Future of Adolescence revealed after smashing Netflix charts with 24,300,000 views

Asyia Iftikhar

Published March 20, 2025 9:52am Updated March 20, 2025 3:57pm

As critically-praised series Adolescence enjoys one of Netflix’s biggest ever TV premieres – could there be more to come?

The four-episode, one-shot, show has stormed the global charts, trended on social media and even been brought up in UK parliament for its powerful exploration of the radicalisation of young boys on the internet.

The story follows 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper) who is accused of the murder of his classmate Katie through stabbing.

As the police (Ashley Walters and Faye Marsay) try to uncover his motivations, we delve into the impact on the school community, his parents (portrayed by Stephen Graham and Christine Tremarco), and psychologist Briony (Erin Doherty).

The first four-days viewing figures have confirmed it as a certified hit, notching up a whopping 24.3 million views and it’s expected to keep up the momentum for a while yet.

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All this to say that the British series has been hailed as one of the best in years. And it looks like Netflix may capitalise on its success.

A still from Adolescence of Owen Cooper as Jamie — After becoming a runaway hit, there may be a future for this format (Picture: Netflix)

‘Execs are thrilled by the results and acclaim for Adolescence. It’s seen as a format that can run and run, at least to a second series if not further, as it could take in a different teen issue each series,’ a TV source told The Sun.

They continued: ‘The topic has resonated with viewers because it taps into parents biggest fear and there’s plenty of scope for more in the same vein.

‘Stylistically, the one-take creative approach could become the hallmark of the series. It’s one of the aspects which has got everyone talking.’

Netflix is no stranger to creating anthology series under the same umbrella – and Adolescence could follow that lead.

Past hit anthology series for the streamer have included sci-fi dystopian Black Mirror, Ryan Murphy’s true crime series Monster, and ‘The Haunting of…’ horror franchise.

Adolescence still with Manda and Eddie played by Stephen Graham and Christine looking at each other — Stephen Graham, who also executive produced the series, has been praised for his powerhouse performance (Picture: Netflix)

In a exclusive interview with Metro, rising star Owen shared his hopes from the show.

‘I hope that to the parents it’ll open an eye to them, definitely. Kids’ social media is them. It’s their personal life, but you never know what your child’s doing online, especially with Jamie,’ the actor said.

And A Thousand Blows star Erin spoke about the experience filming episode three in one take, with each filmed up to 10 times.

‘‘Through that process, we were continuously surprising each other, and Phil the director was constantly giving us these little tweaks or things to think about, and then just letting it fly.