'Adolescence' wins big at 2026 Golden Globes: Why it has parents talking
"Adolescence," a limited series on Netflix, was a big winner at the 2026 Golden Globes Sunday night.
The series -- which explores the loss of adolescence and the complexities of youth -- took home multiple awards, including best limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television.
The show's teenage star, Owen Cooper, who has received several accolades since the show's release, also won the Golden Globe for best performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television.
"It just does not feel real whatsoever," Cooper said in his acceptance speech. "What an incredible journey me and my family have been put through. We are forever grateful for what these people have done for me and my family."
He continued, "What started off as what I thought, I might be OK, I might be awful, I never know, so I took a risk and I went to drama classes, I was the only boy there, it was embarrassing, but I got through it."
"I'm still very much an apprentice, I'm still learning every day, I'm still learning from the people that sat in front of you, sat in front of me, who've inspired me. I wouldn't be here without you guys," he added.
"Adolescence," which premiered on Netflix in March, is a four-part drama series from the United Kingdom.
Since its release, the show has influenced broad public debate and policy conversations. The show was made available to all secondary schools across the U.K., part of an initiative backed by the British government to facilitate important conversations among young people, Netflix UK & Ireland announced in March.
"As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you -- it hit home hard," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 31. "It's an important initiative to encourage as many pupils as possible to watch the show. As I see from my own children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they're seeing, and exploring the conversations they're having with their peers is vital if we are to properly support them in navigating contemporary challenges and deal with malign influences."
Read on to see why everyone is still talking about "Adolescence."
What is 'Adolescence' about, and is it based on a true story?
The series, in which each episode is filmed in one take, follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), whose world is turned upside down when he is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl named Katie, who went to his school.
"This is a show about a kid who does the wrong thing and causes great harm. To understand him, we have to understand the pressures upon him," "Adolescence" writer Jack Thorne told the BBC in March.
While the series isn't based on a true story, Stephen Graham -- who portrays Eddie Miller, Jamie's dad in the series, in addition to being a co-writer -- told Rolling Stone UK that he drew inspiration from several real-life incidents that happened among youth in the U.K., specifically several incidents that involved the stabbing of teen girls.
"There had been a number of incidents where young boys were stabbing and killing young girls, and I'm calling them young boys because they're not developed to be men," Graham said.
He added, "They'd happened up and down the country, and my objective was merely to ask: 'What's going on? Why is this happening? Can we just have a look at it, because this kind of thing didn't happen when I was a young lad.'"
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were around 50,500 offenses involving a sharp instrument in England and Wales (excluding Greater Manchester) in the year ending in March 2024.
ONS added that in 2023-2024, "17% of those admitted to hospital for assault by sharp object were aged 18 or younger."
What have critics said about the series?
Film critic Peter Travers raved about the new series in a recent review and aid that it is "sure to rank with the year's very best."
He said, "'Adolescence' observes with skin-crawling dread and piercing clarity the bruises that come with being young and the societal forces that inflict them."
Read his full review here.
Who is in the cast of 'Adolescence'?
Along with Graham and Cooper, the cast also includes Faye Marsay, Ashley Walters, Christine Tremarco, Amelie Pease, Erin Doherty, Austin Haynes and Lewis Pemberton.
What topics and themes are explored in the series?
Among the many topics that are touched on in the series are bullying, the impact of social media and mental health.
Graham told The Independent that when he was young, if there was something going on that parents wanted to protect their children from, "You'd be sent to your room."
"But today even within the context of that home, when lads and girls go to their bedrooms, they have the world at their fingertips," he added.
Another topic that is explored in the show is masculinity and misogyny, specifically male rage and toxic incel culture, a term used in online forums to describe a subculture of the "manosphere," which is a portmanteau of "involuntary celibate."
According to the Anti-Defamation League, incels are "heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success."
Graham told Rolling Stone UK, "It was just about looking at the influence that certain people can have upon our children without our knowledge, do you know what I mean? Boys are very influenced in many ways."
In his interview with the BBC, Thorne talked about Jamie's character and said, "We have to understand the things he's been consuming and that means especially looking at the internet, the manosphere and incel culture."
What are parents saying about the show?
After the show premiered on Netflix, parents took to social media to share their thoughts.
One father said the show caused him to "look so deeply, inwardly and think about choices" they've made as a dad.
A U.K. mom on TikTok analyzed the show and discussed the challenges that come with parenting children growing up in the digital age, as well as instilling proper values.
Graham, who is also a father to a teenage son, told The Independent that he wanted to explore who was to blame for Jamie's behavior and actions in the series.
"We wanted him to come from an ordinary family," he said. "We wanted to be mindful from the very beginning that there was no way you could point the finger. Dad wasn't particularly violent in the house and didn't raise his hand to mum or the boy or his daughter. Mum wasn't an alcoholic. Jamie wasn't abused sexually or mentally or physically."
"Then you go, who is to blame? Who is accountable? Maybe we're all accountable," he added. "Family, school, society, community, environment. Maybe all of these things should take some accountability. And then also, within the concepts of what we were creating as well, that microcosm of the home and the macrocosm of the world outside."
What awards has the show, cast won?
In addition to the show and Cooper winning Golden Globes, its stars Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham won the Golden Globes for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television and best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television, respectively.
The show has also won eight Emmys at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in September, including outstanding limited or anthology series, and four Critics Choice Awards earlier this month, including best limited series.
Cooper made history at the Emmys as the youngest male actor to win outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie.
This awards season, the series is nominated at the Film Independent Spirit Awards for best new scripted series, and Graham, Cooper and Doherty are also nominated in their respective acting categories.
At the 2026 Actors Awards, Graham, Cooper, Doherty and Tremarco are all up for awards too.
While accepting the Golden Globe for best limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television on behalf of the show, Thorne said, "Some think our show is about how we should be frightened of young people. It's not."
He continued, "It's about the filth and the debris we have laid in their path. It is impossible to highlight anyone else in our extraordinary cast and crew but our young company. Owen, Amari (Bascombe), Amelie (Pease), Fatima (Bojang) and Kaine (Davis) -- you are proof the world can better."
"Removing hate is our generation's responsibility," he added. "It requires thought from the top down. The possibility seems remote right now, but hope is a beautiful thing."
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
