Adolescence
I’m of an age when the country used to watch TV shows — collectively.
The first one I recall was Roots, the incredible odyssey of an African-American family. Then there was Rich Man, Poor Man. The story of two brothers: one as you might suspect, wealthy. The other not so much. Then there was the moment when everyone asked the same question from a show: “Who shot JR?”
Collective TV. A common touchstone of entertainment. The illusion, at least, that we were somehow all connected.
That doesn’t happen anymore. We are all in our own rabbit holes.
That is until, Adolescence.
On Monday, I must have heard about this Netflix series from 5 different people, all with the same directive: “You must watch this show!”
Tuesday, I started. By Thursday, I finished watching the final episode. And then I became one of those people who will now say this to you: “You must watch this show.”
No spoiler alerts here. Just a few facts.
Adolescence is a British crime drama.
It’s about a murder. It involves social media. It affects a family and ultimately an entire community.
The casting and acting are sublime.
It’s also filmed quite unconventionally. There are zero edits. Each episode is one long take. Like the Copacabana scene in Goodfellas.
To date, some 66 million people have watched this.
All I can say is that no matter what I was dealing with this week — and it was a robust one — I kept coming back to this show.
You simply must watch it.
I've read all your posts. They've all been worth every second of my time. This one packs a different punch. I share all your points - as a creative director (and a director) - the story, the performances (the boy is beyond brilliant), the zero editing, etc. I hope you're right that it becomes "Collective TV" because it's an unforgettable "canary in the coal mine" for how technology (for all its positives) is inflicting extraordinary damage on our children (especially), our families, our "community and connection" as human beings.
yeah it’s incredible. and not just a thrilling toss-off crime show. it’s the kind of art that holds its grip on you long after you’re done watching.