Netflix's Near-Perfect 7-Episode Psychological Thriller Takes Less Than 4 Hours to Binge

Published Nov 1, 2026, 7:43 AM EST

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

It is rare to find a great discovery on Netflix nowadays, and even rarer still to find one clocking in under four hours. The 2024 series, Baby Reindeer, came out of nowhere and hit like a punch. From the mind of comedian Richard Gadd, the black comedy is a fictionalized version of real events that threatened to tear his life apart. Gadd plays Donny Dunn, a struggling stand-up comic who tends a bar to make money. His specific brand of prop humor doesn’t make him a smash success, but he strives to make a career out of his eclectic jokes.

This is all smashed to pieces when Donny is drawn into a dynamic with a dangerous stalker. After offering a crying woman, Martha (Jessica Gunning), a cup of tea, Donny becomes the subject of obsession. Martha becomes unhealthily attached to Donny and creates a narrative that they are supposed to be together. She calls him many nicknames, such as the titular “baby reindeer,” which is only the start of her crimes against him. Donny becomes imprisoned in a culture of fear and patriarchal values that unfolds over the course of seven short episodes.

‘Baby Reindeer’ Paints a Vulnerable Portrait of Toxic Masculinity

With any other creator, Baby Reindeer could have been an open-and-shut psychological thriller about a stalker. Instead, Richard Gadd flips the script on the story, telling a complex narrative that questions sexuality and gender dynamics. Donny is immediately dismissed over his concerns about being stalked. Even though Martha is scary, her gender makes people brush her off.

She can’t really be a danger because she is a woman and he is a man. In turn, Donny internalizes this misogyny, downplaying the threat that she poses. If his male-dominated work sees him being frightened by a woman, he would be ridiculed. At the same time, his relationship with fame is complicated. Martha is scary, but she's the only person who gives him any sense of validation.

Donny’s failure as a stand-up comic hits him to his core while Martha attempts to attend every one of his shows. This is a complex dynamic that tells a very specific story about toxic masculinity. Even as Donny explores his sexuality while dating a Trans American therapist, Teri (Nava Mau), he feels complicated feelings of shame. This all connects back to one of the most harrowing episodes of the series.

‘Baby Reindeer’ Discusses the Subject of Sexual Assault Candidly

Even more rare than discussing internalized misogyny in a Netflix comedy is discussing sexual assault. Baby Reindeer pulls this out of the hat in Episode 4, which culminates in a vicious flashback. Donny’s actions are made crystal clear when it is revealed that he was groomed by a male comedian, drugged, and assaulted. Donny’s shame about the incident ruined his personal relationships, and he never reported the crime.

This connects to Martha’s fixation with him. Donny is triggered and, once again, afraid to report something difficult to prove. He waits months to report Martha to the police because of this treatment, causing more suspicion about whether his story is true.

Baby Reindeer is an extremely specific and vulnerable expression of a shared experience for many. Though it has its comedic elements, it is also horrifying and profound all at once. This is the type of psychological thriller that only comes around once in a while and refuses to leave the consciousness once it is watched.