Netflix’s Adolescence has been making headlines this week, but can viewers expect a second season? Read on for all that we know so far.
The four-part miniseries was created by Jack Thorne (Toxic Town, This Is England) and Stephen Graham and directed by Boiling Point’s Philip Barantini, with each of the hour-long episodes shot in one single continuous take.
It tells the story of Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), a 13-year-old boy who is shockingly arrested in the opening episode for the murder of a female classmate. Subsequent episodes explore the impact of the murder on Jamie’s school and family, as well as the possible motivation for the killing.
It tackles the thorny political issue of incel culture and social media bullying, with a conversation between Jamie and a child psychologist taking up the entire third episode. Labour MP Anneliese Midgley has called for the show to be screened in schools, to help counter misogyny and violence against women and girls, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also cited the show’s importance.
Graham stars as Jamie’s father Eddie, while Top Boy’s Ashley Walters plays DI Luke Bascombe, who investigates the case alongside Faye Marsay’s DS Misha Frank.
In a four-star review of Adolescence, NME wrote: “Its unflinching commitment to the darkest corners of the story will remain with you long after the credits have rolled. These four episodes alone won’t stop the encroachment of the so-called ‘manosphere’ on regular boys’ lives but it has the power to start some much-needed conversations.”
The final episode makes memorable use of AURORA’s ‘Through The Eyes Of A Child’, about which the Norwegian has said: “It’s a strange and wonderful thing to see people connecting with the song. The deep need for the world to stop neglecting the inner child, and confusing innocence with weakness.”
Is Adolescence season two in the works?
The show was conceived as a one-off four-episode miniseries, so it is unlikely at this stage that Adolescence will be returning.
However, given the magnitude of the reception to the show in its first week of streaming, it is not impossible that Netflix and creators Thorne and Graham will consider their options for continuing the story.
The two co-writers spoke to Tudum about their vision for the show’s ending. “We knew that we wanted to end it in that room,” Graham said, referring to Jamie’s bedroom. “We wanted the journey to finish where it began. This is where the person who Jamie became was created.”
Possible scenarios for a second season could include exploring the fallout of the murder from the point of view of the victim Katie’s family, or Jamie’s experience after sentencing. Alternatively, Thorne and Graham could choose to tell a different story on a similar theme, retaining the series’ signature one-take format.
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