Stephen King Says Netflix's BABY REINDEER Is "One of the Best Things" He's Ever Seen
Stephen King is a huge fan of Netflix’s Baby Reindeer series. After watching the series, the iconic author posted on X, “BABY REINDEER: Holy shit.”
After that the author expanded on his praise for the show, writing an essay on it that was shared on the UK-based publication The Times.
King calls the darkly funny drama "one of the best things" he's ever seen. He also compared it to his novel Misery, joking: "My first thought was to thank God my novel came first, or people would assume I’d stolen it from Richard Gadd."
King went on to say: "Unlike most streaming series' episodes, which can feel bloated at 50 minutes – or even longer – the episodes of Baby Reindeer, each about 30 minutes, are like short, swift stabs administered by a very sharp knife.”
He continued: "The great gift (I will not call it a trick) of Baby Reindeer is that we come to understand why it has taken so long for Donny to report his abuse. In his heart, Donny believes he deserves it. We feel empathy for him rather than impatience, and we come to feel empathy for Martha as well."
The series is based on a true story and follows the writer and performer Richard Gadd's warped relationship with his female stalker and the impact it has on him as he is ultimately forced to face a deep, dark buried trauma.
The story centers on “struggling comedian Donny Dunn’s (Gadd) strange and layered relationship with a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning), whose initially friendly demeanor unravels as she begins to stalk Donny relentlessly.
“Their first interaction is innocent enough: While working his shift as a bartender, Donny shows an act of kindness to Martha, a customer whose vulnerability is readily apparent.
“But, as the saying goes, ‘no good deed goes unpunished,’ and this casual encounter sparks a suffocating obsession that threatens to wreck both their lives and forces Donny to face his deeply buried trauma.”
The way the story plays out is intense, thrilling, fun, and heartbreaking. It’s a beautifully made yet tragic story. If you haven’t watched Baby Reindeer yet, it’s worth the watch!