While 2025 has already delivered us predictable TV highlights with the return of shows like Severance and The White Lotus, it was the Netflix original series Adolescence that became the year’s surprise sleeper hit. The show, which follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper) after he is arrested for murdering a schoolmate, premiered on the streamer last month, and has since dominated the cultural conversation to become the year’s most talked-about water cooler show.  6mm2d

Adolescence was so popular, in fact, that it shot straight to the top of Netflix’s global most-watched lists, to the point where it became the third-most watch program in the platform’s history, beating out uber-popular titles like Dahmer. While the four-episode season delivered a conclusive ending, the surrounding fanfare has naturally led audiences to speculate about a possible second season of the show, and we’ve recently been given a few updates in regards to that very same question. 

Production team “in talks” for Adolescence season two.  p5v4f

‘ADOLESCENCE’ Season 2 is now being talked about for Netflix.

(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/9Tuic2HOlG

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 9, 2025

Despite the watertight ending of the show’s first season, the runaway success of Adolescence has propelled the creative team to consider a sophomore installment. Just this week, the production team behind season one, Brad Pitt’s Plan B, said they are in discussions about additional episodes with Philip Barantini, who directed all four episodes of the famously one-shot first installment. It was Plan B co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner who provided the season two update, telling Deadline that conversations were taking place about “the next iteration” of the show.

Details around Adolescence season two remain scarce. 1r546a

At this stage, any details beyond Gardner’s recent update remain scarce. He did say that he hoped Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, who co-created the series, would somehow be involved in a second season. Gardner also revealed that a new season of Adolescence would work to “widen the aperture” of the show, while “stay[ing] true to its DNA, and not be[ing] repetitive.” With that context, and given the conclusive resolution of season one, some have theorized that a second season would not focus on Jamie. 

Gardner’s mention of the “new iteration” has been taken by some as a promise of Adolescence‘s second season focussing on an entirely new teenage character with some kind of inherent crime or trauma. This theory is ed by comments made by those involved in the show. Last month, Thorne confirmed that “Jamie’s story is finished,” adding that “our aim was to try and tell Jamie’s story as fully as we possibly could.” 

ppl asking for season 2 of adolescence man i think the whole point is that there’s not meant to be more to the story. that’s just it like

— gabby ❥ (@g4brielleeee) March 21, 2025

Thorne also said he “[doesn’t] think there’s anywhere more we can take Jamie,” suggesting that a second season of Adolescence would follow a different character. The freshness of the update means there’s no word yet on when a second season of Adolescence will arrive, so my advice to you would be to watch this space.

Netflix’s limited series Adolescence is a true smash hit. Despite being out for just three weeks, it’s already jumped to number nine on Netflix’s list of the most-watched English language TV shows ever. It knocked Bridgerton season two out of that spot and has pushed Stranger Things season three down to tenth place. The show’s fast rise proves how popular it is, with 96.7 million views since it first came out.

It doesn’t look like Adolescence is losing steam—it may soon other shows higher on the list and could climb even more in its first 72 days. As reported by Deadline, this show has made a big impact worldwide, appearing in the weekly Top 10 in all 93 countries where Netflix keeps track of what people are watching. The four-episode series follows Jamie, a 13-year-old boy who is accused of killing another student.

Adolescence isn’t just about viewing figures — it’s also about starting important conversations, as reported by NPR. The show makes people think about how safe young people are online and whether social media companies should do more to stop harmful content. By showing the real consequences of online radicalization, the series forces viewers to face uncomfortable truths and think about how these issues affect young people’s lives.

‘Adolescence’ is taking over Netflix 4f3n3b

Adolescence’s success stands out compared to other recent Netflix releases, which haven’t done half as well. The Residence, a mystery show from Shonda Rhimes, only got 8.8 million views in its first full week, making people wonder if it will last on Netflix. Million Dollar Secret, a reality show, had just 3.7 million views—far fewer than Adolescence. Even The Life List, a successful movie with 24.4 million views, doesn’t come close to the series’ huge numbers.

