In today’s media landscape, no project can avoid the online wrath of negativity. Whether it’s major franchise installments or small indie productions, preparations are necessary for all manner of insult-hurling from different corners of the internet. However, some negativity, no matter how small the minority it comes from, can be genuinely dangerous and harbor with it the violent views of a dangerous few. For the smash-hit British Netflix series Adolescence, most of the response has been hugely positive, with the series even boasting a huge 99% “certified fresh” score from critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

However, again, albeit from a minority, some have crafted the frankly bigoted opinion that the series has engaged in “race-swapping,” by making the lead character, a young boy accused of murdering his classmate, white against the backdrop of recent similar high-profile incidents to make British news. Thankfully, the level-headed co-creator of the series, Jack Thorne, has categorically put these suggestions to bed in an interview with The News Agents podcast. “Nothing is further from the truth,” Thorne said, adding, “there is no part of this that’s based on a true story, not one single part. It’s absurd to say that this [crime] is only committed by Black boys. It’s not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes.” The prolific British writer then clarified:

“We’re not making a point about race with this. We are making a point about masculinity. We’re trying to get inside a problem. We’re not saying this is one thing or another, we’re saying that this is about boys.”

‘Adolescence’ is a Worldwide Hit

Not just a huge hit with critics, Adolescence is also a record-breaking series, having recently become the first ever U.K. streaming show to top the Barb Audiences’ weekly television ratings. Across the world, in almost all countries the series is available, Adolescence has shot to the top of the streaming charts. The miniseries was recently the #1 most-streamed show in 75 out of a possible 93 countries, with only one, Japan, not seeing the show enter its top three. This is a remarkable feat for any series, let alone a British project that, for the folks involved, would never have seemed like dominating global conversation in the way it currently is.

Adolescence is available to watch right now on Netflix. You can keep up to date with your favorite shows on Collider.