The creators of Netflix’s Adolescence have officially weighed in on whether there will be a season two of the hit show.
After dominating Netflix’s most-watched list since its March 13 release, Adolescence is safely one of this year’s most talked-about shows. Shot in one continuous take, the four-part series tells the gripping story of a 13-year-old boy accused of stabbing his classmate to death. Though Adolescence isn’t based on one single true crime, the series has sparked conversations about the real-life impacts of knife crime, violence against women, and the manosphere.
For the millions of viewers who watched the show, the harrowing plot strategically generates more questions than answers. So, does that pave the way for a season 2?
Will There Be an ‘Adolescence’ Season 2?
The creators and stars of the show have strongly suggested that there won’t be a season 2 of Adolescence. However, there are a couple of details that mean a second season is totally possible. Let’s break it all down.
While unpacking down the show’s heart-wrenching finale episode to Netflix’s Tudum, the show’s creators and writers, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, hinted that the final scene in Jamie’s bedroom in episode four is where Adolescence ends.
“We knew that we wanted to end it in that room. We wanted the journey to finish where it began,” Graham, who also plays Jamie’s dad Eddie in the show, said. Thorne added that the episode reveals “the final part of Jamie.”
“You’re getting a new perspective on Eddie — the complicated vision of Eddie. You need to understand how he allowed his son to become absent, what Eddie taught his son, and what he didn’t teach his son. You need to understand that for the whole family,” Thorne explained.
Christine Tremarco, who plays Jamie’s mom Manda, also said there likely won’t be a second season when she appeared on Lorraine on 24 March.
Host Lorraine Kelly asked if there would be another season, saying she was “left with so many questions.” Tremarco replied: “You’re not alone in that, a couple of people have said that. Maybe that’s a good thing because it leaves you thinking about what would happen afterwards.”
“But I think this is a one-off, I think it ends there with episode four,” Tremarco said. So is waiting around for a second season just wishful thinking? Not exactly.
Are There Any Signs That ‘Adolescence’ Is Getting a Season 2?
Netflix has not greenlit a season 2 of Adolescence and bills the show as a four-part limited series. However, Netflix has upgraded many of its popular mini-series to multi-season shows in the past so we’re not ruling it out.
Yes, Netflix's Adolescence Is a True Story
For example, 13 Reasons Why started as a limited series before continuing into a four-season show. Mini series The Watcher was also renewed for a second season after it became a hit on the platform back in 2022.
If Adolescence gets picked up for a second season, we’re guessing it could wind up similar to Netflix’s BEEF which was renewed as an anthology series after a successful season one in 2023 and will star a whole new cast with a new stand-alone storyline, similar to HBO Max’s anthology hit The White Lotus.
What Would ‘Adolescence’ Season 2 Be About?
The show’s creators have made it clear that Adolescence is all about unpacking the impacts of right-wing online spaces that promote misogynistic ideals so it’s possible that a second season of the show could look at that topic from a different angle.
Season one follows the aftermath of Jamie violently murdering a girl in his class and explores what forces influenced him to commit such a heinous act. However, Graham’s mission statement for the show could follow through to an anthology series.
“One of our aims was to ask, ‘What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?’ And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids [in the UK] as they are the world over,” he told Tudum.
Season two of Adolescence could follow a new set of characters, perhaps even outside the UK, and further examine the impact of incel culture on teenagers.
Before you go, click here to see all great shows Netflix canceled in two seasons or less.
