Netflix’s new hit thriller series,Adolescence, has broken ground with a TV ratings feat no other streaming show has ever achieved, marking a historic TV moment. Netflix has had plenty of successful thrillers over the years, with many of their most well-known shows being part of the genre. This includes theongoing seriesSquid Game, which has topped the streamer’s charts for their most-watched non-English TV show. However,the streaming service still finds plenty of success with the genre globally, including in smaller, limited series.
In the platform’s recent history, this has included the 2024British miniseriesFool Me Once, which has gone on to become the Number 8 most-watched English-language TV show in the platform’s history. Going into 2025, the UK has continued to prove itself a bastion for engaging miniseries for the streaming platform. Thecritically praisedToxic Town, for example, provided a dramatized look at the historic Corby toxic waste case. ButNetflix’s latest British thriller miniseries is now a popular show on the platform, so much so that it’s broken a record no other streaming series ever has.
Adolescence Has Broken A Major Streaming Record In The UK
It’s Become A Historic Hit For Netflix
Adolescencehas broken a major TV record in the UK,a feat no other streaming series has been able to accomplish. The four-episode miniseries showcases the arrest and aftermath of a 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who’s accused of murdering his classmate.Adolescencehas received critical acclaim, both for the handling of its subject matter and every episode being filmed as a one shot. The series quickly climbed to Number 1 on Netflix’s weekly viewership charts for the week of its debut.
How Much Of Adolescence Was Filmed In One Shot & Are There Any Hidden Cuts?
The Netflix murder mystery limited series Adolescence is taking the world by storm, partly because of its highly impressive one-shot takes.
Now,Varietyhas reported thatAdolescencehas topped the UK’s weekly TV rankings, becoming the first streaming series in history to achieve the Number 1 spot. According to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB), the show’s premiere episode earned 6.45 million viewers in the UK during its first week, beating outFool Me Once, which garnered 6.3 million. Its successful viewership continued for all four episodes, beating traditional broadcast shows likeThe ApprenticeandDeath in Paradise.
Episode ofAdolescence
6.3 million
5.94 million
5.14 million
Episode 4
4.65 million
Alex Leadbeater,ScreenRant’s Content Director, had this to say aboutAdolescence’s major achievement in the UK:
Adolescence has reached that level of ubiquity in UK discourse that it is being raised in the House of Commons by Keir Starmer. What’s striking is that this used to be the sort of show that would be airing on Britain’s broadcast channels. The previous most recent case was Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office, which forced the former Government into actually addressing the long-simmering Horizon scandal.
While two of the three production companies behind the show are based in England and Netflix is championing homegrown content around the globe, this suggests we’re already in the middle of a seismic shift in not just how the UK consumes content, but who funds that content. The BBC in particular is in a precarious position, with the license fee that provides much of its funding under debate.
What Adolescence’s Record-Breaking Success In The UK Says About The Miniseries
Its Popularity Reflects Its Importance
The popularity of the thriller miniseries in the UK is no surprise, as the show’s impressive cinematography is complimented by an important story about social influence and masculinity. Given thatAdolescencewas inspired by a true story, although its own plot is entirely fictional, the series emphasizes important themes that clearly resonate given its popularity. Its historic popularity in the UK emphasizes how much those themes resonate, especially since it beat so many network TV programs by viewership in the process.
