Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller looking grim in Adolescence

Peaky Blinders star Stephen Graham’s hard-hitting Netflix crime drama is dominating the streaming service’s TV charts. Known for his role as union convenor Hayden Stagg in the beloved BBC period crime drama, the actor made his guest star debut in season 5 before being promoted to the main cast in the sixth and final season. Graham is also known for his appearances in blockbuster franchises, including Pirates of the Caribbean as Scrum, and Venom as symbiote host Patrick Mulligan.

While Graham’s career has taken him through the fantasy, sci-fi, and musical genres, he is largely known for his roles in grounded content on television and the big screen. His breakout came through his portrayal of Andrew “Combo” Gascoigne in This Is England and earned further recognition for his portrayal of troubled head chef Andy Jones in Boiling Point, reprising both roles when they were expanded into their own television series. He is set to work alongside Netflix and return to the world of the Blinders in its big-screen continuation in The Immortal Man.

Stephen Graham’s Adolescence Is Captivating Audiences

The Series Is A Grounded, Uncomfortable Look At A Spreading Threat

Stephen Graham sitting on a bed in Adolescence Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller sitting at a table in Adolescence Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper talking to each other in Adolescence Faye Marsay and Ashley Walters in Adolescence Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in Adolescence Stephen Graham sitting on a bed in Adolescence Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller sitting at a table in Adolescence Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper talking to each other in Adolescence Faye Marsay and Ashley Walters in Adolescence Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in Adolescence

Written by Graham and Jack Thorne, Adolescence centers on the Miller family, as their 13-year-old son is arrested for the murder of a classmate who is soon revealed to have been motivated by dark and twisted misogynistic ideologies. Upon its release, Adolescence was met with critical acclaim for its gripping performances and meticulous filmmaking, accumulating a rating of 98% from 51 critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Upon its release, Adolescence found its audience, as the viewership over its first weekend saw it climb the streaming service’s charts. The limited series has placed itself at the top of Netflix’s global TV charts, outpacing the Kate Hudson-led Running Point and Robert De Niro’s series Zero Day with a viewership of 24.3 million and an accumulated 93,000,000 hours watched. Alongside earning the #1 spot in 71 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and many more, Adolescence is within the top 10 in 91 countries.

Our Thoughts On Adolescence’s Success

The Timely Drama Is A Harrowing-But-Necessary Watch

Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence

Graham is no stranger to tackling the hard-hitting topic of radicalization, with his breakout role, This Is England, exploring far-right politics and nationalism in England’s 1983 skinhead subculture. The actor would return to the topic in 2022’s The Walk-In, in which he portrayed real-world activist Matthew F. Collins in a retelling of the foiling of an assassination attempt on a Labour Party MP. However, Adolescence may prove to be even more relevant to the time of its release than the other series, as it offers a glimpse into a terrifying reality.

Across its four-episode run, the series tackles misogynistic movements, showing how these ideologies can spread under the surface of even the most seemingly ordinary and mundane communities and families like the Millers. With a global rise in such ideologies and several notable crimes within the UK in recent years, it is a harrowing and foreboding glimpse at a rising threat, with Graham having stated he hopes it could raise awareness of the situation. With Adolescence taking Netflix by storm, perhaps audiences across the globe will be more aware of the events and behaviors depicted.