Baby Reindeer's Richard Gadd inks Netflix deal, lawsuits be damned

Baby Reindeer was Netflix’s biggest winner at the Emmys on Sunday, so it makes sense that days later, the streamer would lock down its relationship with Richard Gadd. Gadd ushered the story from a one man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to an award-winning hit miniseries on Netflix. Now, he’s got a first-look deal to continue developing new stories for the platform. 

According to Deadline, Gadd secured a multi-year deal for scripted content. There was reportedly some competition with HBO for Gadd’s talents; the premium channel will host his new BBC series Lions. However, the Netflix deal has apparently been in the works since last month, after Baby Reindeer had racked up all its Emmy nominations. “I’m beyond thrilled to be continuing my creative journey with Netflix,” Gadd said in a statement. “They took a chance on me when I wasn’t proven in the television space for that I will always be grateful. I look forward to the years ahead with Netflix ideas with Ted, Bela [Bajaria], Anne [Mensah], Peter [Friedlander] and all the amazing staff who work at the company.” 

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed the partnership at The Royal Television Society‘s London Convention on Tuesday, praising Baby Reindeer as an “enormous hit around the world,” per The Hollywood Reporter. He said, “I can give you a bit of news this morning, we have finished our first-look deal with Richard Gadd to do his first work at Netflix. I think he’s a brilliant storyteller… I’m very proud of Richard of the story he told and the way he told it, and it is his true story.”

The “true story” bit did get Gadd and Netflix into some trouble, as Gadd’s alleged real stalker filed a suit against the streamer for defamation and privacy violations. The legal trouble doesn’t seem to have diminished Sarandos’ enthusiasm for Baby Reindeer; per THR, he said any argument about fact vs. fiction in the series is “not happening anywhere else in the world” besides Britain and emphasized that the show “is not a documentary” as “there are elements that are dramatized.”

This controversy also didn’t prevent Baby Reindeer from taking home six Emmys, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress (Jessica Gunning) and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series (Gadd). Gadd gave some stirring speeches on the Emmys stage: “I never, ever thought I’d be able to rectify myself for what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again. And here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television,” he said while accepting the award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series. “I don’t mean that to sound arrogant, I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time right now, to persevere. I don’t know much about this life, I don’t know why we’re here, none of that. But I do know that nothing lasts forever, and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. So if you’re struggling, keep going. And I promise you things will be OK.”