Stephen King says this Netflix series is “one of the best things he’s ever seen”
NetflixStephen King has heaped praise on a hit Netflix series with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, calling it “one of the best things he’s ever seen” on television.
King often shares his verdict on TV shows and movies he’s been watching; just last year, he called The Flash “special” and described it as “heartfelt, funny, and eye-popping.” He also criticized the “fanboy hate” directed at The Marvels.
Now, the author has written a review of Baby Reindeer for The Times, even comparing Richard Gadd’s hit series to Misery.
In the piece, he reveals he was advised to watch it by an acquaintance who told him it made “Misery, both the book I wrote and the movie, look like a kids’ cartoon.”
It’s easy to see the similarities: Baby Reindeer revolves around Donny (Gadd) and his stalker Martha (Jessica Gunning), who becomes dangerously obsessed with him after meeting him in a pub. King’s story follows Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan in the 1990 film), who’s rescued by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) after a car crash — and she confesses that she’s his biggest fan… so much so, she doesn’t ever want him to leave.
King went on to praise the show, writing that he was “sucked in [and] unable to look away… the episodes of Baby Reindeer, each about 30 minutes, are like short, swift stabs administered by a very sharp knife.”
He gave particular credit to Episode 6, where Donny takes to the stage to perform his comedy routine after Martha assaults him. As the room sits in mortifying silence, he opens up about everything he’s suffered.
“He succeeds, in the utterly amazing penultimate episode, when he casts the shield of comedy aside and tells an audience exactly what has happened to him, including the painful and graphic details of his rape by another man. The struggle between Donny’s self-loathing and his self-esteem in this monologue makes the sixth episode of Baby Reindeer one of the best things I’ve ever seen on television (or in the movies, for that matter),” King wrote.
Baby Reindeer is currently sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s holding its top spot on Netflix’s top chart around the world. You can check out 10 movies and TV shows to watch next, and whether or not there’ll be a Baby Reindeer Season 2.