Horror author Stephen King, known for his novels Misery, The Shining and Carrie, has offered his praise for the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer, claiming that it’s one of the best pieces of television he has ever seen.
Writing in The Times, King has heaped huge respect on Richard Gadd’s dramedy show, a real-life story that tells of Gadd’s experience as a stand-up comedian who is stalked by a strange woman, leading to a life of misery and a recurring trauma.
King said that he found an analogue between Baby Reindeer and his 1987 novel Misery, which tells of a romance novelist who is kidnapped and held captive by his biggest fan. “My first thought was to thank God my novel came first, or people would assume I’d stolen it,” King said.
After being asked whether he’d seen Gadd’s show in a drugstore, King “tried it and found myself sucked in, unable to look away.” Discussing Gadd character, Donnie, the author noted, “Hesitation is Donny’s key personality trait; this guy makes Hamlet look like a high-pressure car salesman.”
What King admired about Baby Reindeer was that it’s episodes are relatively short and are, therefore, easy to digest. “Unlike most streaming series’ episodes, which can feel bloated at 50 minutes, the episodes of Baby Reindeer, each about 30 minutes, are like short, swift stabs administered by a very sharp knife,” King wrote.
Discussing how Baby Reindeer further separates itself from the many other works of television of its kind, King went on to note, “We’ve been given the essential nature of two pivotal characters in less than two minutes.”
Evidently, King liked the swift way that Gadd’s show gets to the point, but it was the sixth episode that features a moving monologue by Donnie that left the horror author speechless.
“The struggle between Donny’s self-loathing and his self-esteem in this monologue makes the sixth episode of Baby Reindeer one of the best things I’ve ever seen on television,” King said. “Or in the movies, for that matter.”
Baby Reindeer has been a huge success and Gadd is set to return with another show on the BBC. For now, he has left a huge impression on the cultural world, most notably on the legendary horror writer King.
Signing off his thoughts on Gadd’s show, King wrote, “The great gift of Baby Reindeer is that we come to understand why it has taken so long for Donny to report his abuse. It’s because, in his heart, Donny believes he deserves it.”
