Netflix’s Adolescence returned to the spotlight in a big way at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. The British limited series earned one of the night’s defining television runs, winning Best Limited Series and adding major acting trophies that confirmed its status as prestige viewing, not just a buzzy release.
If you missed it when it premiered, the awards surge is the clearest reason to press play now. Adolescence is built like a real-time pressure cooker, trapping you inside a family crisis and an investigation that refuses easy answers. Here is everything you need to know about Adolescence – from the plot and cast to reviews. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
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Adolescence: All the key details
- Title: Adolescence
- Format: Limited series
- Episodes: 4
- Runtime: Approximately 51-65 minutes per episode
- Genre: Psychological crime drama
- Country: United Kingdom
- Release date: March 13, 2025
- Creators: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham
- Director: Philip Barantini
- Lead cast: Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, Ashley Walters
- Produced by: Netflix, Plan B Entertainment, Warp Films
What Adolescence is about
Adolescence begins with a shock. Thirteen-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested after the death of a classmate, and the fallout pulls in his parents, a therapist, and the detective leading the case. The series is less interested in tidy twists than in the emotional damage caused by suspicion, fear, and the desperate need to believe you know your own child.
Its signature craft choice is part of the tension. Each episode is staged as a single continuous take, a style that makes every silence feel heavier and every confrontation feel unavoidable.
The 83rd Golden Globes: how Adolescence dominated the conversation
At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, Adolescence emerged as a standout winner in television. It won Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television, and its performances were rewarded across major acting categories.
Stephen Graham won Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television for his role as Eddie Miller, a father forced to watch his family life fracture in real time. The show also won supporting acting awards for Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty, completing a four-award Golden Globes night that cemented the series as one of Netflix’s defining prestige titles.
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Adolescence cast: the main characters
Stephen Graham plays Eddie Miller with a restrained intensity that keeps tightening as the series progresses. It is a performance built on pressure, not speeches, and the Golden Globes win underlined how central he is to the show’s impact.
Owen Cooper’s Jamie is the story’s nerve center. He moves between vulnerability and opacity in a way that keeps you questioning what you are seeing, and that tension is exactly what makes the series so hard to shake. Erin Doherty brings precision and empathy to a key supporting role, while Ashley Walters grounds the investigative side with a detective who feels human rather than procedural.
Is Adolescence based on a true story?
Adolescence is a scripted drama. It is not a direct adaptation of a single real-life case.
What reviews say about Adolescence
Critical response has consistently highlighted the show’s one-take construction and the intensity of its performances, especially how the format amplifies tension without relying on spectacle. The Golden Globes results added a major industry stamp to that reputation, positioning Adolescence as one of the year’s defining limited series.
Why watch Adolescence
If you enjoyed When They See Us or Mare of Easttown, this fits naturally into that space, blending psychological crime storytelling with a formally ambitious approach that keeps the drama intimate, tense, and emotionally relentless.
Adolescence release date on streaming
Available now. Adolescence is already streaming on Netflix, where it is currently attracting strong viewer attention. Release date: March 13, 2025. Watch on Netflix.
