The internet has spoken on the hit Netflix drama Adolescence—but it’s not about the gripping plot or Owen Cooper’s chilling performance. Nope, instead of discussing the terrifyingly real issue that’s been plaguing young minds all over the world, the internet zeroed in on controversy. Yep, the race-swapping drama hit harder than Stephen Graham’s attempt to explore the dangers of toxic internet culture.
While the creator tried to explore unchecked masculinity and digital chaos, fans couldn’t shake the fact that the real-life story involved a Black boy, not a White one. So now, Adolescence got accused of watering down its real message and dodging political conversations surrounding immigration and race. Let’s check out if there’s more to the story.
Fans called out the dishonest race swap in Adolescence
Following the release of Netflix’s limited series Adolescence, the show became a major hit for its powerful, gut-wrenching tale about a teenage boy murdering his female classmate out of rage. The show exposed the idea of toxic masculinity, online manipulation, and the dark corners of the internet. Even lead actor Owen Cooper delivered a jaw-dropping performance, despite being a newcomer.
But surprisingly, amid the shower of praise, a glaring controversy took over Adolescence. People can’t seem to overlook the disturbing race swap that happened in the show. Considering how the Netflix drama is based on reality, fans discovered that the real-life tragedy involved 17-year-old Hassan Sentamu, a Black teenager who murdered a 15-year-old girl, back in September 2023.
So now that Adolescence race-swapped the main character from a Black boy to the White lead, Owen Cooper, fans believe it was a deliberate choice to avoid confronting uncomfortable topics of race and immigration in the UK. This sparked a wildfire of controversy on the internet and netizens began accusing the show of twisting the narrative. Instead of dealing with the real truth, people accused the show of diverting the topic to toxic masculinity and the horror of the internet.
Is Adolescence really dodging uncomfortable topics?
After the whiplash of criticism over the race-swapping controversy, writer Jack Thorne addressed the whole issue. Much like creator Stephen Graham had previously noted that the show isn’t based on one single incident, even Thorne corroborated the same. Appearing on The News Agents podcast, the writer thus reflected on the fact that “it’s absurd to say that this [crime] is only committed by black boys”.
There is no part of this that’s based on a true story. 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 this is about boys.
Now, based on Jack Thorne’s remarks, it seems that the creators tried looking at the bigger picture of gender issues, toxic masculinity, and the depths of the internet. However, on the other hand, as per fans’ comments, it seems that the creators deliberately tried to avoid the real issue that remains a point of contention for the British right-wing—immigration.
So, it almost seems like Adolescence has two underlying issues—unchecked masculinity, as per the creators, and uncontrolled immigration as per netizens. If you watch the show as it is, instead of delving deeper into the controversy, then you might soak in the powerful message about how the internet has been influencing young minds and how toxic masculinity is rising in the world.
But if you dive into the complicated and political aspects of race and immigration, then you might find the show a sheer misinterpretation and a missed opportunity to focus on the original crime. At the end of the day, Adolescence is a reminder of how stories are told and who gets to tell them.
Adolescence is available on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
