Richard Gadd's Half Man Has A Race Problem

It's part of a larger problem that continues to grow in queer television.

On Assignment For HuffPost

This article contains spoilers for the final episode of Half Man.

Throughout its six-episode run, Richard Gadd’s new drama Half Man has proven itself to be one of this year’s most daring series.

Focusing on the toxic relationship between Niall Kennedy and his pseudo-stepbrother Ruben Pallister, the series takes risks while examining shame and queerness in a way that many shows shy away from. Niall and Ruben are drawn to each other, despite Niall’s shrewdness and Ruben’s penchant for violence, igniting between them a spark that quickly festers and begins to ruin each of their lives.

Richard Gadd, the show’s creator and star, who won Emmys for his Netflix series Baby Reindeer, is fascinated by how toxic masculinity impacts relationships between men. Yet, the show has a glaring problem that many series focusing on white queer characters do: Half Man doesn’t reckon with the intersection of race and toxic masculinity and how it impacts characters of color.

When Niall leaves for university, he meets Alby Safadi (played by both Bilal Hasna and Charlie De Melo at different stages of the character’s life), a gay student of colour who is one of the few people he can open up to.

Their relationship slowly becomes romantic, with Alby allowing Niall space to finally admit to himself that he likes men. Time and time again, Alby is a shoulder for Niall to cry on, often casting his own........

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