With such a strong start and no signs of slowing down, Adolescence looks like it will keep doing well on Netflix. Its fresh way of telling a story, along with its relevant and timely themes, has connected with audiences everywhere. The show’s success proves that Netflix can produce gripping, thought-provoking content that entertains and gets people talking about big societal issues.

According to Wired, co-creator Jack Thorne did a lot of research to make the story feel real and powerful. He spent time in the darker corners of the internet, learning about incel beliefs and the manosphere to understand how young people could be led to violence. This research was sometimes disturbing but helped make Jamie’s character and motivations feel frighteningly real.

Each part focuses on different people in Jamie’s life, showing how different things led to the terrible event. The show tackles tough and complicated topics head-on. It looks at how young people can be pulled into extreme online groups, the dangers of toxic masculinity and the “manosphere,” and how bullying in a messy school setting can have terrible effects. The series doesn’t give simple answers—instead, it shows a detailed picture of a lost teenager, shaped by the wild world of social media, internet culture, and even parents who don’t fully understand what’s happening.

Netflix is onto a monster hit with Adolescence. The British limited series centers on 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who’s arrested on suspicion of murder in the first episode. The show then goes on to show the impact of this on his family, explore his school life, dig into the grimy manosphere, and attempt an understanding of the impacts of misogyny.

It’s a compellingly paced and beautifully performed drama, with the tension heightened by jaw-dropping technical proficiency. Each episode was shot in a single take, encoming multiple changes of scenery, large crowd scenes, moving between vehicles and interiors, and one “how in the heck did they even do that!">

I can only echo the chorus of people demanding this show gets some serious awards recognition. Each major cast member is delivering career-defining performances, all buoyed up by some seriously ambitious film-making. Hey Netflix, fund more things like this and don’t waste your money on dreadful CGI-stuffed blockbuster flops!

The show ends on an uncertain note, with the fourth and final episode focusing on his parents and older sister a few weeks before his trial. During the episode, we hear that Jamie has, in the face of incontrovertible evidence, decided to change his plea to guilty. So, knowing all that we do about his crime, what would happen to Jamie after the show and how might his future look?

His immediate future 6q3y6g

Jamie changing his plea to guilty means he will not face a trial, but would instead face a sentencing hearing, likely before a High Court Judge due to the high-profile nature of the case. It’s worth mentioning that up to this point, Jamie’s identity may not have been made public as, under British law, child defendants have a right to anonymity.

However, upon a guilty plea the press would inevitably make an application to the sentencing judge to lift the anonymity order on the grounds of public interest which, if granted, would make him front-page news.

At the sentencing hearing, the judge would consider mitigating and aggravating factors in his case. Mitigating factors would include his young age and guilty plea, as well as any expressed remorse and indications he’s willing to engage in rehabilitation. Aggravating factors would be the violence of the murder, the premeditation of bringing a weapon with the intent of causing serious harm, and of carrying a knife in public. In addition, personal statements from Jamie’s family and teachers would be considered, and victim impact statements read for the court.

All said, Jamie’s total sentence may seem surprisingly lenient to American viewers. For example, in September 2024, two 13-year-old boys were sentenced for murdering a 19-year-old with a machete. After taking into their age, they were sentenced to a minimum of eight years and six months in custody.

The sentencing guidelines the judge must work within would mean that Jamie would receive a similar sentence. Due to his young age, he would initially be held in youth detention accommodation (likely the facility we see in episode 3) before being transferred to a Young Offenders Institution when he turns 15.

It’s worth underlining that Jamie would receive a minimum sentence, meaning that for him to be released, he would have to make progress on rehabilitation, be a well-behaved inmate, and judged not to be a risk to the public. Considering what we see of him on the show, I think it’s likely he’d meet that criteria, with the parole board releasing him on license (meaning he can be recalled to prison if conditions are breached) at the age of 20 or 21.

