New ‘must-watch’ Netflix thriller series lands perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

Stephen Porzio

Based on a shocking true story, the show features one of the best TV performances in years

Baby Reindeer, a new dark comedy thriller series, has recently landed on Netflix and is sure to inspire plenty of conversation and thought in the wake of its release.

Written by, created by and starring Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, the show centres around Donny – an aspiring Scottish stand-up who moved to London to pursue his career dream.

Now in his late 20s and working a dead-end job in a pub though, he feels like a failure.

So, when an older female patron at his bar named Martha (Jessica Gunning) laughs at his jokes and shows an interest in him, he is at first pleased with the attention – endeavouring to get more positive reactions out of her.

It turns out, however, the seemingly friendly Martha has a history of stalking and winds up forming a dangerous obsession with Donny.

Adapted from Gadd’s hit one-man play of the same name and based on true events that happened to the writer and performer, Baby Reindeer is sure to earn comparisons to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag thanks to its series narration and its use of black comedy to explore serious themes.

Bear in mind though that the new Netflix show is much darker and more unsettling in tone than Fleabag because of the warped relationship at its centre and how it forces Donny to face his own personal demons, as well as Weronika Tofilska’s horror-inflected direction.

It is also worth noting that Jessica Gunning gives one of the best TV performances in years in the series, managing to be sweet and sympathetic one moment and utterly terrifying the next.

The show has been met with incredible reviews, and has even debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a perfect score of 100%.

Viewers have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the new series.

“You guys must watch the series Baby Reindeer,” one person put. “It has to be one of my favourite, well written series with a nice dark turn I’ve ever watched after Behind her Eyes.”

A second wrote: “Okay but guys, seriously, Baby Reindeer on Netflix…you need to go watch it. Go, like, right now, I’m so serious.”

“#BabyReindeer is possibly one of the most heart wrenching, moving, thrilling, brilliant pieces of writing I’ve ever seen, the fact Richard Gadd reenacted his own trauma and experience, insane. He deserves every award,” a third penned.

All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are streaming on Netflix right now.

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