A British crime drama that’s soared to the top of the Netflix charts has achieved staggering viewing figures.
Released on March 13, the four-part series Adolescence stars Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, a father whose family is shattered after his 13-year-old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) is accused of murder.
Shot in one take, the show also stars Ashley Walters as DI Luke Bascombe, Christine Tremarco as Manda Miller and Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston.
Both critics and fans have rushed to praise the series – which currently holds a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘This is not an easy watch… But in what Adolescence has to say, and in how eloquently and audaciously it says it, it’s also among the very best things — and an early contender for the best thing — you will see on the small screen this year,’ Rolling Stone wrote in its review.
Get personalised updates on all things Netflix
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
‘Adolescence isn’t just an entertaining series (though it is, in some warped way); it’s one of the most important series I’ve seen in a long time,’ Collider shared.
‘It is a drama so quietly devastating that I won’t forget it for a very long time,’ The Daily Telegraph added.
Meanwhile viewers said it was ‘phenomenal’ and left them ‘bawling’.
Adolescence has been the most watched show on Netflix in recent days, but it’s now been revealed just how popular it’s been.
In the four days after its release, the show reached a jaw-dropping 24.3 million views.
Previously speaking to Metro, Stephen explained the idea for Adolescence – which he co-wrote with Jack Thorne – came after he heard about ‘another incident of a young boy stabbing a young girl’.
‘I’m going to call them young boys, because they were young boys, and they are young boys. And it just hurt my heart, basically,’ he said.
‘I just wondered, what kind of a society and what kind of a world are we living in where this kind of thing has happened, not once, not twice, three, four, five times? It just really made me curious.’
He recalling feeling that ‘this was something that we could look at as a society’, adding that his objective ‘was never to point the finger in any way, shape or form, but just to raise the question of why is this happening, and who is to blame? What is to blame? Family, school, society, influences… maybe we’re all kind of accountable.’
He continued: ‘What’s that beautiful saying it takes a village to raise a child? I think maybe that’s something we should look at as a collective. So, it’s not necessarily pointing a finger at one specific individual. It’s the whole thing itself. What would drive a young boy to do something like this?’
Adolescence is streaming on Netflix.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
