Impactful Netflix show raises levels to have positive impact on society

Adolescence has stunned audiences since released on Netflix on March 13. If you weren't already aware of it the drama tells the harrowing story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a teenage schoolgirl. It focuses on the turmoil of him and his family with many harrowing and upsetting scenes of how their lives are changed. The show has been creating a tidal wave of attention for the issues it raises.

It’s pure drama with superb performances from the cast. In particular, Stephen Graham plays the boy's father with Owen Cooper making an astoundingly accomplished acting debut as the son. Adolescence has also attracted much acclaim for its amazing camera work and screenplay. Each of the four episodes was filmed in a single continuous shot, which makes for incredible viewing. 

There is more than enough there for any drama to make a huge impact. That’s carried into the viewing figures for the show, which are way above average on Netflix. In its first week of release, it hit over 24 million views, over four times the next highest for the week on the streaming platform. The drama is creating a huge amount of debate and comments on social media praising the show and the issues it raises.

Netflix show adolescence could drive home significant changes to society today

The reception the show has had and the attention it is now getting elsewhere has shocked and surprised the production team behind it. Lead actor Graham who also co-wrote the drama with Thorne has spoken out on the unexpected impact. Speaking on the BBC recently he hoped it would lead to discussions in the UK Parliament about the issues being raised. 

Graham’s wife Hannah Walters is an Executive producer for Adolescence and she too has been taken aback by the impact. As the BBC reports, they both knew it would hit home with the strong storyline but weren't expecting that to be as powerful and widely impactive as it has been. She tells of receiving many messages from parents who have watched the show. 

“Stephen and I, we knew it was going to be impactful, we knew it was needed."
“But I did not, hand on heart, realize the profound effects it was going to have on people."
"Parents are sending me lots of messages of thanks, lots of messages of gratitude, because they're opening those bedroom doors and talking to their children in ways that they hadn't talked to them before.”
"And I think that's all we needed to do - give everybody a little shake and say, come on, it's our duty now to make sure that this generation don't get lost because it's so easy to lose them."

That wave of discussion is now seeing Adolescence being raised in many other significant ways and places. The show has been held up as an important piece of education for young men and fathers. It drives home serious messages about knife crime and the many influences present online that lead youngsters badly astray. So much so that it has now been raised and discussed in the UK Parliament.

The Prime Minister, Sir Keith Starmer, has backed calls from co-writer Thorne and others to show the drama in schools and parliament for educational purposes. Starmer acknowledged that the violence and online issues it raises need to be tackled urgently.

Thats quite amazing for a TV drama to create such a storm. It follows another campaigning 2024 ITV drama in the UK, Mr. Bates V The Post Office in creating debate and raising serious issues publicly. That show highlighted a significant scandal and is credited with legislation being brought forward to exonerate people who had been wrongly convicted and introduce compensatory payments.

Adolescence raises completely different issues in our society today, but could also bring forward serious action to help alleviate those. That is significant and impactful TV for sure.

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