Season 1 – Adolescence

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Audience Member I will never get that four hours back. You watch a video of the murder in the first episode. You get the motive in episode two. Then you watch a man and a child throw temper tantrums, and it ends. Long drawn out nothing, no big twist or reveal, no character development. They prod sensitive subjects, but never make a point. I honestly don't understand how anyone could have enjoyed this crap Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Brad G This is why rotten tomatoes critics are the dumbest to review movies, this was an amazing series until the ending where nothing ends up paying off in the end and nothing actually mattered.. it was a complete original story why end it like that... My god ruined the whole series with such a lackluster unoriginal mess of an ending.. sooo soo soo bad avoid this series if you want a good compelling story with a great payoff Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Julio S It is a must watch for the entire family ! One of the best TV shows I have watched. We all need to understand what is going on with our kids and what they are getting exposed to. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Sam S An absolute masterpiece! The acting is superb, the story is harrowing and the one shot cinematography helps to sell the unrelenting nature of lives being so unnecessarily destroyed. The camera never allows us to look away because we are also there in the moment, trapped in the character's despair and have to take in the totality of their grief. There are no cheap let offs, no easy ways out, just people getting used to living with the carnage. We see little of the actual victim yet their absence from the community is keenly felt. It is impossible to not watch in one sitting and as a parent of children entering this age group, the ideas are haunting and dominate conversation for weeks. The only possible criticism is that the cinematography is so good that at times during the wider set pieces, I found the amazing technical prowess had me wondering how shots were done as I was watching but the acting always pulls you back in ao its not a massive issue. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review ALL- C The story isn’t necessarily anything totally original or nuanced and it’s definitely pushing an agenda towards its audience but the nuance this particular show adds to these common themes is where the value lies. The first episode was really just a 1 hour introduction, not bad by any means, but nothing that special either. I think it was definitely interesting to experience a murder case from the perspective of a minor but beyond that the episode didn’t blow me away entirely. The acting was, for the most part, good - some actors were definitely stronger than others. I feel as if the parents weren’t shocked enough by their kid getting arrested, it’s almost as if the whole situation didn’t have much gravity initially, which bugged me a little. The 2nd episode, to me, is the worst. I feel as if the school really wasn’t somber enough, people were still cracking jokes and Mrs Fenumore hardly seemed disturbed by the situation either. Nor did Jade, who once again hardly looked sad but rather just angry which I don’t think is accurate. I also really didn’t get the whole emoji plot line either (even as a member of Gen Z). They could’ve introduced the bullying plot line a little better than they did to be honest. Also the whole narrative of the dysfunctional relationship between Adam and Bascombe (his father) wasn’t really explored more which was annoying: I think it would’ve uncovered how police officers are affected by juvenile murder cases like these as they question the relationship with their own children simultaneously. Add in some really mediocre acting and the painfully unrealistic chasing scene with Ryan and this definitely makes for the worst episode. Now the 3rd and 4th episodes are really where everything picks up. The 1st and 2nd just explain the plot but the 3rd and 4th really display emotions and explore the aftermath (which is really the whole point of this show). The 3rd episode with the psychologist is an absolute masterpiece in extended duologues between 2 actors and really suited the ‘filmed in 1 shot’ style without any cuts. It was intimate, raw and more natural than anything previously in the show. Definitely my favourite episode. The 4th was just perfect at displaying how the family themselves were affected by everything, and the additional underpinning of this all taking place on the Dad’s birthday just adds more tension. It’s a simple episode, but it shows the slow yet painful dismantling of an entire family because of a situation like Jamie’s. Then the awkward reminisces of Jamie’s child hood really hit home as the parents weight up whether or not they did a good job. It was the perfect way to end the series. Overall - definitely worth a watch. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Josh D I think 95% of this series takes place during walks down a hallway from room to room, which I found to be incredibly annoying. And although I was drawn in by what seemed to be a developing plot- enough to watch until the final episode, that was it. Nothing, no development, no plot twist, no climax. A complete waste of time. This was absolutely one of the saddest most boring things that I have ever watched. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Read all reviews

Adolescence — Season 1

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