Netflix Crime Thriller Adolescence Shatters Emmy Records in Major Win for Streaming

Netflix's Adolescence was already a gut-punch of a hit earlier this year. Now it just spun that heat into hardware: 15-year-old Owen Cooper won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Yes, 15. That makes him the youngest male actor to win an Emmy, ever.

Why Owen Cooper's win matters

Cooper makes his screen debut in Adolescence as Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old accused of murdering a classmate after she rejected him. It is a tough, tricky role — and he absolutely levels the room. The series has a stacked cast, but Cooper became the lightning rod that kept the show in conversation for months.

What the show is (and why it hit so hard)

Created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, Adolescence is a limited series that plays like a single, sustained panic attack — in a good way. Director Philip Barantini stages episodes to unfold in real time with a one-take feel, so you never get to step back and breathe. Critics ate it up (a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes), and it even bled into classrooms as a talking point. The impact was that immediate.

And the viewership? The show was reportedly Netflix's second-most watched TV series ever, even topping Stranger Things. I know — that stat made me blink too.

Season 2? Maybe — but not the sequel you expect

This is one of those stories that does not need a traditional second season. It closes the book pretty definitively, which is exactly why it worked. But success always invites the 'what's next?' question. Back in April, Netflix and Plan B Entertainment (Brad Pitt's company) started early talks about a new season — not a continuation, but an anthology-style follow-up. Think: a new case, new characters, same real-time, one-take intensity. Inside baseball note: the plan being floated has Barantini returning if it moves forward, keeping that nerve-jangling format intact. With the Emmy bump, a green light could come sooner rather than later.

Quick facts

• Release date: March 13, 2025 (Netflix)
• Rating/genres: TV-MA; Crime, Drama
• Creators/writers: Stephen Graham, Jack Thorne
• Director: Philip Barantini
• Main cast: Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller; Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller; Bidi Iredale as Eileen; Amelie Pease as Lisa Miller
• Emmy milestone: Owen Cooper, 15, won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — youngest male Emmy winner ever

Bottom line

Adolescence told a complete story and then some. Cooper's historic win just cements what viewers already felt watching it: this was the real deal. If Netflix goes the anthology route, keeping the real-time, one-take framework is the smart play — the format is the secret weapon.