Netflix crime miniseries Adolescence has left fans critics and audiences alike devastated, thanks in large part to its harrowing realism. But is Adolescence actually based on a true story, or did the show’s co-creators Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham make the whole thing up?
Is Netflix Miniseries Adolescence Based on True Events?
No, Netflix’s Adolescence is not based on a true story. While there are presumably a bunch of Jamie Millers living in the UK, there’s no record of anyone by that name getting arrested on suspicion of murder at 13. The same goes for Jamie’s family, as well as his classmates, teachers, and the police officers who investigate Jamie’s case: Thorne and Graham invented them all for the show.
That said, Adolescence was inspired by real events. In an interview with Netflix fan site Tudum, Graham described how he came up with the idea for Adolescence while trying to make sense of a wave of violent youth crimes on the news. “There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl,” Graham said. “It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’”
Adolescence Co-Creator Explains the Netflix Show’s Real-Life Inspiration
Graham added that the more reports about stabbings carried out by young boys appeared, the clearer the show’s focus – interrogating the violence’s root causes – became. “[I]t happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again,” he recalled. “I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?’”
Graham also highlighted the importance of Adolescence‘s “ordinary family” perspective. Noting how easily he and Throne could’ve grounded Adolescence in a darker world of underage gangs and abusive parents, the writer-actor observed that the Miller family’s relatability is what makes the miniseries so effective.
All four episodes of Adolescence are currently streaming on Netflix.