Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer' Remains Its Most Controversial Binge-Watch To Date

Among Netflix's many controversial series, Baby Reindeer stands out because its disputes moved from online backlash to the courtroom. Released in 2024 as a seven-episode series that can be binge-watched in about four hours, it was created by Richard Gadd and adapted from his autobiographical one-man show; Jessica Gunning plays the stalker figure Martha.

After the show debuted, internet sleuths identified the character Martha as a woman named Fiona Harvey, who then faced death threats and hateful messages that upended her life. Harvey sued Netflix for defamation, alleging the streamer did not fact-check Gadd's account before attaching the "This is a true story" label and that the series wrongly depicts Martha as a convicted stalker who served prison time — something Harvey says is untrue and damaging.

Netflix sought to dismiss the lawsuit multiple times but was unsuccessful; a jury is set to decide the case at trial on May 6 in California.

United States, California

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