“Baby Reindeer,” the Netflix hit based on the creator and star’s experience with a stalker, won the Emmy on Sunday for best limited or anthology series.
The seven-episode limited series took off after it was released in April, resonating with audiences who became captivated by the protagonist’s story, and with the show’s searing portrayal of masculinity, predatory grooming and sexual abuse.
In the show, the character Donny (played by the show’s creator, Richard Gadd), is tormented by a woman named Martha whom he first encounters while working at a bar. But Donny, an aspiring comedian who is struggling with his sexuality, refuses for weeks to entirely dismiss Martha and the attention she provides. Viewers eventually discover that some of Donny’s insecurity and hurt stem from an abusive relationship in his past.
“Baby Reindeer” was viewed more than 50 million times in the four weeks after it debuted, according to Netflix. It has also earned several awards and coming into Sunday, the series had 11 Emmy nominations, having won multiple Creative Arts Emmys. Jessica Gunning, who plays Martha, also won a supporting actress Emmy on Sunday; Gadd won the lead actor and writing awards for a limited or anthology series.
”If ‘Baby Reindeer’ has proved anything it’s that there is no set formula to this — that you don’t need big stars, proven I.P., long-running series, catchall storytelling to have a hit,” Gadd said in accepting the award. “Really, really, the only constant across any success in television is good storytelling — good storytelling that speaks to our times.”
But “Baby Reindeer” has also caused headaches for the streamer and for Gadd: In June, a woman who says the Martha character was modeled after her brought a defamation suit against Netflix. (Netflix has said it intends “to defend this matter vigorously”; Gadd has called the story a “fictionalized retelling of my emotional journey.”)
Other nominees in the category included “Fargo,” “Lessons in Chemistry,” “Ripley” and “True Detective: Night Country.”
Source: Television - nytimes.com
