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If you’ve been hearing a lot about the new Netflix original series “Adolescence” recently, I’m not surprised. This dark, troubling, and gripping story of a young boy named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who’s accused of a grievous crime features four episodes — all of which are shot in a single take — making this limited series a technical marvel by any standard. /Film’s own Chris Evangelista declared, upon its release, that “Adolescence” might just be the best original Netflix series in the entire history of the streaming service, and frankly, I’m not inclined to argue with him. Across those four episodes, “Adolescence” explores Jamie’s disturbed psyche and, stunningly, makes a huge reveal right at the start: at the end of the very first episode, we see video proof of Jamie murdering a young girl from his class.
Thanks to this, the series is able to explore the motivations behind Jamie’s brutal attack, slowly but surely revealing that the young boy got involved in online communities full of toxic, “red-pilled” men. In an interview with creators Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham — the latter of whom also plays Jamie’s grief-stricken father Eddie — Thorne said exploring Jamie’s mind was the driving force behind the series. “Telling a drama that’s a why-done-it, rather than a whodunit, hopefully engages people in different questions,” Thorne told Netflix’s website Tudum. “Questions like, ‘What’s going on within our teenage boys?’ [Series director Phil Barantini], Stephen, and I are looking at masculinity — thinking about ourselves as men, the kinds of fathers, partners, and friends we are, and questioning with some intensity who we are as people.”
“Adolescence” is, to be clear, a very heavy watch — but it’s also brilliantly made and performed. Looking for similar shows to watch next? Here are a few selections.
Broadchurch
If you watched “Adolescence” and you’re looking for more British crime dramas with a seriously dark tone, I’ll point you in the direction of “Broadchurch” right away … though I will admit I’m specifically talking about the first season (or, as it’s called across the pond, “series”). The first season of “Broadchurch,” which contains eight episodes, casts David Tennant as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy — a recent transplant in the small town of Broadchurch who’s a veteran detective but plagued with scandals — and future Oscar winner Olivia Colman as Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller, a Broadchurch local who resents Hardy for taking the job she hoped to earn. Together, they investigate the murder of young Fanny Latimer (Oskar McNamara), whose body is found on the cliffs of the town at the start of the series. Thanks to Danny’s troubled relationship with his family, there are plenty of clues left behind for Hardy and Ellie.
The reason I specify that you should seek out season (“series”) 1 of “Broadchurch” over the following two is, frankly, it’s the best one; the formula wears out its welcome just a tiny bit as you progress, despite excellent performances from both Tennant and Colman. That first season also features a murderer’s row (sorry) of incredible actors, including Jodie Whitaker, Jacob Anderson, Arthur Darvill, Jonathan Bailey, and David Bradley, and because of everything that the detectives learn about Danny, they realize that nothing is as simple as it seems. (There’s an American remake called “Gracepoint” with Tennant doing an American accent alongside Anna Gunn from “Breaking Bad,” but definitely avoid that one.)
Baby Reindeer
There’s no question that “Adolescence” is a very disturbing watch, and in that vein, “Baby Reindeer” — another British miniseries made with Netflix — is also upsetting enough that, before watching, you should probably double (triple?) check the project’s content warnings. If you decide to go ahead and watch it, though, you’ll be richly rewarded; “Baby Reindeer,” like “Adolescence,” is a tough but incredible watch. (You might recognize its name from awards ceremonies like the Emmys, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards; throughout the 2024-2025 awards season, it picked up multiple awards for its performances and the show’s overall excellence.)
So what is “Baby Reindeer” about? We open with Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd, who also wrote and created the series), a flailing stand-up comedian living and working in London who, during a shift at a local pub, offers a woman a free cup of tea after other patrons start laughing at her. No good deed goes unpunished, unfortunately, because the woman in question — Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning, who has picked up several trophies for her performance — turns out to be a violent and even dangerous stalker. As Donny tries to avoid her, Martha only grows more and more aggressive, and when we learn about Donny’s past trauma, we understand why he’s so afraid of Martha … and why he develops an obsession of his own. Again, do check trigger warnings for “Baby Reindeer.” It’s harrowing but well worth your time.
