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Stephen Graham's powerful drama Adolescence has performed so well for Netflix that it's beaten Stranger Things' streaming record

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Adolescence is a tough but important watch

Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) looks at his anxious son Jamie (Owen Cooper) in a prison cell.
(Image credit: Netflix)
  • Adolescence has officially become Netflix’s second-biggest English language TV series
  • The number one slot is still taken by Wednesday, which returns for season 2 this year
  • This news comes after Adolescence won Breakthrough Limited Series at the Gotham TV awards

Netflix's limited series Adolescence has become the second-biggest English-language TV series in the streaming giant's history.

It's performed so well that it's beaten Stranger Things season 4, one of our best Netflix shows. It'll be interesting to see if those placings change after the release of the highly anticipated Stranger Things season 5, which is the final installment and is set to be released in three parts.

Despite Adolescence's success, the number one slot is still held by Wednesday, which will return for season 2 in August. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked non-English-language show is the first season of Squid Game, which returns for season 3 in June.

What have audiences and critics said about Adolescence?

A still from Netflix's new miniseries Adolescence starring Stephen Graham

Stephen Graham delivers a powerful performance in Adolescence (Image credit: Netflix)

Adolescence was developed by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and tells the story of a teenage schoolboy who's charged with murdering a fellow pupil, and the devastating toll the case takes on his family. The series has become a sensation, receiving a 99% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.

Recently, the limited series enjoyed success at the Gotham TV awards, where it won Breakthrough Limited Series and two acting awards for leading stars Stephen Graham and 15-year-old Owen Cooper.

A second season has been discussed, but nothing has been confirmed yet. When asked about the possibility, Graham told Variety: “Possibly, let’s see how the figures are. But yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story.”

The series received widespread acclaim, with TechRadar's John-Anthony Disotto hailing it as "the TV show of the year". He praised the acting and the camera work in particular, saying, "It's an incredibly impressive filming technique that highlights the outstanding acting from the ensemble cast as well as inducing anxiety due to the sheer pace of the show."

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Lucy Buglass
Lucy Buglass
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd. 

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