Adolescence
Netflix
The first streaming show ever to top UK charts. The second biggest English language Netflix series of all time. The most tense scene of an actor retching at the thought of a child eating a cheese sandwich. Such are the lists of firsts for this breathtaking drama about toxic masculinity in teens that it’s nigh on impossible to overpraise it. For a few weeks, the entire world seemed to be talking about the astonishing single-shot cinematography, the terrifying realism of a premise that saw social media fuel a 13-year-old boy to murder a female classmate and stunning performances not just from storied veterans like Stephen Graham, but hyper-young first-time talent such as Owen Cooper. From now on, this is the bar by which all UK drama has to be judged.
What we said: “A deeply moving, deeply harrowing experience.” Read the full review
