Adolescence Season 2 Is Impossible Despite The Show's 98% Rotten Tomatoes Score & Only Having 4 Episodes

Yes, Adolescence immediately became a big hit upon its release in March 2025, but that doesn't mean that Netflix will renew it for a second season. The British crime drama TV series, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, follows a young teenage boy, Jamie, who is accused of murdering his classmate, Katie. Over the course of Adolescence's four episodes, viewers watch as the tragedy affects Jamie's family, the police officers assigned to the case, his child psychologist, and Jamie himself. The Netflix show has gripped millions of subscribers worldwide, and positive word of mouth has only increased its scope.

According to Variety, Adolescence has accumulated 66.3 million views as of March 25, giving it the record for most-watched Netflix limited series within two weeks after its premiere.

Part of the reason so many are praising the British TV series is because every episode of Adolescence is filmed in a one-shot take. From the moment an episode begins until its end, the camera is rolling, meaning the hour's events unravel in real time. Critics and audiences alike have been impressed with the crime drama's cinematography, along with the cast's performances and the show's relevant yet horrifying plot. Despite all this positive reception and success, though, Netflix ordering Adolescence season 2 is unlikely.

Adolescence Season 2 Would Miss The Point Of The Show

The Crime Drama Features A Self-Contained Story That Makes Its Point By The Finale

Adolescence ends with many questions unanswered. For example, viewers never learn what happened to the murder weapon or Ryan (Jamie's friend who supplied him with the knife that killed Katie). Plus, the audience doesn't see Jamie's trial or any of the other criminal proceedings that most traditional crime series depict. Adolescence just shows Jamie's arrest and interrogation, the cops' search for the murder weapon, Jamie's meeting with his child psychologist, and how the tragedy affects Jamie's family. All this suggests that Netflix will continue the story with a second season. However, ordering more episodes would completely disregard the point of Adolescence.

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Adolescence isn't a typical murder mystery TV show. Instead of leaving fans guessing as to who the murderer is, the crime drama reveals that information by the end of the first episode. Consequently, Adolescence is more akin to a whydunit than a whodunit. It unpacks Jamie's motive for killing Katie and the greater societal problem that contributed to the murder, which it does so masterfully and definitively. So, continuing Jamie and his family's story in a hypothetical second season would simply be a huge disservice to the series and its message. Extending it would just be a money grab from Netflix.

Adolescence's Four Episodes Were All It Really Needed

There's No More Story To Tell

Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper talking to each other in Adolescence

Adolescence says all it needs to say in its four episodes. All four installments of the Netflix crime drama brilliantly dive into each perspective and every corner of Jamie's case that the writers and producers want to highlight, including the initial arrest and interrogation, the cops' search for more evidence, Jamie and Briony's second meeting, and Eddie reconciling with the fact that his son is guilty. The series ends with Jamie deciding to plead guilty, and that's all that the audience truly needs to know about Jamie's case and his future. Consequently, there is no need for another season.

Adolescence Cast	Role
Stephen Graham	Eddie Miller
Owen Cooper	Jamie Miller
Ashley Walters	DI Luke Bascombe
Erin Doherty	Briony Ariston
Faye Marsay	DS Misha Frank
Christine Tremarco	Manda Miller
Amélie Pease	Lisa Miller
Mark Stanley	Paul Barlow
Jo Hartley	Mrs. Fenumore
Kaine Davis	Ryan

Adolescence contains no fat as every second of each episode has a purpose. The British TV show uses its time wisely and perfectly, gripping its audience with the characters' actions and lines. There is a reason why Adolescence received an overwhelming amount of positive reviews — it's so well done, and Netflix greenlighting season 2 could damage its perfection.

Adolescence Season 2 Could Follow A Different Family, But Is It Really Needed?

The Only Option Is To Make Adolescence An Anthology Series

Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller sitting on Jamie's bed holding a stuffed toy in Adolescence. — Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller in Adolescence

A second season of Netflix's TV show Adolescence could revolve around a different murder case. The streaming service might want to turn the crime drama into an anthology, which would be its only reasonable option if it needs to continue the series. However, it would be quite difficult for any succeeding story to live up to Jamie's. Netflix also risks the possibility of anything that comes afterward feeling repetitive, as it would have to follow another child murderer, given its title. Ultimately, Adolescence season 2 isn't needed or justified, but after season 1's success, there's a small chance that Netflix has other plans.