Ross Clark Ross Clark

Netflix’s Adolescence is far from perfect

Killer teenager Jamie Miller is played by Owen Cooper (Credit: Netflix)

According to one gushing review, Netflix’s Adolescence is the ‘most brilliant TV drama in years’. And that verdict is at the mild end. Others have called it ‘flawless’ and ‘complete perfection’. The drama has achieved a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the TV and film review website. If you haven’t watched Adolescence yet, you are almost certainly being implored to do so by friends, relatives, or – oh, the irony of it, as will become clear – by online peer pressure.

Adolescence becomes just a little too preachy

The four part mini-series, which tells the story of a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller, who kills a classmate, certainly deserves many of its accolades. Owen Cooper, a 15-year-old who plays the lead part puts in a tremendous performance – all the more remarkable when you read that each episode was filmed in a single take.

Stephen Graham, who co-wrote the show with Jack Thorne, is thoroughly convincing as the miscreant’s father.

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