The rest of his life n4138

For a broad idea of what Jamie’s adult life after being released might look like, we’ll look at the fates of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who were just ten years old when they murdered two-year-old James Bulger. They were released on license at the age of 18 and were given new identities similar to those given to people under witness protection. Venables went on to breach the of his license and was recalled to prison, while Thompson has effectively vanished.

It’s hard to say whether Jamie would receive the same treatment, though upon release, we’d expect him to change his name and move to a new part of the country, hoping to keep his true identity and criminal history a secret. From then on, it’d a regular low-key life for him, albeit under the cloud of continued low-key press interest and a constant risk of being identified by online vigilantes.

Netflix’s new crime drama Adolescence is the best thing the streamer has released since Baby Reindeer. The four-episode limited series is sitting pretty at a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has instantly become a red-hot awards season contender due to its dazzling performances and technical brilliance.

The show focuses on 13-year-old British teenager Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for murder at the beginning of the first episode. Throughout the show we see the brutal impact of the situation on his family (led by his father, star Stephen Graham), a painstaking recreation of the legal process, and a subtle but damning exploration of how the manosphere warps young minds.

Adolescence is technically dazzling 10462h

Adolescence is a thematically dense and dramatically meaty experience, but that’s uplifted by the fact that each episode appears to be a single unbroken shot. For example, episode one begins with two detectives talking in their car, follows them as they drive to Jamie’s house, continues the shot as armed cops break down his door and drag him from his bed, right the way through to him being placed in a holding cell back at the police station and beyond.

In other episodes, the camera does things that appear impossible, like transitioning between close-up interior dialogue scenes to overhead drone shots and back to close-up drama without cutting away. One-shot scenes (or “oners”) are increasingly popular in TV and movies, and are generally achieved through hidden cuts that allow editors to transition between separately shot sequences while preserving the appearance of a single unbroken shot.

It would make a ridiculous amount of sense for Adolescence to fake the one-shot style. The show relies on pitch-perfect emotional performances (including one from a young teenager in his debut role), scenes with hundreds of extras, the occasional fast-paced action moment, and multiple changes of location.

So, is it fake? w4a4l

Incredibly, it seems that each episode of Adolescence really is one unbroken hour-long take. Director Philip Barantini decided the show would benefit from being one-shot episodes, which he understatedly said in an interview with The Independent was “quite difficult,” before pointing out that it had to be “meticulously planned.” No kidding.

Preparation involved weeks of technical and cast rehearsals, with Barantini explaining:

“[Tech rehearsals] would be an opportunity for the sound team to put the booms where they needed to be. And, we had all the and the runners and ADs all dressed in police uniforms in the first episode and teachers in the second episode so they could be on camera and cueing things. It was technically challenging, but a huge collaboration.”

This means one forgotten line or technical error would force them to start the entire shoot from scratch, putting a crazy amount of pressure on the cast and crew. Miraculously, Barantini says there were no “major mistakes” during production, though they did have to start again a few times:

“One time the camera was knocked on the door, so the lens shook a little bit and we wouldn’t be able to fix that. And the other time the lights just went off in the studio in the police station. So it was like, we can’t shoot this now, we have to stop.”

The cast also appear to have handled the pressure smoothly, as Barantini explains:

“The actors are in it. There’s no room for error and everyone has the ball and you’re ing the ball to each other and it’s trust. All the actors are trusting each other and if they mess up a line, someone else will come in.”

It’s illuminating that Adolescence has landed on Netflix at the same time as the Russo Brothers’ The Electric State. The latter has a reported budget of $320 million, but has landed with a wet squelch to complaints of “lousy” performances and dull visuals.

The budget for Adolescence hasn’t been released, though could well have cost less than 1% of what Netflix forked out for The Electric State while being inarguably superior to it on every metric. Just a little something for the bean counters over at the streaming giant to consider.