NetflixAdolescence Season 2 initially seemed unlikely, given it was a limited series – however, after its extraordinary success on Netflix, it may actually happen.
The show follows Jamie, a 13-year-old boy accused of stabbing and killing a female classmate. Over four emotionally gruelling and technically dazzling episodes (all shot in one take), the true nature of what happened and what led to her death becomes clear.
In short, it has struck lightning. It’s been critically acclaimed and praised by viewers across the world, and it’s now Netflix’s fourth-biggest English-language series ever. That puts it ahead of every season of Bridgerton, The Queen’s Gambit, and Stranger Things Season 3 (it’s still behind Season 4).
Adolescence was conceived as a standalone story with a firm ending. However, Season 2 could be in the works.
Adolescence Season 2 talks are happening
NetflixPlan B, the production company behind the series (founded by Brad Pitt), has been in talks with director Philip Barantini about the “next iteration” of Adolescence, as per Deadline.
What does that mean? Well, it may not be a continuation of Jamie’s story – but that’s not necessarily off the table either.
Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Plan B’s co-presidents, want to “widen the aperture, stay true to its DNA, [and] not to be repetitive.” According to the outlet, they “did not wish to reveal too much about their plans”, but they want to re-team with Stephen Graham and Adolescence’s writer Jack Thorne.
This comes after Graham told Variety there was a “possibility of developing another story… we’ll see how the figures are.”
However, Graham and Thorne also told Tudum they wanted to end the story in Jamie’s bedroom. “We wanted the journey to finish where it began. This is where the person who Jamie became was created,” they said.
That suggests it could follow a different story and a new cast, but if it does return, it could continue the show’s one-shot structure.
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“Phil’s style of doing the episodes in one take is not a gimmick. It’s very much in conversation with the subject matter,” Gardner said.
“In early conversations with Stephen and Jack, they were talking about how it’s too easy to look away. You can look away from the school, you can look away from the police station, you can look away from the counseling, you can look away from the family.
“In that kind of prismatic way of viewing, you can duck the issue. So our theory was, what would happen if you couldn’t look away? And will that make the subject embed in you in a different way? That was a thrilling thing.”
In the meantime, find out why Jamie killed Katie in Netflix’s Adolescence, read the true story behind Adolescence, and check out other Netflix thrillers you should watch.