What is Adolescence About? Plot, The Cast, Rating…

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Adolescence is a British crime drama series that debuted on Netflix on March 13. It’s all anyone’s talking about right now: if you scroll through X, you’ll find tons of comments praising the story and the cast, and even Instagram has seen in-depth script analyses. The show has also taken over TikTok, with many friend groups already discussing that chilling one-take scene.

But what makes Adolescence stand out, having been released with almost no promotion yet becoming the most talked-about show in recent days? The series, in just four episodes, tells the story of a family’s world is turned upside down. It happens when 13-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested and accused of murdering a classmate. The charges against their son force the parents to face every parent’s worst nightmare.

The premise might grab you or not, but many psychologists are already recommending it as an important reflection on parenting. Critics from Variety are also praising the show: “Is a chilling examination of murder and toxic masculinity […] It highlights how we’ve failed ourselves and will continually fail the generations coming behind us.”  

The Cast and Its Rating

It’s often said that a rating of 6.5 on Filmaffinity is considered a good movie or series. Well, in the case of Adolescence, it scores an impressive 7.9. This is a rating typically reserved for cult classics like Mad Men or Gomorrah.

The cast is certainly a big part of its success. Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, and Erin Doherty lead a cast that The Times has called ‘brilliant.’ They described every moment, every glance between characters, and every outburst of anger or emotion as filled with authenticity and chilling to watch. The Times even called it ‘a masterclass in storytelling.’

Adolescence: A Series That Made It On Its Own

This happens every year: a series comes out of nowhere, and no one expects it to be a hit. It doesn’t always have an eye-catching title or belong to a major franchise or trend. It usually arrives quietly, but word of mouth quickly propels it to the top.

In 2018, it was Succession; in 2019, Chernobyl; in 2020, Patria; in 2021, Squid Game; in 2022, The Bear; in 2023, The Messiah; and in 2024, Shogun. No one expected any of these titles to succeed the way they did. But in the end, time put them exactly where they belonged.