4 days ago
‘Adolescence' soars past ‘Stranger Things' to become Netflix's new No. 2 original show (behind only ‘Wednesday')
Originally published April 1; updated June 3 at 12:30 p.m. PT
Adolescence is a massive hit.
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After three months of release, the harrowing U.K. limited series continues to dominate Netflix's most popular English-language shows of all time. Adolescence now ranks at No. 2, dethroning Stranger Things 4, which debuted in 2022. The only Netflix original TV show that has received higher views throughout history is Wednesday Season 1, also from 2022. Interestingly enough, Wednesday, Adolescence, and Stranger Things all tell stories about troubled teens.
Some of the other original programs that Adolescence soared past in recent weeks include Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Bridgerton Season 1, The Queen's Gambit, Bridgerton Season 3, The Night Agent Season 1, Fool Me Once, and Stranger Things 3.
Here is the current most popular list:
Wednesday: Season 1 (2022) — 252.1 million views
Adolescence: Limited Series (2025) — 141.2 million views
Stranger Things 4 (2022) — 140.7 minutes views
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: Limited Series (2022) — 115.6 million views
Bridgerton: Season 1 (2020) — 113.3 million views
The Queen's Gambit: Limited Series (2020) — 112.8 million views
Bridgerton: Season 3 (2024) — 106.0 million views
The Night Agent: Season 1 (2023) — 98.2 million views
Fool Me Once: Limited Series (2024) — 98.2 million views
Stranger Things 3 (2019) — 94.8 million views
Adolescence is a four-episode crime drama co-created and -written by Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire) and Jack Thorne. Graham also stars as Eddie Miller, the father of 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for allegedly stabbing a classmate to death. Each episode is directed by Philip Barantini and filmed in a single take as viewers learn more about Jamie's crime from the viewpoints of the police, his psychiatrist, and his family.
The program premiered on March 13 with a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90 score on Metacritic. It drew 24.3 million views in its first four days of availability to debut at No. 1 on the Netflix English TV charts, and also reached the top spot in 71 countries.
In Week 2, Adolescence continued to rise as word-of-mouth took control and people started comparing it to another British limited series, Baby Reindeer. In Week 3, it topped the English TV charts once more with an additional 30.4 million views, reaching the top 10 in all 93 countries the top 10 is available. In Week 4, the program became the fourth most-watched Netflix original TV show of all time in the English language. And in Week 5, it entered the top three.
"It's saving lives ... that feels quite special," Cooper told Gold Derby about the success of the program. "Adolescence is teaching kids not to do that," the teenager added, referring to toxic social media behaviors. To that end, U.K. schools will begin screening the series for students.
According to Gold Derby's Emmy odds, Adolescence is now out front to win Best Limited Series, Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actor for Cooper, and Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actress for Erin Doherty as the child psychologist. Graham is in second place for Best Movie/Limited Actor, behind only Colin Farrell (The Penguin). Other cast members looking to score Emmy bids include Ashley Walters as the detective inspector, and Christine Tremarco as Jamie's mother.
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