‘Baby Reindeer’ Wins Outstanding Limited Series at 2024 Emmys: ‘Explore the Uncomfortable’

One of the most surprising and controversial series to come out this year, Baby Reindeer , won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series on Sunday night. After the show’s creator, Richard Gadd, thanked his surrounding crew, he pointed to the “slump” the entertainment industry is experiencing.

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“I do believe no slump is ever broken without a willingness to take risks,” Gadd said. “I think if Baby Reindeer has proved anything, it’s there’s no set formula to this. But you don’t need big stars, proven IP, long-running series, catch-all storytelling to have a hit.”

The series was the second most nominated show in the category this year with 11 total nods, following only True Detective: Night Country . During his speech, Gadd also encouraged both viewers and fellow television creators to “dare to fail in order to achieve.”

“The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling, good storytelling that speaks to our times,” Gadd said. “So take risks, push boundaries, explore the uncomfortable.”

The Netflix series had already taken home three Emmy Awards in the Limited or Anthology Series category tonight: one for lead actor, one for supporting actress, and another for writing. Gadd previously accepted the Writing for a Limited Series award and called the prize “the stuff of dreams.”

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“Look, 10 years ago, I was down and out; I never ever thought I’d get my life together,” Gadd said about his autobiographical series. “I never ever thought I’d be able to rectify myself with 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.”

The series, which takes several unexpected twists and turns, follows Gadd as his character, Donny Dunn. Dunn works through complicated feelings for a stalker, played by Jessica Gunning, and makes sense of sexual abuse he previously suffered. It’s unusual mix of black humor, tense drama, and smart cliffhangers made it a bingeable favorite among viewers.

One person who didn’t like it, though, was a woman named Fiona Harvey, who alleged Gadd based the stalker character on her. She filed a $50 million lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the platform of “defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of Harvey’s right of publicity, arising out of the brutal lies Defendants told about her in the television series, Baby Reindeer .” The controversy only propelled interest in the show.

Prior to Sunday’s broadcast, the series had already won two Emmys. Its fourth episode claimed a trophy in the Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category, while the series as a whole was honored with a statuette in the Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category.

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