Mindhunter
Another great series — that also happens to be a Netflix original — that focuses on the “why” and not the “who” in murder cases is “Mindhunter,” a series from acclaimed director David Fincher that sought to tell the story of how criminal psychology and criminal profiling became such an intrinsic part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Jonathan Groff stars as Holden Ford, a young special agent who joins the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit alongside senior special agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany); the two are ultimately joined by Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), a psychology professor who can provide a more academic point of view. This series is set in the late 1970s when criminal profiling was still an underappreciated art in policing, but without work like that, a series like “Adolescence” — despite being set in a different country — might never have been possible.
In season 1 of “Mindhunter,” Holden, Bill, and Wendy try and study Ed Kemper (a real-life serial killer played on-screen by Cameron Britton), and the trio discover that Kemper is a genuinely engaging — albeit highly dangerous — individual, giving them a glimpse into the troubled mind of a murderer. Season 2 kicks off at the beginning of the 1980s as Holden and Bill travel from the FBI’s headquarters in Fredericksburg, Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia to investigate a series of murders there, and throughout, we keep seeing ominous glimpses of a man who works as an ADT serviceman who’s eventually revealed to be Dennis Rader, a serial killer dubbed “BTK” (which stands for “bind, torture, kill”), portrayed by Sonny Valicenti. Unfortunately, Fincher confirmed in 2023 to Forbes that the series was over and wouldn’t get a third installment, but the first two seasons are still kicking around on Netflix.
Yellowjackets
Again, if you’re looking for a series that gives you some important answers right up front but then decides to ask why a truly horrific thing happened, Showtime’s original series “Yellowjackets” is a great choice. While the series is certainly a lighter watch than “Adolescence,” it also tells the audience right away that, while a girls’ soccer team named the Yellowjackets were stranded in the remote Canadian woods after a plane crash on their way to an important game, they commit untold atrocities, including cannibalism … which we know for sure happens because we watch a girl get trapped, killed, and eaten in the show’s pilot.
“Yellowjackets,” as fans know, splits itself into two timelines, focusing on the teenage Yellowjackets stuck in the woods and desperate to survive and the surviving girls as adults struggling to grapple with their past and what they’ve done to each other. With outstanding players like Sophie Nélisse, Liv Hewson, Samantha Hanratty, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sophie Thatcher in the teen timeline and Melanie Lynskey, Lauren Ambrose, Christina Ricci, and Tawny Cypress in the adult timeline, “Yellowjackets” will grab ahold of you and never let go — and just like we know Jamie is guilty at the beginning of “Adolescence,” we know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the Yellowjackets are guilty at the beginning of the show. Not only do we get the “why” on “Yellowjackets,” but, we also get the “what” — because at this point in the show, the depth of their crimes is still unknown.
Toxic Town
On the surface, “Toxic Town” doesn’t seem to share a lot of traits with “Adolescence,” but here’s the important part: it’s also created and helmed by Jack Thorne, so if you want to seek out more of this creator’s work after watching “Adolescence,” definitely turn your attention to this Netflix original series. (It’s also produced by Broke & Bones, the company owned by “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker and its producer Annabel Jones, just to give it even more pedigree.) “Toxic Town” tells the story of three mothers whose families are affected by the Corby toxic waste scandal, a real-life event that affected the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England — and the court case that followed, which is the main focus of the show’s four episodes.
“Toxic Town” features a phenomenal cast that includes Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Rory Kinnear, and Joe Dempsie — just to name a few — and just like “Adolescence,” it’s another series that’s tough yet rewarding when you actually sit down and watch it. Plus, it’s yet another example of Thorne’s ability to find the human aspect of horrific tragedies, so if you’re looking to check out more of his oeuvre, you won’t want to miss “Toxic Town.”
