ADOLESCENCE: Behind the Scenes of a Crime [REVIEW]

Literally behind the scenes. I can’t recall another series that presents the situation of a murder suspect—especially one accused of killing a child—with such meticulous detail. Adolescence isn’t entirely about the crime itself, but rather about what the main suspect experiences and how the police, the defense, and the prosecution operate. The crime and its social repercussions, along with the story of young students hiding a painful secret, take a secondary role. However, these aspects are still so prominent that they cannot be ignored.

It is Jack Thorne’s unconventional approach and Stephen Graham’s portrayal of the suspect’s father that make Adolescence, available on Netflix, a noteworthy title for crime genre enthusiasts. Nothing here is obvious—neither in terms of content nor in the formal structure of the series. The suspense is further heightened by the age of the main character—just 13 years old.

As a miniseries, Adolescence was always intended to have only one season. And for the story of Jamie, a 13-year-old accused of murder, this is the only viable format. The story unfolds across just four episodes, making the narrative compact and incredibly engaging. Despite the intensity of the plot, the creators still manage to incorporate moments of reflection, prolonged shots, and visual metaphors, giving Adolescence the feel of a psychological crime drama infused with elements of a social drama.

On one hand, the series provides an in-depth look at police work and the investigation, almost as if from behind the scenes. On the other, it portrays the protagonist being drawn into an uncontrollable whirlwind of events—events tied to the consequences of adolescence. The world of growing up in Adolescence feels vastly different from what we might remember. Today, it is far more corrupted—not because people have suddenly worsened but because corruption has found perfect channels for distribution through the internet.

The reality depicted in the series, where Jamie is accused of murdering his schoolmate, presents a deeper notion: the hidden culprit is not the boy himself but the societal indifference that shaped him. This issue affects children profoundly, and for adolescents, it can leave lasting scars—ones that may ultimately lead to crimes like the one committed against Kate. This ties into the concept of masculinity and the influence of the “manosphere” on young boys, adding another layer to the discourse introduced by the creators.

The first layer, brilliantly portrayed by Owen Cooper (Jamie) and Ashley Walters (Inspector Bascombe), revolves around how the audience gradually gains knowledge about the murder through Jamie’s intense, prolonged, and often controversial interrogations—conducted by Inspector Bascombe and psychologist Ariston (played by Erin Doherty). These scenes deserve special attention as they are masterfully written and performed. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such lengthy and substantial interrogation sequences in a series—ones that shape the entire narrative.

The pacing of Adolescence is slow, but that doesn’t make it boring. On the contrary, it hits the viewer like a whip, forcing them to confront the taboo of what we think we know about children—or rather, adolescents—whom adults, including their own parents, often choose to ignore. This is the series’ greatest strength, one that defies the conventions of the crime genre. The crime itself feels secondary to the deeper exploration of what it means to be a young person facing the external world for the first time—someone still too childlike to fully understand or navigate it. At that crucial moment, they need wise adults. Yet, Adolescence starkly reveals that, in the most critical times, those adults simply aren’t there.