WARNING: This article contains mild spoilers for Adolescence.
Having only premiered last week, Adolescence has already become Netflix’s latest hit.
The crime drama has gripped viewers around the world thanks to its ingenious cinematography—each episode was filmed in one continuous shot—and insidious subject matter.
The story unfolds in real time as the characters try to work out whether or not a 13-year-old boy murdered one of his classmates. Given Netflix’s history of dramatising true crime (Apple Cider Vinegar, the streamer’s hit retelling of the Belle Gibson story, only dropped last month), viewers are wondering: is Adolescence a true story?
What Is Adolescence About?
Adolescence tells the story of Jamie, a 13-year-old boy who has been accused of killing his classmate, Katie.
Throughout the limited, four-part series, all the characters—including Jamie’s family and the investigating detectives—try to uncover answers as to what actually happened in this shocking tragedy.
It is also an examination of modern masculinity and what the world is like for teen boys in 2025.
“One of our aims was to ask, ‘What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?’,” star and co-creator, Stephen Graham told Netflix’s Tudum. “And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over.”
Is Netflix Adolescence Based On a True Story?
Netflix’s Adolescence is not a true story, or even based on any real people or events. However, the idea for the series was sprung from real-world news stories about young boys being involved with knife crime, as well as the influence of real world “Manosphere” (more on that here).
“There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl,” Graham told Tudum. “It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’ And then it happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again. I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?’”
Director Philip Barantini further told The Wrap: “In the UK there’s a real problem with knife crime, certainly in the younger generation. There have been a series of young boys who were killing young girls with knives, and it was really upsetting.”
Data for year ending June 2024 shows that in the UK, there were just under 20,000 offences resulting in a caution or conviction for possession of a knife or offensive weapon offences in the UK. Juveniles (people aged between 10 and 17 years old) were the offenders in 18 per cent of these cases.
In Australia, Victoria has recently joined Queensland and New South Wales in announcing new measures to crack down on knife crime in the state.
Where to Watch Adolescence
Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix now.
