The new British show “Adolescence,” streaming since March 2025 on Netflix, has captivated teenagers and parent’s attention for addressing realistic issues going on in our society. The show contains four episodes filmed in a very naturalistic style, with one continuous scene building a strong connection between the characters and their audience.
“Adolescence’s” first episode tells the story of a young 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller, who is being accused of killing one of his classmates. The police arrive at his house and arrest him while his parents, Eddie Miller and Manda Miller, desperate to know the reasons why, follow him to the police station. As any parent will do, they try to defend their son by saying he hasn’t done anything wrong and that he is a good son and student, until Jamie is taken to the interrogation room, the truth is revealed. A video is played showing Jamie stabbing his classmate Katie in a parking lot, leaving not only his father in shock and perturbed but also the audience that believed that Jamie was not guilty.
However, episode three is what people are talking about the most. Jamie is now in a juvenile detention center, where he meets with a psychologist, Briony, to provide her perspective of Jamie to the judge. During the encounter, things get out of control when Jamie starts to get paranoid and seems to feel pressured every time Briony questioned him about his feelings towards Katie and his relationship with his father. As a teenager, the episode can be very disturbing, exploring masculinity, cyberbullying, and the different emotions and behaviors, almost like bipolarity, captured during Jamie’s session.
“Adolescence” takes a deep look at serious topics for men like toxic masculinity, isolation, and vulnerability. According to the Washington Post, the show’s co-creator, Stephen Graham, said he was inspired to create the show by the news stories going on in the U.K. about kids committing knife attacks, addressing the cruel reality of what our society and the future generations are becoming. Parents have been significantly impacted by the show, and many see it as a “wake-up call” to keep their children safe from social media and try to have a better relationship with their kids. For teens, this may mean discussing topics with our parents that we may think are boring, but can shape our own minds and have an impact on the decisions we make.
Although the show doesn’t have a happy ending as expected, leaving its audience with more questions and critiques than answers, the message is clear. As a society, we should take time to reflect on how we impact the lives of those who need support facing issues of identity, cyberbullying, and isolation. “Adolescence” is just a call to everyone to be responsible for shaping a better future for ourselves and upcoming generations.
