Philip Barantini directed Netflix’s hit series, Adolescence. The British crime thriller wowed viewers with its story about a young boy accused of murder. On the technical side, every episode was shot in one continuous take, a rare move in the television industry. The series was a huge success, and questions about a second season have been circulating, but recent comments from Barantini suggest a different outcome for the show. In a talk in Content London recently, Barantini said that while it was fun to work with the Adolescence team, that story was done. The director explained:
“For me, it’s about ultimately working with good people, nice people. There is no sequel to this, but we as a collective want to continue to work together on multiple things. We captured lightning in a bottle in terms of how we shot it, I but also the reach we had. That doesn’t mean every project going forward can’t have the same ethos.”
The series took the world by storm earlier this year, becoming an overnight sensation while cementing itself as one of the most popular Netflix dramas of all time. Adolescence is the 2nd-most-popular Netflix Original series ever, with 142.6 million views, behind Wednesday Season 1 (252.1 million views). As it happens, when a show achieves this much success, questions about a potential continuation of the story become common, and Adolescence was not immune to this despite being billed as a limited series. Suffice to say, the show will remain limited for now.
‘Adolescence’s Impact Went Beyond the Screen
Adolescence became a cultural phenomenon because of the timeliness of the topics it covered. It explored how social media has fueled insecurity, loneliness, and misogyny among young men, teenagers, and boys. The series sparked conversation in some of the highest places in society, including the UK’s parliament, where MP Anneliese Midgley called for the show to be shown in parliament and in schools, hoping it would open channels of communication and help reduce violence towards women and girls. The UK government also pledged to tighten laws governing children’s use of social media to minimize the negative consequences of early exposure.
Adolescence was written and created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. It stars Graham (Eddie Miller), Owen Cooper (Jamie Miller), Ashley Walters (DI Luke Bascombe), Faye Marsay (DS Misha Frank), Christine Tremarco (Manda Miller), Mark Stanley (Paul Barlow), and Erin Doherty (Briony Ariston), among others.
Stream all episodes of Adolescence Season 1 on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
March 13, 2025
Network
Netflix
Directors
Philip Barantini
