‘Half Man’ Emmy Submissions Revealed: Richard Gadd Goes Supporting as Jamie Bell Leads HBO Limited Series Push (EXCLUSIVE)

The “Half” men are splitting up for the Emmys.

The Richard Gadd-created HBO Max miniseries, which wrapped its six-episode run on Thursday, has revealed its 21 official Emmy submissions exclusively to Variety. Jamie Bell and Mitchell Robertson, who play the older and younger versions of Niall Kennedy, will both go up in the lead actor (limited) category, while Richard Gadd and Stuart Campbell, who portray the older and younger Ruben Pallister, will seek recognition in supporting actor.

Beyond the four leads, Neve McIntosh, who plays Niall’s mother Lori, and Amy Manson, who plays the older version of Niall’s girlfriend Mona, will vie for supporting actress.

The series follows the troubled yet strong Ruben (Campbell) and the meek, quiet Niall (Robertson), who grow up as brothers despite having no blood ties. Thirty years after an event upends both their lives, the two reunite at Niall’s (Bell) wedding, where Ruben (Gadd) commits a sudden act of violence that sends the story back through their shared past and reveals how their lives were shaped.

Aramide Tinubu, Variety chief TV critic called the series, “an excellent but difficult watch” in her review. Further writing: “A viciousness runs through the narrative, and countless acts of violence depicted. For those who stick it out, the final episode features one of the most emotionally shattering scenes on television.”

Gadd, who won three Emmys in 2024 for the Netflix miniseries “Baby Reindeer” (outstanding limited series, lead actor and writing), will again be up for three prizes here, as an executive producer, actor and writer. Sliding into supporting actor could prove a savvy play, keeping the 37-year-old Scottish multi-hyphenate in the hunt for more statuettes. He and Campbell will compete for six or seven slots (depending on the total number of submissions), several of which are expected to go to fellow HBO Max contenders such as Jason Bateman and David Harbour of “DTF St. Louis.”

Much of the series’ acclaim has centered on Bell’s towering performance. The British actor rose to prominence more than 25 years ago with his debut in Stephen Daldry’s coming-of-age drama “Billy Elliot” (2000), in which, at 14, he became the youngest winner of the BAFTA for best actor. Now at 40, he’s since shown his remarkable acting range in films like “Jumper” (2008), “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” (2017) and “All of Us Strangers” (2023). His “Half Man” performance marks his first television role since Apple TV’s “Shining Girls” in 2022 and AMC’s “Turn,” which ran four seasons from 2014 to 2017. It’d be difficult to imagine he won’t be a viable contender for the trophy against Oscar Isaac from Netflix’s “Beef.”

The odds for young breakouts Campbell and Robertson hinge on how warmly the Television Academy’s acting peer group embraces the series overall. Campbell has more room to crack the supporting field, while a lead actor category likely capped at five nominees makes it tougher for Robertson to break in against bigger names.

Elsewhere, HBO Max will enter Alexandra Brodski as the sole directing candidate for Episode 2, which closes with a brutal attack during Niall’s university years in 1989. The show will also be well represented across multiple artisan categories, notably cinematography and music composition, and double entries in picture editing.

Emmy nomination-round voting runs from June 11-22, and the official 78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on July 8.

The full list of the Emmy submissions for “Half Man” is below.