Critic Reviews

It is a drama so quietly devastating that I won’t forget it for a very long time.

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.

Its refusal to offer easy get‑outs (no abusive parents, no dark family secrets), no clear explanation as to what leads one boy to murder and others not, feels brave and real.

It’s nothing less than a miracle that the storytelling shines through the chaos of a very realistic high school. But it’s the third episode that makes Adolescence such an unsettling, chilling watch. .... Erin Doherty (A Thousand Blows, The Crown) gives an outstanding performance as one shrink, the whole episode swirling around her conversation with her subject. Cooper, too, is marvellous.

Quibbles aside, Adolescence has already cemented itself as one of the year's most impressive shows, with many an award surely coming its way, and its importance cannot be overstated. Graham and Thorne's drama should be mandatory viewing, particularly for boys and their parents; Adolescence should be added to the national curriculum without delay.

No one will want to watch this series, but that is precisely why everyone should.

Gutting, raw and stunningly acted, “Adolescence” highlights how we’ve failed ourselves and will continually fail the generations coming behind us.

Far more grown-up than its name might suggest, Adolescence is a triumph of creative and technical artistry where the ‘gimmick’ at hand elevates it to one of the year’s finest. 

Adolescence (Netflix) is brilliant. I can put it no other way. Every beat, every remark, every glance between characters, every angry or teary outburst in this four-part drama — each episode shot in one continuous take — is laden with authenticity and it is terrifying. .... A storytelling masterclass.

An emotional powerhouse that sneaks up and floors you. The young TV season sets a new gold standard with a drama series that is sure to rank with the year's very best. Polish up Emmys for Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper as the father and son at the heart of a tragedy.