Adolescence, the backlash: the nightmare of making hit TV in terrifying times

From online hate to being mobbed in public, having a televisual smash is becoming increasingly fraught. Should Netflix have hidden its stars away in a safe house?Strangers turning up at your house, a vehicle vandalised, violent commentary online, eyes tracking you as you shop – the last episode of Adolescence chillingly shows the modern consequences of sudden public attention.But the creators of the Netflix show – already seeming certain to sweep the prizes in next year’s TV awards – have, in an upsetting case of life imitating drama, experienced something of this attention (although without, we hope, the criminal elements). Continue reading...

Mar 25, 2025 - 18:09
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Adolescence, the backlash: the nightmare of making hit TV in terrifying times

From online hate to being mobbed in public, having a televisual smash is becoming increasingly fraught. Should Netflix have hidden its stars away in a safe house?

Strangers turning up at your house, a vehicle vandalised, violent commentary online, eyes tracking you as you shop – the last episode of Adolescence chillingly shows the modern consequences of sudden public attention.

But the creators of the Netflix show – already seeming certain to sweep the prizes in next year’s TV awards – have, in an upsetting case of life imitating drama, experienced something of this attention (although without, we hope, the criminal elements). Continue reading...