented with a sensitivity and specificity that avoids both exploitation and oversimplification. The show understands that trauma is not a single event but an ongoing condition that reshapes every subsequent experience.

Cultural Impact

Baby Reindeer became a genuine phenomenon on Netflix, generating the kind of conversation that the platform’s algorithm-driven model rarely produces. The real-world complications — viewers attempting to identify the real Martha, the ethical questions about dramatizing real events — added layers of discourse that the show itself seems to anticipate. It is a work that challenges the audience’s relationship with true stories and the boundaries of empathy.

Verdict

Baby Reindeer is brilliant, harrowing television. Richard Gadd has created something that defies easy categorization — part thriller, part confession, part meditation on how we become who we are. It is not entertainment in any comfortable sense, but it is art in the truest sense, and it will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Rating: 9.5/10

For more standout Netflix originals, see our guide to the Best Netflix Original Shows in 2025 and the Best Limited Series Streaming in 2025.