The British crime drama Adolescence has taken Netflix by storm, snagging the title of the platform’s second most-watched English-language series ever with a whopping 141.2 million views in just 91 days. Dropping on March 13, 2025, this gripping four-parter has zoomed past Stranger Things Season 4 (140.7 million views), sitting just behind Wednesday’s first season, which still rules with 252.1 million views. According to reports from The Guardian and Deadline, this show’s wild success is proof it’s hit a nerve with audiences worldwide.
Created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, and directed by Philip Barantini, Adolescence tells the intense story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), a kid arrested for murdering his classmate Katie Leonard. Shot in a cool single-take style for each episode, it dives into how social media and the toxic “manosphere” can mess with young minds. Newcomer Owen Cooper shines as Jamie, and Graham, who also plays his dad Eddie, delivers a gut-punch performance. With a near-perfect 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and wins for Breakthrough Limited Series and acting at the 2025 Gotham TV Awards, critics are all in on this one.
Right out of the gate, Adolescence made history as the first streaming show to top the UK’s weekly audience charts, pulling 6.45 million viewers for its debut episode in mid-March, per Barb ratings. It exploded to 42 million views globally in its second week, nearly doubling its initial 24.3 million, and by April, it had climbed to No. 4 on Netflix’s all-time English-language list with 114 million views. The show’s raw take on online radicalization and incel culture got people talking, big time. Even UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer watched it with his teens, calling it “a really, really good drama.” It’s now streaming in UK secondary schools to spark conversations about online safety and toxic masculinity.
Backed by Plan B Entertainment and Warp Films, Adolescence isn’t just a hit—it’s changing the game, with calls for smartphone bans for kids under 16 and screenings in schools and even Parliament. While fans are begging for a second season, Graham and Thorne have hinted the story might be done after its powerful finale. Whether it comes back or not, Adolescence has proven a short, hard-hitting series can stand toe-to-toe with Netflix’s heavyweights. All four episodes are ready to binge on Netflix, and trust us, this one’s worth the watch.