“Half” men are splitting up for the Emmys.
The HBO Max miniseries created by Richard Gadd wrapped up its six-episode run on Thursday, giving Variety an exclusive look at the 21 official Emmy submissions. Jamie Bell and Mitchell Robertson, who play the older and younger versions of Niall Kennedy, will both be up for the lead actor (limited) category, while Richard Gadd and Stuart Campbell, who play the older and younger versions of Reuben Pallister, will aim for supporting actor recognition.
In addition to the four leads, Neve Mackintosh, who plays Niall’s mother Lori, and Amy Manson, who plays an older version of Niall’s girlfriend Mona, will be competing for Best Supporting Actress.
The series follows the troubled but strong Reuben (Campbell) and the gentle and quiet Niall (Robertson) as they grow up as brothers despite not being related by blood. Thirty years after an event changes their lives forever, the two meet again at Niall’s (Bell) wedding, but when Ruben (Gadd) suddenly commits a violent act, the story rewinds to their shared past and reveals how their lives were shaped.
Aramido Tinubu, Variety’s chief television critic, called the series “a great but difficult piece of work” in his review. It goes on to say, “The story is permeated with malice and depicts countless acts of violence. For those who stick around until the end, the final episode features one of the most emotional scenes on television.”
Gad won three Emmy Awards in 2024 for the Netflix miniseries “Baby Reindeer” (Limited Series, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay), and will be aiming for three awards this time as executive producer, actor, and screenwriter. Sliding into supporting actor would prove a smart play and could see the 37-year-old Scottish multi-hyphenate pursue further statuettes. He and Campbell will be competing for six to seven spots (depending on total applications), some of which are expected to go to fellow HBO Max candidates such as Jason Bateman and “DTF St. Louis” star David Harbour.
Much of the series’ praise has centered on Bell’s outstanding performance. The British actor shot to fame more than 25 years ago when he made his debut in Stephen Daldry’s coming-of-age drama Billy Elliot (2000) and became the youngest actor to win the BAFTA Award at the age of 14. Now 40, he has since shown off his incredible acting range in films such as Jumper (2008), Movie Stars Never Die in Liverpool (2017) and All of Us Strangers (2023). His performance in “Half Man” will be his first TV appearance since Apple TV’s “Shining Girls” in 2022 and AMC’s “Turn,” which aired for four seasons from 2014 to 2017. It would be hard to imagine he wouldn’t be a strong contender for the trophy with Oscar Isaac in Netflix’s Beef.
Campbell and Robertson’s chances of breaking out as young actors will depend on how warmly the series as a whole is received by their fellow actors at the Television Academy. Campbell has more room to break into the supporting cast, but the lead actor category will likely be limited to five nominees, making it more difficult for Robertson to compete against big-name actors.
Elsewhere, HBO Max has tapped Alexandra Brodsky as its sole director choice for Episode 2, which concludes with a brutal attack during Nile’s college days in 1989. The program will also be well represented in multiple craft categories, especially the double entries of cinematography, music composition, and video editing.
Emmy nomination round voting will be held from June 11th to June 22nd, and the official nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on July 8th.
The complete list of “Half Man” submissions for the Emmy Awards is below.
“Half Man”
Provided by HBO
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Leading Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Jamie Bell Leading Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Mitchell Robertson Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Richard Gadd Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Stuart Campbell Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Neve Mackintosh Supporting actress in the series or movie: Amy Manson Writer in the limited or anthology series or movie: Richard Gadd Director in the limited or anthology series or movie: Alexandra Brodsky (“Episode 2”) Cinematography in the limited or anthology series or movie: Carlos Catalan, BSC (“Episode 1”) Image editing in the limited or anthology series or movie: Barney McGuirk (“Episode 2”) Limited or in the anthology Image editing for a series or film: Rachel Erskine (‘Episode 6’) Production design for a contemporary narrative program (over an hour): Emer O’Sullivan, Anna Smith, Claire Pidgeon (‘Episode 4’) Casting for a limited or anthology series or film: Caroline Stewart, Carlene Crawford (‘Episode 4’) Choreography for a scripted program: Abbey Worrilow (‘Episode 1’ and ‘Episode 2’) Contemporary costumes: Carol Miller, Dani Lambie, Shana Penman (Episode 4) Contemporary make-up (non-prosthetic): Nicole Tulloch, Ewan Ryder (Episode 4) Music composition for a limited or anthology series, film or special (original dramatic score): Evgeni Galperin, Sasha Galperin (Episode 4) Musical Director: Amelia Hartley (Episode 2) Sound Editing for Limited or Anthology Series, Movies or Specials: Sam Biggs, Scott Patterson, Juliet Brown, Ben Cross, Ian Waggott (“Episode 4”) Sound Mixing for Limited or Anthology Series or Movies: William Coley, Bartek Baranowski (“Episode 4”) Stunt Coordination for Drama Programs: Paul Howell
