5 reasons why Adolescence is so popular, explored 

Netflix's latest crime drama, Adolescence, created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, is making news on the internet and sits at a near-perfect score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The show follows a 13-year-old boy named Jamie, who is accused and arrested for stabbing one of his classmates to death. The show has entered Netflix's Top 10 charts and is already ruling rating numbers.

Here are 5 reasons why Netflix's Adolescence is so popular and a must-watch.

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5 reasons why Netflix's Adolescence is so popular

1) Netflix's Adolescence is led by a small but strong ensemble cast

Each episode of the Netflix mini-series is a masterclass in acting, which is led by an ensemble cast including Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty. Graham, an established English actor, needs no introduction, having shown his acting claibre in Peaky Blinders and the recently released A Thousand Blows alongside Doherty.

Doherty, who plays Jamie's therapist, Briony Ariston, shines in her communication with a 13-year-old child who is wrongly influenced.

But it is the breakthrough role of the child actor, Owen Cooper (Jamie), who makes his dazzling debut in Netflix's series. Cooper's conviction and determination while playing Jamie is what gives the series its gravitas, which director Philip Barantini discussed in an interview with Variety:

"He just absolutely blew me away. Actors train for years and years and still can’t really master what Owen has mastered, which is basically just being in the moment and listening and being truthful.''

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2) Adolescence brings a pressing issue to the small screen

While Netflix and other OTTs have seen a major rise in true crime series and documentaries, Adolescence hits the park with a step forward. It is not based on a specific real story, but it brings a pressing issue to the small screen, which is an increase in male teenage knife crimes in the UK.

In an interview with Netflix's Tudum, Graham talks about the inspiration behind the show:

“There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl. It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’'

Part of the show's popularity lies in its subject matter.

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3) Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot

While the premise of the mini-series is enough to hold your attention, part of the show's success is grounded in its structure and the structure Graham and Bartini chose to tell this story.

Netflix's latest mini-series adopts its director's signature one-shot, where each episode is entirely shot in one sitting, with no hidden cuts. Talking about his signature style, Bartini notes (via Variety):

“There’s no stitching of takes together. It was one entire shot, whether I wanted it to be or not.”

Since not many shows adapt this filming technique, the audience is naturally drawn towards the show and how it creates tension and immediacy, complementing its premise.

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4) Adolescence asks the 'Why' rather than the 'Who'

Most crime shows create mystery around who the killer is. But Netflix's latest takes a different approach by changing this 'who' to 'why'. Nearing the end, the show ensures viewers are more concerned with the consequences rather than the fact, 'Did he actually do it?'

This different approach shifts the viewers' expectations, making them aware of the pressing social issue, which was Graham and Thorne's main aim. In an interview with Netflix's Tudum, Graham elaborates on this:

“One of our aims was to ask, ‘What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media? And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over.”

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5) Adolescence brings many problematic internet slangs to light

Since the show tackles the problematic influencer culture and how it is sowing the seeds of misogyny in young men and making them hate the opposite gender, it brings many slangs to life.

Words like 'Nonce', 'incel' and 'maosphere' are sprinkled throughout the narrative, especially for parents to understand the kind of content their young children are devouring nowadays. The unfamiliarity with these internet slangs (for parents) highlights the gap between generations and the need to take action against it.

Jamie's father breaks down in the series finale, and the show ends on a pressing note for parents to monitor their children's activities and take strong action against it.

Also Read: Adolescence: A review of Netflix’s bold and unflinching crime drama

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